Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey guys. Just trying to get some thoughts on sharpening up those tools.

Jordan

Jordan, I use the scary sharp method with a veritas tool guide.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

OK, I just voted for stones/guide although I actually use Scary sharp then finish up with a 10000 grit water stone and a rotating leather strop. I voted for stones rather than scary sharp because once I get a tool up to speed it usually only ever needs retouching on the 10000 grit water stone and the strop. I used to use the Stanley guide but have recently bought one of the new Veritas guides.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

cheapo honing guide from Home Depot and scary sharp up to 2000 grit. Wors very well.

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I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

Tormek, and I love it for everything from steak knives, butcher knives, curved gouges, chisels, and even scissors!

John

Scary sharp -- I got one of the small granite plates from Grizzly, some sandpaper and a honing guide. I also keep a leather strop and some polishing compound handy on the workbench for quick tough-ups.

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53% of all statistics are made up on the spot
http://driftwoodguitars.blogspot.com/

Diamond stones, 6000 grit Japanese water stone and simple guide.

Colin, how do you like your Veritas guide?

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

I'm with Colin re: sharpening methodology. Except for not having the shiny new Veritas guide, or the leather strop.

When I'm getting a tool set up I scary sharp it, otherwise I use waterstones and a guide for touch ups.

I like plate glass and sandpaper all the way.
Hardwood dowels and sandpaper for the gouges.

If I need to remove a serious amount of material I take them to the
belt sander first and then to the plate glass and start refining the
edge with 120 grit paper. I work my way up through 2000 grit.

For maintenance, I usually touch them to 1500 and 2000, then its
back to work.

No guides, I like to freehand them. Keeps it exciting!

Louis

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- Louis Freilicher

Oh No! Not another learning experience!

Sandpaper to 2000 on a granite plate, then polishing compound on very hard felt. I've got some leather now, though, and will switch to that for the final polish on my next sharpening binge.

Woodsmith magazine has an article this month about scary sharp and a nice honing station as well.

[QUOTE=Louis4052]
No guides, I like to freehand them. Keeps it exciting!
[/QUOTE]

Very well, but the poll still reads "0" votes cast for free hand sharpening ...

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Veritas/Scary for me, final wipe on a horse hide strope charged with honing compound, cuts through wood like a fart through your undies

Cheers

Kim

I voted for scary sharp. I started out that way, using a Veritas guide, then switched to waterstones. I'm not sure what possessed me to do that - I wasn't unhappy with SS. I think it was a "try everything" move. After experiencing the mud puddles and finally grinding all my stones back to flat for the first time (including the excavation in the polishing stone that the 1mm LMI chisel did while I wasn't looking ), I'm going back to sandpaper.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Tried scarey sharp but it the long run turned out more expensive than
Japanese water stones. I work blade on 800 - 1000 - 6000 King water
stones and then run edges over a suede strop charged with honing
compound. I also use Veritas Mk II honing guide.

I use diamond stones with a little wd-40 sprayed on the stone, and a roller guide. But i'm lookin at switching to the scary sharp method, Fine woodworking had a article last month on it.

I use a super old bench grinder with a course wheel on one side, and a
hard felt wheel w/ compound on the other. Takes under a minute to get
it cuttin' hairs, but prolly wastes a lot of chisel. I'd like to try the scary
sharp method too.

Mike

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Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

I voted stone-freehand. BUT, I often set main bevels with a Veritas(now a Mk.II) or on the Tormek. After that, final hone is big black arkansas and strop with rouge on rough side and a couple strokes on the smooth side. I maintain edges and do secondary(micro) bevels freehand. I use the jig methods when I want to be sure about the basic bevel.My chopping chisels stay at 30* + 2-3* secondary. Paring will usually be 25* with 2-3* secondary. So, since everything except initial bevel or re-establishment of long used blade is freehand, that is how I view myself.I have never tried SS. I have a waterstone set and for some steels it feels better, but 90% of the time I use my full size Norton Multi- Stone with mineral spirits.Coarse diamond,lily white and hard black.I confess that my old lathe tools go to the Tormek every time, and their jigs for those types of tools are like magic. I keep a log of settings for them that were worked out per Tormek procedures using stick-out length and marker on the bevels to determine the angles.Foolproof enough for this old fool. I don't know whether I'm lazy, eclectic or just fickle and fascinated by sharpening for its own sake.MT- PS, I see a big difference between the process of initially moving a lot of metal to get the long-term configuration and sharpening/honing.Miketobey38887.8755787037

Scary sharp now after years of using stones.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Paper and glass all the way!


[quote=Larkim]cuts through wood like a fart through your undies[/quote]

Man! I never had a fart cut a hole through my unmentionables, what do you guys eat down-under Mate?

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

Scary sharp with a Veritas MKII, been doing it that way since I was a bamboo flyrod builder...


-Mark

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Pullman, WA

The more I know, the more I know I don't know.

trippguitars.com
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I have the Veritas Mk.II power system and it's scary sharp with no elbow grease for my old bursitis elbows. I love it.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.