veritas mk2

[peter leyden]

Anyone know of a dealer on Long Island who sells the veritas mark2 honing guide? I would really like to see it(in person) and be able to buy it without having to have it shipped!
Pete Leyden:)

[Mike Henderson]

I don't know of a dealer but Lee Valley is extremely good about backing their products. If you decide you don't like it - for any reason - they will (in my experience) take it back and pay the shipping. If you want to check that before you buy, send them a message asking them about their return policy before you purchase.

I don't know what your expectations are, but my opinion of the MKII is very positive. I like it a lot more than the older Lee Valley honing guide. I just wish they had offered a trade in program for those of us who had bought the old guide.

Mike

[Brad Olson]

I don't think dealers have it yet.

That being said, there has got to be someone nearby that would have one to try out. Or you can take a road trip across the border to your nearest lee valley store and try it there before you buy it.

Like mentioned above LV will take anything back no questions and often pay return shipping.

I have one and like it a lot, a great improvement over the MkI and some of the other designs. It also works MUCH better with chisels the the MkI

[Michael Gabbay]

Peter - I have both LV guides. I definately like the MK2 over the 1. It is great for chisels and plane irons that need to be dead on square. For irons that need a radius edge the Eclipse guide is my choice. You can rock the iron to form the radius. The roller on the MK2 is too wide to easily do that.

Mike

[Mike Wenzloff]

Peter - I have both LV guides. I definately like the MK2 over the 1. It is great for chisels and plane irons that need to be dead on square. For irons that need a radius edge the Eclipse guide is my choice. You can rock the iron to form the radius. The roller on the MK2 is too wide to easily do that. Mike
Of course, there are always ways around limitations.

The following is from a series of tips concerning the MK.II that Derek and I worked on a bit. I removed the following from the text of that web publication before he published it.

But here, from it, is a bit of what I removed. I did put this on the web early after release of the MK.II, perhaps it was a different forum.

I do want to start out with a portion of the original text and a disclaimer:

Turning Brass—the ultimate roller modification

I took the cambering to yet another stage by turning the brass roller on a lathe.

Using the MK.II with the turned roller is very similar to the MK.I guide. The center portion is the original diameter and I cambered the ends. This is not something I recommend. One can easily destroy the roller, rendering the MK.II useless.

However, it can be done. Just don’t blame <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = ST1 /><ST1:CITY><ST1:PLACE>LV</ST1:PLACE></ST1:CITY> for any modifications that they do not approve of—and they do not approve of this modification by the end user.

First picture shows how I modified the roller. It leaves a center portion roughly equal to the width of the original MK.I roller un-touched. This allows the angles as set from the registration guide to remain as designed.

http://wenzloffandsons.com/temp/lv_honing_guide/lee_valley_mk2_files/image044.jpg

The second picture shows the result of a 3 degree secondary bevel added to a scrub plane blade to illustrate the smooth transition even with the center portion of the MK.II roller left straight.

http://wenzloffandsons.com/temp/lv_honing_guide/lee_valley_mk2_files/image050.jpg

So while you may not feel comfortable in turning the brass roller, feel free to petition Rob & Company to resolve the camber issue :)

I use this everyday, whether with straight blades or not. With narrow straight blades this can be a challenge, but it works. Once above 1/2" wide blades it really works just fine.

Of course, the real solution if one wants to only have one honing guide would be to have two seperate lower carriages, one with a cambered roller, one with the original straight roller. Then you can with one bolt easily swap the carriages to allow cambered or straight blades.

Take care, Mike
who hasn't stirred the pot in quite a while

[Michael Gabbay]

Mike- Excellent modification!

Rob Lee - an upgrade to the MK2, call it the MK 2+, interchangable rollers.

[Alice Frampton]

Yep, I can vouch for this mod. The wider roller is nice to have for the really narrow and aggravating stuff, but the cambered roller a la Mike is the one spending most of the time hooked up to the rest of the honing guide. I've given away my Eclipse to my dad. :D

Cheers, Alf

[Corvin Alstot]

I would really like to see it(in person) and be able to buy it without having to have it shipped!
Pete Leyden:)
Peter/ Although I like to see most of my tools before I purchase them, this is one tool where I have yet to hear any negative feedback. It does have some limits but for general sharping of flat back blades it does live up to expectations.