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Thread: Prepping my new Veritas PM-V11 chisels

  1. #1
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    Prepping my new Veritas PM-V11 chisels

    Hey, new guy here. I'm getting back into working with real wood after several years of just using plywood and MDF to build stuff like speaker boxes. My first project is going to be a new coffee table made from some curly cherry I've had sitting for years. I'm also interested in making boxes from some other figured and exotic wood I've got stashed.

    I'm planning to incorporate a few dovetails into the table so I ordered a set of the nice Veritas chisels yesterday and bought the Veritas 14 tooth dovetail saw. Which brings me to my question.

    One of the reasons I chose these chisels is that they aren't supposed to require much work at all to be ready for use. I'll start by lapping the backs, of course, to be sure they really are perfectly flat. I had some Sorby chisels before along with some lower end Japanese chisels and I got pretty decent results using scary sharp with the first gen Veritas guide. But I would like to avoid the sandpaper this time.

    I've got a Veritas MK II guide that I've never used, so right now I'm thinking about just ordering some diamond paste and using a scrap piece of MDF to get these chisels into working shape. If that sounds like a reasonable way to start, what grit should I order? Will a single grit do the job or will I want to progress through more than one?

    Finally, will the method I use to initially prepare the chisels also work to keep them sharp as I use them or do I need to go ahead and order something that will cut a little faster? I don't expect to be changing the 25/30 degree bevel they will have to start or the micro bevel angle.

    Thanks a bunch for any help.

    Chris

  2. #2
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    Christopher, Welcome to the Creek. Your location isn't indicated in you profile. Where are you located?

    Can't comment on much other than you will likely do more to take the backs of the chisels out of flat than make them better than what Veritas does to insure a flat back.

    I would not expect MDF to be as flat as a piece of iron or granite.

    Just my 2¢ Two Cents.png.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  3. #3
    "I'll start by lapping the backs, of course, to be sure they really are perfectly flat."

    Not with the Veritas chisels or blades. Don't try it, you'll only make it worse.

    Those chisels are sharp enough when you receive them but you can hone them with the finest stone (8000 or 12000) if so desired.

    I have cut dovetails in many projects and have not found the diamond paste a deal breaker. The steel and angle matter more than anything else if you're talking about keeping the edge when chopping. If you have a set of Veritas chisels (PMV11?), use them and see how they work for you before looking for spending money on anything else to keep them sharp. My Veritas PMV11 blades and chisels stand up to oak, hard maple and pine all well without using diamond paste or stropping as a standard practice.

    Simon

  4. #4
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    Don't need to lap the backs - just polish the rear of the bevel. If you have a 8000 stone, use that. Hone the bevel. Beyond this, you are set to go!

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    Christopher, Welcome to the Creek. Your location isn't indicated in you profile. Where are you located?

    Can't comment on much other than you will likely do more to take the backs of the chisels out of flat than make them better than what Veritas does to insure a flat back.

    I would not expect MDF to be as flat as a piece of iron or granite.

    Just my 2¢ Two Cents.png.

    jtk

    Thanks for the welcome. I'm a little South of Nashville and just updated my profile to say so.

  6. #6
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    First off, WELCOME! Secondly, as stated, these are not garage sale chisels you are restoring. These are high quality, properly prepared tools. As noted in the paperwork that comes with mine "the faces of the chisels are factory lapped to be flat within 0.0005"." You can definitely hone them to a greater degree if you desire but, leave the backs alone. If they are not flat, that is a defect and Lee Valley will replace them.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Simon MacGowen View Post
    "I'll start by lapping the backs, of course, to be sure they really are perfectly flat."

    Not with the Veritas chisels or blades. Don't try it, you'll only make it worse.

    Those chisels are sharp enough when you receive them but you can hone them with the finest stone (8000 or 12000) if so desired.

    I have cut dovetails in many projects and have not found the diamond paste a deal breaker. The steel and angle matter more than anything else if you're talking about keeping the edge when chopping. If you have a set of Veritas chisels (PMV11?), use them and see how they work for you before looking for spending money on anything else to keep them sharp. My Veritas PMV11 blades and chisels stand up to oak, hard maple and pine all well without using diamond paste or stropping as a standard practice.

    Simon
    Thanks but I'm not understanding what you do to keep yours sharp. Are you saying you don't sharpen them?

