Improved Side Clamping Honing Guide?

[John Keeton]

Bob, Jim K. needs 2 5/8”.

[Bob Jones 5443]

John, quite right. My typo! I meant to write 2-5/8. My largest is No. 7, so I had 2-3/8 on the mind as I typed.

I knew Jim was asking about the No. 8 iron (and I knew he was referring to other makes than the Eclipse with his 2-1/2" comment). I just knew the Eclipse can fit a No. 8, and I suspect Jim knows that, too. For others, here's my Eclipse:

Eclipse 36 wide open.jpg


The original and best. For those of use who need the crutch. Like me.

Lots of talk lately about how honing with a guide is child's play, but I really enjoy using it every time for the precise repeatability it provides. For me, this goes beyond the inner satisfaction of merely being anal (I admit to that). And it's not just a surrender to a lack of skill (guilty as charged there as well). I don't actually want to hone and polish by hand, especially when I can reap the most important benefit of the guide: I believe the precision allows me to hone off only the smallest necessary 33º sliver on the 800 grit before going to 35º polish on the 8000. I'll be long gone before I grind down my irons beyond further use. To each his own. I'll forgo the manly pursuit of honing by feel.

For some of us it's a hobby, remember?

[Rob Lee]

Hi -

Our new guides (there are two) are running through the shop right now, and I would expect them to be available end-February. The side clamping guide is one we developed several years ago, and just didn't produce (Though we did make a pre-production run).

I have managed to find an image from some recent testing - but not sure these are all production parts... (these are two of the same guide - not both new guides!)

Honing guide.jpg

Pricing is not completed yet (we haven't finished the first run, so are still working with cost estimates) but my target is certainly less than $50....

Cheers -

Rob

[John Keeton]

Rob, interesting clamping with one side applying pressure between the bearing points of the other side. I am trying to think through - will this accommodate a tapered blade shaft? Seems like it would cant the chisel.

[Rob Lee]

Hi John....

Short answer is - depends.

You cant see the jaw shape here - but one side is squared to the shaft - the other side tapered - so it could hold a tapered blade. The design is to have two "registration jaws" and one "holding jaw". The jaw shape is designed to register against the back of the blade - with three point clamping on the side - like a three finger grip (actually thumb, index, and middle finger). The single jaw is the opposable thumb - the double jaw is the fingers....

I should be able to find a jaw profile....

Rob

[Rob Lee]

Here we go....

Jaws.JPG

Cheers -

Rob

[Jim Koepke]

Bob, Jim K. needs 2 5/8”.

Thanks John, the reality of it is a honing guide isn't needed.

[edited]
I should be able to find a jaw profile....

Rob

Hi Rob, thanks for the images on this new guide.

My only question is how thick of a chisel will this hold?

Some chisels for mortising can get rather thick:

Square Check.jpg

Making a universal honing guide is likely darn near impossible.

jtk

[Bill Carey]

FYI, There is an Eclipse 36 honing guide on ebay at the moment. I found one after watching ebay for a couple months, and it's great. Much better than the 2 imitations I have. Current bid is 25 bucks. I bought mine for 30.

Sold yesterday for 40 bucks

[Rob Lee]

Thanks John, the reality of it is a honing guide isn't needed.



Hi Rob, thanks for the images on this new guide.

My only question is how thick of a chisel will this hold?

Some chisels for mortising can get rather thick:

Square Check.jpg

Making a universal honing guide is likely darn near impossible.

jtk

Hi Jim -

You've sure got that right - there is no universal jig - just as there's no standard blade geometry.

Maximum blade thickness for our side clamp guide is .45" (max width is 2.5", Min width is .0625").

Cheers -

Rob

[Jim Koepke]

Hi Jim -

You've sure got that right - there is no universal jig - just as there's no standard blade geometry.

Maximum blade thickness for our side clamp guide is .45" (max width is 2.5", Min width is .0625").

Cheers -

Rob

Thanks for the information Rob.

jtk

[Phil Mueller]

Thanks Rob. Look forward to the release. Getting pretty good at free hand, but 1/4” or less could really use some guide help.

[Rob Lee]

Hi -

The new guides are now posted on the website. Not navigated yet - so you have to search for them (will be easier to find next week).

You can see some info here (US site) https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/tool...pening-by-hand

Cheers -

Rob

[Cliff Polubinsky]

Hi -

The new guides are now posted on the website. Not navigated yet - so you have to search for them (will be easier to find next week).

You can see some info here (US site) https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/tool...pening-by-hand

Cheers -

Rob

Thanks for the heads-up, Rob. Ordered and threw in a couple of items from my wish list for good measure.

Cliff

[chuck van dyck]

Just ordered the new LV. Been using an eclipse 36 forever and it does a good job, especially after some file work. One thing I hate is that you can’t really hand tighten it adequately. That’s the selling point of the LV and LN for me. I’m assuming this new one, like the LN, can use the same registration board gauges for both chisels and irons.

[Bob Jones 5443]

The short-blade guide looks intriguing for spokeshave blades like for the Stanley 151. I cobbled together a wooden holder to fit into my Eclipse, and it's OK, but the sleek aluminum Lee Valley tool –– as usual –– looks far more elegant and easy to set up.

Can we get a little respect for innovation in the midst of a pandemic? Long live Lee Valley.