John Miliunas
05-27-2005, 8:18 PM
Although I'm a newbie Neander, I found out early on that the best and safest chisels, planes, spokeshaves, etc..., out there are the sharp ones. While the proof may indeed be in the final cutting action, it's nice to know what your cutting edge actually looks like. My buddy, Gene Collison, who also happens to be one of my "long distance mentors" taught me early on about the importance of closely examining the edge I'm sharpening. To this end, he recommended to get an eye loupe. I picked up a cheapie set, which took me to 10x magnification. Yup, helped me to better see what was actually going on, but a bit cumbersome. I'd always end up trying to find the right angle of the light to catch the edge and yet still not have it be buried in my head's shadow. Now, while I realize some of the sharpening zealots out there have gone to the extreme of incorporating something like the Intel microscope to examine edges, I wanted something a bit better than what I had without having to go clear across the shop to my computer to use something like that. :rolleyes:
As it happens (and I apologize if this is old news to many), I stumbled across a lighted magnifier in the LV catalog. It's a real loupe, going down to 15x magnification, with a powerful little battery-operated light in the head. If you're interested in seeing what your cutting edge looks like and really seeing the scratch pattern on either, the back or the bevel side, this is the hot tip! This little unit is Handy, with a capital "H"!:) Unbelievable what the additional 5x magnification over my old loupe can do. Suffice it to say that I'll be going over all of my plane irons and chisels again!!!:rolleyes: I'd have to believe this is about the best $20.00 accessory expense I've made in a long, long time! It comes with its own little vinyl case and even the required 3 AAA batteries (Alkalines, no less!). The only negative comment I have about it is, the "On/Off" switch slides to the "On" position going up toward the head. No biggie, but as you're replacing the unit back in its case, you need to be careful that the friction against the case doesn't engage it. Otherwise, a BIG "thumbs up"! Great product!!!:) (The usual disclaimer...NOT affiliated with LV, blaaaa, bla-bla, blaaaa...):cool:
As it happens (and I apologize if this is old news to many), I stumbled across a lighted magnifier in the LV catalog. It's a real loupe, going down to 15x magnification, with a powerful little battery-operated light in the head. If you're interested in seeing what your cutting edge looks like and really seeing the scratch pattern on either, the back or the bevel side, this is the hot tip! This little unit is Handy, with a capital "H"!:) Unbelievable what the additional 5x magnification over my old loupe can do. Suffice it to say that I'll be going over all of my plane irons and chisels again!!!:rolleyes: I'd have to believe this is about the best $20.00 accessory expense I've made in a long, long time! It comes with its own little vinyl case and even the required 3 AAA batteries (Alkalines, no less!). The only negative comment I have about it is, the "On/Off" switch slides to the "On" position going up toward the head. No biggie, but as you're replacing the unit back in its case, you need to be careful that the friction against the case doesn't engage it. Otherwise, a BIG "thumbs up"! Great product!!!:) (The usual disclaimer...NOT affiliated with LV, blaaaa, bla-bla, blaaaa...):cool: