style honing guide holds the tool to be sharpened between a pair of stout jaws. Guide is no longer made, there are a number of slightly lesser quality knock-offs that sell from $10 to $15. Honing guide was made for years by a company in England, and was a favorite of many woodworkers. Once you have everything set up though, the jig performs adequately. You have to tighten down two thumbscrews to hold the tool in place, and they’re uncomfortable to grasp and difficult to access. In use, I found clamping up a tool in the guide to be a bit difficult. One improvement that has been added to this honing guide over the years is a plastic, flip-down gauge (see photo below) that helps you to position the edge of your tool for one of three commonly used bevel angles. It’s available in a kit that includes an 8" oilstone and lubricating oil. Honing guide has been around for quite awhile, and hasn’t changed much. It seems only natural that a company known for its hand planes and chisels would also make a tool for sharpening them. But I think there are better options available. Honing guide is one of the less expensive models on the market. Additionally, you’ll have to reset the guide whenever you switch to a sharpening stone of a different thickness. This poses a problem if the faces of your sharpening stone aren’t parallel. Instead, it rides on the surface of your workbench. Guide doesn’t ride on the sharpening stone. Unlike most of the other honing guides, the roller of the A clamp at one end holds the tool, while a roller on the other end allows the guide to travel back and forth. This guide is made up of two halves that are hinged to adjust the bevel angle. The first honing guide I tried was one by As you might expect, they also range in price, from under $20 to well over $100 at the upper end of the scale (see page 51 for sources). They range from simple, no-frills examples to ones loaded with bells and whistles. Recently, I took a look at ten different honing guides and compared the features of each one. Most honing guides are also adjustable, making it easy to dial in an exact bevel angle. Since a honing guide holds the tool at a fixed angle to the sharpening stone, it’s a lot easier to get a flat, consistent bevel. This can result in a rounded bevel that won’t cut as effectively (seen in drawings).Ī lot of woodworkers (myself included) find it easier to achieve consistent results with less hassle by using a guide of some sort. But when honing freehand, there’s a tendency to slightly shift the angle of the tool at the beginning or end of each stroke. It’s certainly possible to learn how to sharpen accurately without the use of a honing guide. You can hardly open a woodworking catalog without finding a new device that promises to make sharpening your hand tools foolproof. Which probably explains the popularity of honing guides. Unfortunately, it’s one that also seems to give a lot of woodworkers trouble. To view the entire article, please click the View PDF button below.Sharpening is one of the most fundamental skills in woodworking. Used mindfully, either will be a great addition to your sharpening arsenal, getting you back to your bench with razor-sharp blades in little time. No single guide did everything perfectly, but two were easily my top picks: the Lie-Nielsen honing guide and the Veritas Mk.II Deluxe Honing Guide Set. To determine the best models, I tested each with a variety of different blades and focused on four areas: ease of setup, accuracy of setup, versatility, and consistency. Should it ride on the stone or off? I prefer on. Should it clamp from the sides or the top? It depends. With all the guides on the market, it’s hard to know which one to pick. Intended to hold blades at a consistent angle while you sharpen, these guides are essential to getting keen, repeatable results. While some may prefer to sharpen freehand, I’m a big proponent of honing guides, and I recommend one for anyone looking to get sharp edges. To be successful, a sharpening routine for woodworkers must be easy, quick, and versatile, and it must produce accurate and consistent results. 2, Nano Hone’s Sharp Skate 4, Trend, and the Veritas Sharpening System. Models reviewed include the Lie-Nielsen, Veritas Mk.II Deluxe Honing Guide Set, generic side-clamping guides, the Kell No. This review focuses on guides that sharpen on the stone. He tested a variety of guides with different blades, focusing on ease of setup, accuracy of setup, versatility, and consistency. These guides hold blades at a consistent angle while you sharpen and are essential to getting keen, repeatable results. Synopsis: Some folks prefer to sharpen their plane blades and chisels freehand, but Chris Gochnour is a proponent of using a honing guide.
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