Chisel sharpening

[Karl Stewart]

Hi everyone,

Is a wet stone system the way to go? I'm not clear on some [others] I've seen with a metal wrap, or if they work. My work with hand tools is mostly rough and rustic, but 'letting the tool do the work' has got to be better when they're sharp. Do you recommend a honing guide? Do I need oil as some include?

Thanx for the know how...

Karl

[Robert Rozaieski]

There are lots of ways to go. Water stones, oil/arkansas stones, sandpaper on glass, etc. I have used them all and they all have their pros & cons. Do a search on sharpening and you're sure to find a ton of information on a lot of different methods..

[John Kain]

I use a horizontal wet wheel to sharpen (Woodcraft).

I don't use a guide, just start at the near bevel end and rotate into position. It takes no time to sharpen a couple.

I usually don't step up to a higher grit unless the project requires it. If so, I'll go to the 1000 waterstone for a couple passes, then to the 4000 for a couple more.

[Rolf Safferthal]

Today I use a Cerax 1000 stone for grinding and a Cerax 8000 for honing and polishing the bevel. Both in plastic boxes containing water. Sharpening is very quick this way.

For accuracy I use a Veritas Mk. II Honing Guide.

For very coarse grinding: sandpaper on a flat plate.

[Tyler Howell]

How neander do you want to be??
So many schools of thought and a gizmo for every size budget.
We spent three nights in Galoot class learning to shapen our tools with many methods. There is something very satisfying about turning a peice of rust into a finely tuned tool.
If you choose wet stones, like sanding you need to gradually sharpen then hone your blades with increasingly finer grits of stone. Hand tools I take all the way to 12000.
Enjoy, get a mentor, and try a number of methods

[Steven Wilson]

I will use a guide and even a grinder to establish a bevel, but for sharpening I like to do it by hand and use Shapton stones.