Veritas Mk.II Power Sharpening System

[Randy Klein]

I've read the reviews on this and read the instruction manual as well, but am still unsure of something.

Can this system be used to put a camber on plane irons?

Is there enough play in the guide to put english on the corners?

[Gary Curtis]

Yes. The manual that comes with it is extensive. Getting a camber on a plane iron is explained.

Gary Curtis

[Randy Klein]

I saw that it explained what a camber was and its importance and how to do it with traditional methods (waterstones, etc.), but not how to do it on the system.

Did I just miss it? Can you provide a page number?

[Randy Klein]

I finally did find the reference in the manual (page 13). I think what threw me was they used convex instead of camber.

Another question: has anyone honed a bevel higher than 45? It seems that 45 is the max, but LV sells 50 degree irons. Just wondering if anyone has figured out how to do that.

Also, I know the tool holder is set to 5 degree increments, but is there any provision (besides the micro bevel) to get an angle (like 38)?

I'm ready to pull the trigger on this soon, assuming I can do the above two things.

[Gary Curtis]

The highest setting on the tool guide is 45 degrees. Bear in mind that these angle settings depend on the projection of the tool from the tool holder.
You could get a higher angle grind by pulling the tool back slightly and then clamping it in the holder.

The challenge would be to know what that new angle is, although I suppose you could measure it with a sliding bevel gauge or the little brass gauge Lee Valley provides with the Mk. II.

On that tack, I just made a shaving test of my Stanley 60 1/2 block plane. Along with all my other planes, I practiced my first sharpening on the Mk 11. I stopped at the 9 micron grit. At that level of abrasive, the finest shaving I could get on some soft pine was about .0025. That indicates I'll have to hone my blades a little finer. I have diamond paste as fine as .5 microns (equivalent to a 12,000 grit stone). And I have a disk from the LapSharp system (it fits the Veritas) that is .3 micron, or about 15,000 grit on a stone.

My technique on the machine improves as I practice a bit more. My friend is the LapSharp distributor and he advised me to clean out the swarf (crud) on the finer micron papers by spraying them with WD-40 and then wiping down with a rag. The LapSharp is a wet system so the finer abrasive disks stay clean if wiped regularly.

Gary Curtis

[Gary Curtis]

On the subject of measuring varying angles. The Veritas brass angle gauge measures in 5 degree jumps through the standard range of 15-45 degrees.

But Tools for Woodworking in New York sells a gauge made in England that reads out in 2.5 degree increments and includes a few oddball measurements that are popular with some guys. The have a website.

Gary Curtis

[Randy Klein]

I stopped at the 9 micron grit. At that level of abrasive, the finest shaving I could get on some soft pine was about .0025.

Is that the 1200x or the 500x? Their website doesn't list microns.

[Gary Curtis]

It is the 1200. Odd, since the disk itself is stamped "9 Micron - 3M Manufacturing". The instruction booklet also defines the 2 final grits used normally as 40 micron, 9 micron.

Gary

[Doug Shepard]

Is that the 1200x or the 500x? Their website doesn't list microns.

I've found this site pretty handy for converting from microns to grit sizes
http://www.cs.rochester.edu/u/roche/rec.wood.misc/grit.sizes.html