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I just bought one of those inexpensive honing guides (the ones that pinch the blade) from Woodcraft. The problem is that my chisels don't project square. Anyone else have this problem? Is it just a bad one or do these guides not play well with certain chisels? It seems like the beveled edge keeps it from sitting in the notches the right way....but there's nothing exotic about my chisels. Any thoughts.
Jason

Tighten the guide halfs all the way together without a chisel in it. Are the plates (where the chisel back rests) co-planer? Do the mating surfaces (where the chisel sides are squeezed) match? If not you may need to return it or get a file and finish the job the manufacturer should have done. The other issue with these jigs is that it is very easy to tilt the edge against the stone with uneven finger pressure or an un-flat stone.

On mine one side is flat and one side has a slight camber. It's not finger pressure because I checked with my machinists square. The chisel definately projects out of the jig at an angle. I'll probably go at it with a file....it just sucks that you can't just buy anything that works anymore. Everything seems to require a bunch of work just to make it do what it should out of the box.
Jason

This is really disappointing since I was going to order one tomorrow. I have the Veritas honing guide and angle jig, which I love for wider blades. But on my narrower chisels I have a hard time getting them set in the guide perfectly perpendicular and I end up with skew chisels. Is there a better option out there than the simple inexpensive honing guide with the very narrow wheel that you are talking about? My only problem is with narrow chisels. Wendy

Wendy, I have the same Veritas honing guide and that is exactly what I hate about it. I can get it set at the proper angle and as soon as I tighten it the chisel gets skewed. I have pin-pointed the culprit though. It's the notches in the side of the jig. They aren't deep enough to accept the beveled edge of the chisel. Since the bevel gets deeper the further up the chisel you go it rides further out against the notch causing the chisel to skew. Which is frustrating because like I said before I don't have any odd chisels, just a few old Stanleys, Marples and some HMG's.
Jason

Kell Guide #1 is good for narrow straight blades.
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=toolshop&Product_Code=EE-HGRK.XX&Category_Code=THG

Hand written instructions in a scanned .pdf here: http://www.richardkell.co.uk/honingECom.htm

If you have some 1/8" Aluminum plate and some Epoxy here's a David Charlesworth fix for the cheap guides:
http://www.woodworkuk.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1593

You might try some sticky sided sandpaper on the Veritas, mine slips and slides, but I try to hold it by the chisel handle, not the wheel clamp thing. You could also set up a guide for the blade, a steel rule, but your stroke would be very limited, but it may help.

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Todd, is this the onee you are talking about, or are they developing one in-house and using this as an interim guide?

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I think all the honing guides have their problems; I figure you have to learn to get what you can out of them. Narrow chisels especially need the "operator" to control the tool. I draw a perpendicular line across the blade to see if it's staying square; I also mark the bevel with magic marker to see where the contact with the stone is. I make adjustments as required.
I mostly use the LV 1st generation honing guide and live with its limitations- I also have the one mentioned by the OP and use it occasionally. I do like the microbevel feature on the LV guides; gives you a quick crisp couple of degrees for the microbevel.
regards
pvg

It may be your chisel that isn't square..... I have a bunch of old chisels - and it seems like every one of them has a back that isn't perpindicular to the top.... which makes them not sharpen square when you jig them up...

The new ones seem to be pretty good.

Thanks

Were you talking of this one(Mk.II)? I also like it for wide blades and also had the problem that chisels would not stay in the jig as they should. I ended up by tightening the bar until it bent... When ordering a replacement bar I also ordered this (smaller) honing guide which works perfectly with chisels. When honing, one has to hold the chisel, not the guide. Of course, the same goes also for the Mk.II: hold the blade when it's long enough, not the honing guide. I do alignment of the chisel in the simpler guide just by "precision eyeballing" (there are some grooves in on the guide which help to align well visually). I don't want to change these two honing guides with anything else (unless there was a good, sturdy guide which wouldn't touch the stone, but I think there's nothing like that on the market).