Thread: Freehand honing

I'm prolly not a good influence for this, as I don't get very upset about angles or anything like that.

What I do do however is run the edges sideways over the stone/sandpaper. All of them. It's no problem with the paper as it never goes hollow, but with stones, I will also skew the blade a little to avoid grooves in the stone.

I usually wind up with a consistant width micro bevel on all edges.

Plus it's dead easy to put a little round over on the corners of blades for smoothing planes.

Maybe it's not the best solution nor is it for everyone, but it's what I do and I don't want for a sharper edge.

Arron

There's a really good article by Terry Gordon (of HNT Gordon) in the latest edition of AWR. Terry goes into some detail with a very easily understood explanation of his free-hand technique. I've given it a go and, although it's apparent that I'll need to practise a fair bit, Terry's technique seems to work.

Col

I've been having a go at freehand sharpening for a short while, also. My results are not spectacular, but encouraging. Terry Gordon's article in the latest Australian Wood Review was helpful. I like his workaday approach. If you haven't read it, I'm pretty sure most of it is on his website. Here we go:

http://www.hntgordon.com.au/sharpeningprocess.htm

This is an abridged version, but it tells the whole story. The key seems to be in the hollow-ginding of the primary bevel. I've also been experimenting with stropping, using veritas green honing compound on MDF (no leather handy!)

Regards,
Rusty.

P.S. You beat me to it, Driver, but I'll leave the link up, any how...

Hi Arron

I am taking a lazy way out here and repeating answers I gave to questions asked on the Wood Central forum. I am being even lazier and not editing it:

1)Do you grind (sharpen, reshape?) bevels freehand or just hone?

I do not grind any of my blades freehand. In the past I used the LV Honing Guide or an Eclipse. I went through a spell on a dry grinder, and more recently I have been using my belt sander. Finding the correct bevel angle has become more important since I have been using bevel up planes and also because I maintain a few sets of chisels with bevels between 20 - 30 degrees. On the other hand, my first choice is to hone freehand since it is quicker than anything else. Note, however, that I have only been doing this for 3 or 4 years, and I will inevitably need to use a honing guide to "restore" the bevel and undo all my "damage".

2)Do you freehand both chisels and plane irons?

Yes to chisel and plane blades that do not require a micro-bevel.

3) Are your bevels flat enough to 'click' onto the stone, or do you just focus on holding the angle and live with a slightly convex bevel?
It depends on the blades. The thicker blades (such as the 30 degree HNT Gordon, or the 30 degree Japanese chisels) are very easy to hold flat to the waterstones. By contrast, the thin Stanley blades require great vigilance to keep flat on the bevel, and I often shave more off my fingertips than off the blade!

4) Or do you even end up with a convex bevel?

Yes, more noticeably with the thinner blades since these will rock more. I was sharpening the LN blade in my Stanley #112 the other day, which was last ground (to a 45 degree bevel) about a year ago. The bevel was almost round. I marveled that it worked at all!

5) If so, does a slightly convex bevel matter?

A slight convex bevel will not noticeably affect performance, especially on bevel down planes. On the other hand, a moderate convex bevel will do so on chisels. There is a significant difference in paring using chisels with 20-, 25-, and 30-degree bevels. Similarly, this will change the characteristics of bevel up planes.

6) Do you angle the iron on the stone? (sideways like)

Yes, especially with narrow Stanley blades I will even angle them parallel to the stones as this seems to lend more stability. With most blades I try and cover the stone evenly, and this often involves skewing them. But I try and end up with a forward hone.

7) Pick up the iron on the return stroke?

It depends on what you mean by "return stroke"?. I often hone both ways, and it is only the forward motion that may be modified since higher bevel angles introduce a greater risk of the edge digging in. This is also the case with thin chisels.

8) What does your grip on the iron look like?

I try and maintain an even pressure across the blade, so the number of fingers used will depend on the width of the blade. I tend to hold the blade in my left hand, fingers on top, thumb underneath, and guide it with my right hand. My elbows are locked and my forearms are rigid. I move the blade by moving my body. It is easy to unwittingly hone a camber on the blade by maintaining too much finger pressure on the outer sides. I attempt to keep the bevel straight until the end, when I will follow David Charlesworth?s recommendation of using an equal number of strokes at each side to create an even camber.

As a last word, a similar question came up a few days ago, and I made a point that thick blades - such as the 1/4" HNT Gordon blades (but not limited to these) - make wonderful "training wheels" for freehand honing: easy to hold flat on the stones.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Freehand honing
Just dont let the missus catch you at it, they just dont understand.

Al

Originally Posted by Arron

Hi. I've been working on freehand sharpening (ie not using a guide) for a little while. Results are OK, but the bevel is usually a little rounded. I think I'm doing something wrong. A scan of the web hasnt contributed much but confusion. Can our freehand sharpeners explain the method they use. I'm interested in the simple mechanics of it - how the tool is held, angle in relation to the hand or stone, length of stroke etc.

Do you get really flat bevels, or not worry about it too much ?

thanks
Arron

Hi Arron,

try http://www.antiquetools.org/sharp/index.html .