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    Can't comment on much other than you will likely do more to take the backs of the chisels out of flat than make them better than what Veritas does to insure a flat back.
    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    Don't need to lap the backs - just polish the rear of the bevel. If you have a 8000 stone, use that. Hone the bevel. Beyond this, you are set to go!
    Quote Originally Posted by glenn bradley View Post
    First off, WELCOME! Secondly, as stated, these are not garage sale chisels you are restoring. These are high quality, properly prepared tools. As noted in the paperwork that comes with mine "the faces of the chisels are factory lapped to be flat within 0.0005"." You can definitely hone them to a greater degree if you desire but, leave the backs alone. If they are not flat, that is a defect and Lee Valley will replace them.
    OK, I shouldn't have called what I plan to do lapping. That's what I've always called anything where I have the bottom of the blade on a flat surface but I get that it implies using an aggressive grit to actually remove material. I should have said polish rather than lap.

    Sorry 'bout the confusion I created on that.

  9. #9
    My sharpening regime is basic but effective: three waterstones from 1000x to 4000x to 8000x (sometimes 12000x). I sharpen often (if you freehand, that's 10 - 15sec. work) instead of waiting till the edge dulls too much. Full sharpening happens only when the micro bevel is too large. I stick to the simple method for consistency as well as efficiency, meaning I can and will sharpen as often as I can. Once you have the habit of sharpening, it is not a daunting or a time-consuming process. And by using a sharp edge, you save yourself numerous headaches that come your way when using a dull tool -- I learned the hard way when I started, thinking it was my techniques and skills that brought out the nasty results.

    Simon
    Last edited by Simon MacGowen; 09-20-2015 at 3:44 PM.

  10. #10
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    You really shouldn't have much to do at all with those right out of the box.

    As far as the paste, the kit from Gramercy ( toolsforworkingwood.com ) is pretty awesome - comes in 45 micron (very coarse for lapping, etc), 15 micron and 1/2 micron (this is the only paste I'd use on those for a mirror finish) - don't worry about the large gaps between the grits, diamond cuts much much faster than any waterstone I've used. I really don't use my waterstones much any more after making the switch to the paste. Just an FYI, I've tried the oil-based paste and like the water-based better - also, a little goes a very long way with the paste, you can also use the 1/2 micron to strop with.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Simon MacGowen View Post
    My sharpening regime is basic but effective: three waterstones from 1000x to 4000x to 8000x (sometimes 12000x). I sharpen often (if you freehand, that's 10 - 15sec. work) instead of waiting till the edge dulls too much. Full sharpening happens only when the micro bevel is too large. I stick to the simple method for consistency as well as efficiency, meaning I can and will sharpen as often as I can. Once you have the habit of sharpening, it is not a daunting or a time-consuming process. And by using a sharp edge, you save yourself numerous headaches that come your way when using a dull tool -- I learned the hard way when I started, thinking it was my techniques and skills that brought out the nasty results.

    Simon
    OK, I figured I was misinterpreting what you said. I fear freehand sharpening. Another reason I kinda splurged on these expensive chisels is that I'm very dependent on my sharpening jig. It takes time for me to setup the jig so I want to start with the sharpest edge I can get and maximize the time the edge works well between having to setup and sharpen.

    Chris

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by John Kananis View Post
    You really shouldn't have much to do at all with those right out of the box.

    As far as the paste, the kit from Gramercy ( toolsforworkingwood.com ) is pretty awesome - comes in 45 micron (very coarse for lapping, etc), 15 micron and 1/2 micron (this is the only paste I'd use on those for a mirror finish) - don't worry about the large gaps between the grits, diamond cuts much much faster than any waterstone I've used. I really don't use my waterstones much any more after making the switch to the paste. Just an FYI, I've tried the oil-based paste and like the water-based better - also, a little goes a very long way with the paste, you can also use the 1/2 micron to strop with.
    What do you use for a flat base? I never would have thought to use MDF until I saw it suggested by Lee Valley a couple days ago when looking at their diamond paste.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Christopher Shaw View Post
    Thanks for the welcome. I'm a little South of Nashville and just updated my profile to say so.
    Completely off topic but I grew up in south Nashville. Parents still live there.

    Veritas as makes a nice chisel. Hone it and remove the burr and all should be well.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Cherry View Post
    Completely off topic but I grew up in south Nashville. Parents still live there.

    Veritas as makes a nice chisel. Hone it and remove the burr and all should be well.
    OK. I actually live about 40 minutes down I 65 from Nashville. Grew up just outside Huntsville then spent almost 20 years in Texas.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Christopher Shaw View Post
    What do you use for a flat base? I never would have thought to use MDF until I saw it suggested by Lee Valley a couple days ago when looking at their diamond paste.
    3/4 MDF on a flat surface works just fine.

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