I finally figured it out!

[jonathan snyder]

Hi folks,

I'm quite happy, I'm finally getting consistent results in my sharpening efforts. I have only been using hand tools for about 8 months, and was getting frustrated with my hit or miss results. I've been using the LV MKII honing guide with the 3m micro-abrasives in 15, 3, & 0.5 micron. I'm finally getting excellent repeatable results and I attribute this to a couple of things.

I made a decent sharpening station that doesn't move around on me. I was using pieces of 1/4" glass mounted on hardboard. I just made this sharpening station, using 3/8" glass on top of 3/4" melamine covered particle board. I made it so the glass can be removed and flipped over or replaced if it gets scratched too badly. This thing weighs about 10lbs and doesn't move around on me. I can also cover it up when not in use, to keep dust and dirt off my abrasive paper.

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The other thing that I thing really helped was I spent about two weekends flattening and polishing the backs of about a dozen chisels and almost that many plane irons. I started the worst ones off on 60 grit and worked them all down through 0.5 micron.

I don't know what is the best way to test for sharpness, but I am paring end grain quite effortlessly with my chisels, and I cut my self twice on two different chisels while replacing another chisel in the roll. Best part was I didn't even feel it until I saw the blood!

Now that I finally got it, I just had to tell someone!

Jonathan

edited for typos

[Steve knight]

I remember when I finally got it it was a good feeling. had to quit blaming the sharpening tools. then Iremember when I got my first good quality japanese plane iron and I found the meaning of scare the SH** out of your momma sharp (G)

[Jerry Palmer]

The next thing to do is set aside someplace in your shop area, preferably fairly close to your bench where you can have the sharpening station set up and ready to use when ever you're in the shop. It is much easier to maintain a good edge than it is to redo one that has been broken down through use. As soon as you "feel" an edge is begining to be more difficult to work with, a few passes on your finest abrasive will renew it and you're back to work with only a few seconds lost.

[Greg Cole]

Not sure which WW rag or blog I picked it up from, but as Jerry said...
it is much easier to have your tools always sharp versus sitting down for a day and shapening them all. If you have a dedicated area for sharpening, you will find yourself spending less time plunked down and going through your regimen of sharpening if you take a little time here and there to dress up the cutting tools-blades as you use them.
I find this to be GREAT advice when hand chopping mortises. The results are far superior when using a sharp chisel, not just starting with one. And you don't have to be as heavy handed with the mallet if the chisel is almost always scary sharp.
I've gotten into doing this with the planes as well.... once you get to where you can take one apart and put it together like Forest Gump and his rifle, it is literally 1 or 2 minute from stopping work, sharpening & back to work again.
A good day of sharpening is never time wasted, matter of fact that was about 4 hours of my Saturday this past weekend. But it isn't "regularly scheduled maintenance"....