Honing guides ~ six of the best

bob the builder	19/11/2007 20:27:00
44 forum posts 3 photos	I've heard honing guides are the best for sharpening a chisel. Is this true?
Woody Al	19/11/2007 20:51:00
98 forum posts	Hi Aaron, honing guides are used to keep a chisel or plane blade at a consistent angle while honing on a wet stone or oil stone. They make the whole sharpening thing much easier!
bob the builder	24/11/2007 20:19:00
44 forum posts 3 photos	Thanks good to know
Mike Riley	25/11/2007 00:02:00
337 forum posts 5 photos 5 articles	It might be worth noting that the Veritas system shown in the article has been replaced with a newer system which is pretty much fool proof and has various addons available for skew chisels etc.
Roger W	26/11/2007 21:46:00
50 forum posts 8 photos	They do make it more accurate but they make it much slower. With a bit of practice just feel for the primary bevel, lift up another few degrees, 3 or four strokes on a diamond stone, wipe the wire edge off and job finished before you have even fitted the blade into the guide. For the same reason (speed) I love the Clifton cap iron. You can keep your blade sharp in a fraction of the time it would otherwise take as you don't need to remove it to sharpen, and no time wasted resetting after. If you work like this you'll sharpen the blades as soon as they need it and will enjoy the work more.
Mike Riley	26/11/2007 23:36:00
337 forum posts 5 photos 5 articles	You have a point Roger that using a guide may actually discourage sharpening because of all the messing around and the time it takes to do it. I have a Veritas MK2 guide and I use it for grinding a new bevel or taking nicks out of the edge it gives me a standard repeatable straight edged bevel, but I tend to touch up the irons and chisels without the guide, couple of strokes here and there - little and often sort of thing.
derek willis	09/12/2007 11:30:00
2314 forum posts 1 articles	I have a veritas grinding jig also a veritas honing jig, both of these were bought with the vouchers from Good-wood hints and tips pages. With a well ground edge there is very little honing to do, sometimes I will use the honing jig and sometimes not, and it takes no time to set up, I use both at a constant setting of 30degrees and I have a superb edge every time, it is quite possible to round off the bevel when honing, as many do, but with a jig this is not possible. D.
Jim Beach	05/08/2008 11:50:00
37 forum posts	Hi Aaron, A couple of years ago I bought a David Charlesworth DVD 'Hand tool techniques, Part 1: Plane Sharpening'. This DVD is a must have for anyone starting out, it has made a huge difference to the pleasure I get from my planes. David advocates the use of a honing guide and I know that some people will say he is probably too much of a perfectionist but it works for me. Regards Jim
derek willis	05/08/2008 12:07:00
2314 forum posts 1 articles	Jim, My post, previous to yours, states it as I see it, I wouldn't be without my two jigs, even after all the years of sharpening by eye, and still making mistakes, I find that the edge i get with these two is far superior and accurate than ever before. Derek.
Jim Beach	05/08/2008 19:58:00
37 forum posts	Hi Derek, Thanks for your reply I guess we are giving the same advice use a guide for repeatable excellent edges. I'm sure you agree that the very little extra time it takes is well reflected in the result. Jim
derek willis	05/08/2008 20:09:00
2314 forum posts 1 articles	certainly. D.
Sooty	14/08/2008 08:18:00
8 forum posts 1 photos	Where in the UK could I buy the General Honing Guide as mentioned in the above review
derek willis	14/08/2008 08:27:00
2314 forum posts 1 articles	Sooty, All Veritas products can be bought from Brimarc. Derek.
Sooty	14/08/2008 15:45:00
8 forum posts 1 photos	I dont thik the guide I was referring to is made by Veritas I have just looked on the Brimark site and it was not under Veritas. But I may be wrong? General Sharpening GuideThis is the largest guide here and is very easy to use. The bevel angle is set by adjusting the hinge in the centre of the jig. Unusually the roller runs on the workbench behind the sharpening stone rather than on the stone itself. It is very stable and grips the blade tightly with its large central screw clamp. It's comfortable to use and easy to set.
derek willis	14/08/2008 15:51:00
2314 forum posts 1 articles	Sooty, then you know where to go. Derek.