Woodpeckers One-Time Honing Guide

[Bob Deroeck]

Woodpeckers is offering a One-Time tool honing guide until May 20. It's basically a copy of the Kell honing guide but with wheels that can be moved to either the inside or outside position. This allows the guide to handle 1/8" chisels to wide plane irons with a solid base from having two wheels while keeping the wheels away from the edge of the stone. Looks like a good design for 90 degree sharpening. It won't work with skewed blades. If I hadn't spent so much money on other honing guides over the last 15 years I would probably buy this one even with a relatively high price of $150.

I know, lot's of you guys do free-hand and that's great for you. But, I and others have problems getting a 90 degree alignment and a repeatable bevel angle from free-handing. If you do, you may want to consider this Woodpecker guide.

Bob

[Larry Frank]

I just bought a Veritas Mk2 honing guide. But, this one looks very good and I might have bought it if I had seen it first.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

I, too, have the Veritas Mk2 with all the gizmos except the camber wheel. It’s okay but the Woodpeckers, except for the fact that it doesn’t work with skewed blades, looks like the perfect honing guide, if there is such a thing. Pricey, but I’d sell my Mk2 and get this if I didn’t have so many planes with skewed blades.

[Ralph Boumenot]

I think it more closely looks like the Lie Nielson honing guide than the Kell guide. I have both of the Kell ones and LN one. Unlike the LN guide, the Woodpecker doesn't need different jaws for different chisels/plane iron. But the LN guide will do skewed tools.

[J. Greg Jones]

But the LN guide will do skewed tools.
The LN guide will handle skewed LN tools, but if you have skewed tools from another manufacturer then you will still need another jig, or learn to sharpen them freehand.

[Derek Cohen]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=5qAx0gG8Ubw

Designed by an engineer and not by a woodworker. This honing guide will only sharpen bench chisels and is unsuited for plane blades. Why do I say this? Because it is designed to be used with widely spaced wheels ("for stability"), and it will not be possible to create a cambered edge on this (without building a special jig to do so ... and that is getting unnecessarily complicated).

I suggest that Woodpecker design a central wheel ala the Eclipse and the LN.

The other limitation is that the angle setter only goes up to 47 degrees. For BU planes - which would again be limited to straight blades - the highest cutting angle is 59 degrees. Compare that the LN can do 62 degrees and the Veritas 65 degrees.

The other major issue is that it seems designed around parallel-sided blades. That might rule out many vintage types with tapered sides.

This is an awfully expensive guide when compared with the much cheaper LN, which has so much more potential and is beautifully built.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[J. Greg Jones]

The other major issue is that it seems designed around parallel-sided blades. That might rule out many vintage types with tapered sides...
Not seeing how is this jig any less effective for tapered-sided blades than the Eclipse/LN guides? Also, I expect that the inboard wheel setting will be fine to feather the edges of blades to eliminate plane tracks, but I agree that heavy-camber blades will need a different approach.


This is an awfully expensive guide when compared with the much cheaper LN, which has so much more potential and is beautifully built.
Price wise, the LN jig at $125 (jig only) and the WP jig at $150 (jig+bevel gauge) appear to be comparable. Of course, the WP jig is more pricey if one adds the angle fixture. Not saying that this is a particularly nice design and/or value priced, but I’ve seen a lot worse jigs offered over the years. It’s nice to have options.

[Jim Koepke]

This is an awfully expensive guide when compared with... [ellipsis added]

Freehand sharpening, imo, a guide is helpful when rehabbing an old blade or establishing a new bevel. If one ever needs to sharpen something other than a straight edge, the guides will not help.

In my case sharpening involves gouges, molding plane blades, axes, metal working chisels, garden tools and so many other items that a guide can not hold.

jtk

[Derek Cohen]

Not seeing how is this jig any less effective for tapered-sided blades than the Eclipse/LN guides? Also, I expect that the inboard wheel setting will be fine to feather the edges of blades to eliminate plane tracks, but I agree that heavy-camber blades will need a different approach.

Greg, neither the LN nor the WP guides hold tapered blades. The Eclipse will. The Veritas (being a top holder) will.

Feathering a camber on the WB? It is not designed to do this. Trying to do so will require heavy angling of the guide/wheel, and I suspect that this will damage both the wheel and the stone.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

Feathering a camber on the WB? It is not designed to do this. Trying to do so will require heavy angling of the guide/wheel, and I suspect that this will damage both the wheel and the stone.

Maybe the next offering from Woodpecker will be a slightly smaller wheel to be used to tilt the holder. :eek:

As an alternate a person could wrap tape around one wheel. :D

jtk

[ken hatch]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=5qAx0gG8Ubw

Designed by an engineer and not by a woodworker. This honing guide will only sharpen bench chisels and is unsuited for plane blades. Why do I say this? Because it is designed to be used with widely spaced wheels ("for stability"), and it will not be possible to create a cambered edge on this (without building a special jig to do so ... and that is getting unnecessarily complicated).

I suggest that Woodpecker design a central wheel ala the Eclipse and the LN.

