Question for those of you who use honing guides & have a shoulder plane

[Jeff Ranck]

Having used a honing guide (the old eclipse style) for the majority of my stuff, I'm now puzzling how to sharpen my shoulder plane blade in the honing guide. I generally just free hand it since I can't figure out a good way to hold it in the eclipse guide. The narrow top of the blade is too narrow for the top of the jig and doesn't have the angled sides like a chisel to hold it in the "bottom" position.

Do folks that use the eclipse guide just free hand your shoulder plane blades or do you do something to get the guide to hold the blade?

Jeff.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I use the Veritas jig, which clamps from the top, and therefore it's not an issue. What shoulder plane do you have? Is it one that is narrower at the top than the bottom? I can see where those would be hard to sharpen in an eclipse.

You might try making a holder for it similar to this:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=44484&cat=1,43072,43078

I just ordered that one for my spokeshave blades, but it has yet to arrive. I don't think it would work for your situation, but you could make a piece of wood with embedded neodymium magnets to hold the blade, and bevel the sides to fit your eclipse guide.

[Robert Engel]

I just sharpened mine today in one of these. (http://www.amazon.com/WoodRiver-Honing-Guide/dp/B0035Y439C)

[Jim Matthews]

I use a 'ring vise' for just this application, and hone freehand.

If you can't get a proper grip with one of these,
modify a small handscrew clamp with a slot cut in one face to
accept the 'tail' of the blade.

[Derek Cohen]

Having used a honing guide (the old eclipse style) for the majority of my stuff, I'm now puzzling how to sharpen my shoulder plane blade in the honing guide. I generally just free hand it since I can't figure out a good way to hold it in the eclipse guide. The narrow top of the blade is too narrow for the top of the jig and doesn't have the angled sides like a chisel to hold it in the "bottom" position.

Do folks that use the eclipse guide just free hand your shoulder plane blades or do you do something to get the guide to hold the blade?

Jeff.


Jeff, I do not use a honing guide often, however when I do for something small that needs to have a square bevel, then the Kell #1 is more useful.

I prefer to hollow grind the bevel and hone on the hollow. That is self-jigging.

With regards the Eclipse (I have the original version), have you tried a spacer on each side of the blade? Make two spacers with rebates at the lower sides to hold the blade.

Regards

[glenn bradley]

I use the Kell (http://richardkell.co.uk/honingECom.htm) that Derek mentions.

[Patrick Harper]

I also use the Kell. It works great for some of these funky plane blades and chisels. I recently did a review of it here: http://bloodsweatsawdust.com/2015/01/26/a-review-the-kell-honing-guide/

[Jeff Ranck]

What shoulder plane do you have? Is it one that is narrower at the top than the bottom?

It is the LV large shoulder plane and the blade is narrower on the top than the bottom. So it really doesn't work with the eclipse. Free handing is ok, but it is still a bit hard for me to hold.

[Jeff Ranck]

the Kell #1 is more useful.

I might have to give one of these a try as it looks like several folks use them.



With regards the Eclipse (I have the original version), have you tried a spacer on each side of the blade? Make two spacers with rebates at the lower sides to hold the blade.


I also have the original version. I've wondered about a spacer. I wasn't sure that wood would work very well and I don't have much capacity to mill metal, but maybe I can figure something out.

[Jeff Ranck]

I also use the Kell. It works great for some of these funky plane blades and chisels. I recently did a review of it here: http://bloodsweatsawdust.com/2015/01/26/a-review-the-kell-honing-guide/

Thanks for the review Patrick. I also am a bit put off by the cost of jigs. I'm sure they are worth it but I have a hard time convincing myself that I want to spend the money on a sharpening jig. But maybe I'll need to give one a try.

[Hilton Ralphs]

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=44484&cat=1,43072,43078

I just ordered that one for my spokeshave blades, but it has yet to arrive. I don't think it would work for your situation, but you could make a piece of wood with embedded neodymium magnets to hold the blade, and bevel the sides to fit your eclipse guide.

Malcolm, you should have watched this video first.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw1JGEbKgCw

[Jeff Ranck]

I use a 'ring vise' for just this application, and hone freehand.

If you can't get a proper grip with one of these,
modify a small handscrew clamp with a slot cut in one face to
accept the 'tail' of the blade.

I don't think I had ever heard of a ring vise (google is my friend) but that is an interesting idea.

[Ray Bohn]

I use the Veritas jig, which clamps from the top, and therefore it's not an issue. What shoulder plane do you have? Is it one that is narrower at the top than the bottom? I can see where those would be hard to sharpen in an eclipse.

You might try making a holder for it similar to this:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=44484&cat=1,43072,43078

I just ordered that one for my spokeshave blades, but it has yet to arrive. I don't think it would work for your situation, but you could make a piece of wood with embedded neodymium magnets to hold the blade, and bevel the sides to fit your eclipse guide.

I made a test model of something like this for a 20 degree skewed 1" wide blade a year ago. It has worked so well and I need it so seldom that I never got around to remaking it.

[Jeff Ranck]

Malcolm, you should have watched this video first.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw1JGEbKgCw

that video was interesting and using the spokeshave cap iron to hold things down to the jig is a great idea. I'm wondering how important the pins are and whether you could do without. It would eliminate the problem of the "short iron" he talks about. I bet a similar jig would hold the shoulder iron and I wouldn't have to worry about some metal holder.

[Richard Verwoest]

For 10-15 bucks, you could get another Eclipse and use a file to "shape" the slots designed for chisels to better hold your shoulder plane blade.

Richard

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Malcolm, you should have watched this video first.




Well unfortunately Rob Lee depends on me to pay his mortgage, but that's a pretty cool jig.

[Jeff Ranck]

For 10-15 bucks, you could get another Eclipse and use a file to "shape" the slots designed for chisels to better hold your shoulder plane blade.

Richard

ooooh that is a great idea. I even have two eclipse jigs and could definitely repurpose one.

[Jim Matthews]

They're cheap, and useful for handling small parts too.

[Patrick Harper]

Thanks for the review Patrick. I also am a bit put off by the cost of jigs. I'm sure they are worth it but I have a hard time convincing myself that I want to spend the money on a sharpening jig. But maybe I'll need to give one a try.

For me, the cost can be worth as long as they are easy to use and quick to set up. The old eclipse style and the Kell fit the bill. My first jig was the Veritas Mk2. It worked well, but it just took to much time to setup.