On the Feedback of Sharpening Stones

[David Carroll]

I think there are always people for whom the process (of sharpening, or cutting dovetails, or mortices or many other operations) is as interesting and enjoyable as the product (what is made from the chisels). To each his or her own, I suppose. We are all in this passtime, for different reasons, with different goals. I knew a guy who had all the tools and kept them all sharp and ready, but he rarely made anything. Another guy makes stuff constantly and if you look at his tools you wonder how could this output could be achieved with such a limited kit. Of course between these two extremes you have everybody else. No wonder there is no real consensus.

I do enjoy the threads, (well those that devolve into personal attacks I can live without). I enjoy people sharing their methodology, and how they developed it. I usually learn things. As I mentioned, I use diamond stones mostly for bench planes and chisels. For everything else (carving tools and molding planes) I use India/Arkansas stones and a strop. I have a Tormek system for turning tools and occasional rehab projects, and I have a power stropping setup for touching up the edges of carving tools.

For the work I do I can get any of my tools sharp enough. If I anticipate a difficult cut, I make a special point to get the edge really sharp, a couple swipes on the strop is just right usually. I doubt that my tools would win any competitions for sharpness, but since this is not my goal, it is okay.

But for some guys, getting the sharpest possible edge, or a perfect dovetail, (even on the back corner of a low drawer) IS the goal.

DC

[Edward Weber]

I knew a guy who had all the tools and kept them all sharp and ready, but he rarely made anything. Another guy makes stuff constantly and if you look at his tools you wonder how could this output could be achieved with such a limited kit. Of course between these two extremes you have everybody else. No wonder there is no real consensus.
DC

I know those same people

One thing that the OP mentioned that I don't think get enough attention is that certain steels can only achieve/hold a certain edge.
I have chisels of varying quality and while I know some of the higher quality ones will keep an edge longer, I may give them more attention, or sharpen to a better finish. The cheaper tools or inferior steel blades, will never get that sharp, and trying to get them scalpel sharp is just a waste of time IMO.
Most tools dull quickly from their optimum sharpness but keep cutting well for quite a while at the point where their edge is both durable and sharp. Finding this point is different for each steel, bevel angle, and material being cut, this is one reason why there is no consensus.

[Rafael Herrera]

The difference between 16k and 10k isn't huge. And depending on the steel, it may actually have a benefit. That PMV-11 steel has a finer crystalline structure, so it'll benefit from a finer grit and hold a finer edge than O-1 or A-2.

PM-V11 is a proprietary steel, sort of a mysterious steel. Unless someone has measured the grain size and the crystalline structure, who knows what it's actual properties are besides what you get from personal experience.

O1 and cast steel can get very sharp, sharper than PM-V11? I don't know, maybe, I only have a couple of irons in V11 and I don't use them much.

It's been posted before that PM-V11 is actually CTS-XHP or something similar to it. If you want to learn more about this steel, check this link: https://knifesteelnerds.com/2019/07/...nd-properties/

Rafael

[Assaf Oppenheimer]

I use my guide now only for critical angles like in my shoulder plane bladr where square is more than a suggestion, or in super narrow blades like my 1/8 chisel. I like the control.
I use shapton pros and dmt dia sharps followed by strop with green compound. I prefer the diamonds for anything that has the tendency to grove like card scrapers and narrow chisels. Other than that i think the shaptons are probably superior. Of course im lazy so the diamonds get used more so that I don't have such a messy cleanup

[Jim Koepke]

This is about as long as a sharpening thread has gone without going off the rails, amazing.

Just my 2¢ Two Cents.png on sharpening.

It wasn't until learning with the feedback from water stones that I was able to get decent results from oilstones.

Sometime I find a guide helpful. Most of the time my sharpening is done freehand.

If what you are doing to sharpen a blade is working, then you are doing something right. It is when it isn't working that you have to do the work of figuring out why it isn't working.

That may have been 3¢ Three Cents.jpg cents worth.

jtk

[George Yetka]

My thought is they are good for changing your primary bevel. Once the bevel is there I just follow it. It hasnt steered me wrong yet. I have a good veritas one that I purchased before I knew. Havent used since my first or second sharpening. If tommorrow it was discovered that a 45 degree primary bevel was optimal it may be nice to have.