The other limitation is that the angle setter only goes up to 47 degrees. For BU planes - which would again be limited to straight blades - the highest cutting angle is 59 degrees. Compare that the LN can do 62 degrees and the Veritas 65 degrees.

The other major issue is that it seems designed around parallel-sided blades. That might rule out many vintage types with tapered sides.

This is an awfully expensive guide when compared with the much cheaper LN, which has so much more potential and is beautifully built.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek,

Thanks for the link.

If I had to go through all that hoo haw every time I sharpened iron I'd never get any work done. I think the phrase I'm looking for had something to do with "one born every minute".

ken

[James Pallas]

LMAO, Note to new woodworkers: All you need to get started, one each of LN, LV, WP, and Kell jigs, one complete set of water stones, a set of 4 Aldi's chisels, and a used Stanley #4 and you are good to go. Advice given right here on SMC but not all in the same posts.
Jim

[Derek Cohen]

Jim, a selection of plane blades for the #4 would not go amiss. An an original Eclipse jig, not one of the copies. Common now - get serious! :)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[glenn bradley]

It does seem limited in what it can do for you for the price point. Bevel angle, skew and camber limitations are the first thing I think of. I see others have noted other concerns. I do not believe it is designed to be "all things" but, is priced as such. Like a hammer, there are many variations in honing guides but, when you get right down to it, it is just a hammer (or a honing guide). The subtleties of variation will appeal to one person or another for their own reasons but, the function is pretty basic. As a disclaimer I have Kell, Eclipse and Veritas guides and turn to each for different purposes. I do not use a guide for every sharpening effort lest I spend more time "setting up to sharpen" than cutting wood ;-)

[James Pallas]

Jim, a selection of plane blades for the #4 would not go amiss. An an original Eclipse jig, not one of the copies. Common now - get serious! :)

Regards from Perth

Derek
Eclipse is too inexpensive. You can have inexpensive tools but should have the best maintenance equipment. Makes the tools work better.:D
Jim

[Jim Koepke]

Maybe being unable to decide which honing guide to buy is what leads some folks to freehand sharpening. :eek:

jtk

[Günter VögelBerg]

The idea of the two wheels is interesting, but it also seems a bit like a solution looking for a problem. With the Lie-Nielsen or with the old eclipse style honing jigs I never really found it difficult to keep a blade stable by applying even pressure across the width. Perhaps this is not everyone's experience.

This is an interesting piece of engineering, but I am skeptical of its practicality.

[Mike Brady]

Jim Pallas: You and I are on the same page, my friend.

[Mike Henderson]

The price is way too high for me. I do a good job of sharpening with a lot less expensive equipment.

If I remember correctly, the full kit is about $250.

Mike

[Günter VögelBerg]

I agree it is expensive, but my Lie-Nielsen and the various jaws I have for it surely cost at least as much as the full kit.

When the Lie-Nielsen came out I balked at the price, but then I received one as a gift and now could not imagine ever being without it. If it were to get lost or stolen I would buy another.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

You guys are awesome! You just saved me 150 bucks!!!!
I guess I'll keep using my cheapo General guide for now...….

[Jim Koepke]

You guys are awesome! You just saved me 150 bucks!!!!
I guess I'll keep using my cheapo General guide for now...….

Why fix it if it ain't broke?

Especially if the fix could make you broke! :eek:

jtk

[Jason Martin Winnipeg]

Why does WoodPecker release these tools and jigs for a limited time only?

[J. Greg Jones]

Why does WoodPecker release these tools and jigs for a limited time only?
From the source: https://www.woodpeck.com/one-time-tools.html

They really are a (relatively) small machine shop, and I believe they work hard at producing tools that thy believe will meet a demand. I’ve been in their shop-went there several years ago to repair a router lift. They fixed it while I waited, even gave me a tour of their shop while my lift was repaired, at no charge. Other than the above-mentioned router lift, I own their original drill press table (top notch) and a bevel gauge that is as good as any boutique bevel gauge made anywhere. Their tools are not for everyone (because of design, not quality), and that’s understandable. However, they are good people and I believe that sometimes they get bashed when it is not deserved.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Why fix it if it ain't broke?

Especially if the fix could make you broke! :eek:

jtk

LOL. What REALLY peaked my interest was the guide fence and the precision there. Yes, I'm a toolaholic. NEED new tools. Right now I use a piece of plywood and 3 different stops for different angles. Soooo. Limited to those 3 angles. That is really cool. Not quite worth that price, and the non-ability to round that plane blade edge. Think I'll pass for now. I'll probably regret it later. I love their tools and quality.

[Jim Koepke]

Woodpecker tools are tempting, but they aren't really my style.

My preference is for old tools with rosewood handles.

jtk

[Eric Rathhaus]

I use the lap sharp guide. Very easy to set angles and accepts skewed blades. http://www.lapsharp.com/honing-guide/index.html

[steven c newman]

My honing guide ( for setting a bevel) was sold by Irwin. Other than too thick of blue paint, works just fine....think about that, for a while...

[Anuj Prateek]

On serious side, lack of repeatability with jig (MK2) lead me to free hand honing, if not the complete process.