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Thread: Lie Nielsen honing guide question

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
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    Lie Nielsen honing guide question

    Hey all, after years of struggling with the veritas mark II sharpening jig, I just got the Lie Nielsen one and it’s great. I made a projection stop. I have seen folks use a shim to set the depth for the secondary bevel; should I use ~1/8”? Should I just do the secondary bevel at 30 degrees? Any advice here greatly appreciated!

  2. #2
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    Jan 2019
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    I hollow grind most irons at 25 degrees on the electric grinder and use the 30 mark on my depth stop for the honing guide.

  3. #3
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    Mar 2022
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    Milwaukee, WI
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    I have the Lie Nielsen honing guide too and I also made a board with projection stops. I've been using a 1/8" shim for the secondary bevel on a 25 degree primary bevel, and it seems to work fine. I'm a bit of a beginner though, so I'll be interested to see what others have to say.

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    I made a board with projection stops to set the primary angle too. I set stops in 5 degree increments. When I want to add a small secondary bevel I just loosen the guide a bit and back the blade off 1/8". It works great, and since the angle is so small any imprecision due to eyeballing it is irrelevant. The next time I touch it up it's replaced. If I need a perfect 5 degree difference I just reset the blade to the next projection.

    Last edited by Rob Luter; 04-04-2022 at 5:56 AM.
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  5. #5
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    Nov 2009
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    I personally just use 1 stop set for the 30 deg bevel. Once the micro bevel gets too large I just go back to the grinder and re-do the primary. I rarely use any other stops. Once in a while I will break out a bevel up plane to deal with heavy figure and create a 45 deg bevel to get a 57deg planing angle. These days I don't often use those planes. Whatever gets the job done the quickest without compromising the quality of your edge is the answer. I like to spend as little time sharpening as possible.

  6. #6
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    Nov 2015
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    I agree with you 100%. The less time sharpening, the better. Does a 30 degree secondary bevel hold up better, or is a shallower secondary bevel, say, 27 degrees, hold a superior edge? Or am I thinking way too hard about this? I feel like the answer is definitely yes.

  7. #7
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    I'm not sure if anyone cares or is following this thread, but if you're torn between the two (Veritas Mk II vs Lie Nielsen), I can say the LN is FAR superior IMO. The Veritas is exceptionally well made but "too clever by half," as my mom would say. The downward pressure of the Veritas (vs the lateral pressure of the LN) seemed to insure that the blade would move, even slightly, on me every time I tried to sharpen a plane blade. And if your blade isn't square/your bevel isn't consistent, you've got nothing.

    I've only sharpened a few things so far, but the design of the LN seems to be just about perfect. My two cents.

  8. #8
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    I had a full Veritas Mk II Deluxe kit for a few years. It was really nice, but rather fussy. I lined the standard blade clamp with leather to keep the blade or chisel from moving. A couple years ago I completely revamped my sharpening system from the MKII + Abrasive film on glass to the LN guide with a couple Shapton stones. It's simpler, faster, and very effective.
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  9. #9
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    Nov 2015
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    Are you using the Shapton glass stones? I’ve been using the Japanese water stones from Lie Nielsen and they are great, but I’m curious about the Shaptons. How do you like them?

  10. #10
    Having just entered the honing guide club after free handing for so many years, I'm a little dismayed by this post. I bought the MK2 and am loving it. I hope I'm not going to want to upgrade at some point. So far I find it a delight to use and haven't had any issues. It's built like a tank. Maybe it's because I'm in no particular hurry to get things sharpened, maybe that will change someday. In the meantime, happy sharpening using whatever method.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Hutchings View Post
    Having just entered the honing guide club after free handing for so many years, I'm a little dismayed by this post. I bought the MK2 and am loving it. I hope I'm not going to want to upgrade at some point. So far I find it a delight to use and haven't had any issues. It's built like a tank. Maybe it's because I'm in no particular hurry to get things sharpened, maybe that will change someday. In the meantime, happy sharpening using whatever method.
    Maybe its just an issue with mine, I'm not really sure. But I have found it quite fiddly to set up, and I've found the hold down method (screwed down from above versus clamped from the sides) to be inconsistent. I've had blades in the jig move a few times. I guess like all things sharpening, YMMV. Whatever works best for whoever has to do the sharpening is the best solution for sure.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
    Location
    Oakland, CA
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    255
    I use the V2 with shapton stones and love both. There are a very few of my chisels that don't seem to set totally square in the guide, but I know them and correct slightly for it

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Northern California
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    I bought the Mk II and subsequently, with the exception of the cambered wheel, the add-ons that facilitate sharpening odd blades (skew, mortise, etc.). Even though I love and have a lot of LN tools, I’m not willing to invest in another sharpening jig. I’ve come to terms with the deficiencies of the Mk II and find that if I tighten everything with a pliers it holds the blade well. Be sure to cover the jaws of the pliers with duct tape.

  14. #14
    Ah, I have yet to sharpen a chisel with it and I don't have the narrow blade accessories. I think I'll just continue sharpening them free hand. I've always been satisfied sharpening chisels freehand anyway. It was my plane irons that seemed like the could be done better with a guide. I think it's important to keep them square and with proper bevels. Chisels, not so much.

  15. #15
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by James Jayko View Post
    Are you using the Shapton glass stones? I’ve been using the Japanese water stones from Lie Nielsen and they are great, but I’m curious about the Shaptons. How do you like them?
    I like them a lot. Here's a thread that goes into detail: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?287898

    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

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