Thread: What is the best sharpening jig?

I think its time you all shook hands, agree to disagree and leave the workbench

You're right. Not really worth it I suppose. Anyway, it's been fun. Makes a break from asking people about their toilet habits and working on spreadsheets all day, which, as exciting as it might seem to outsiders, isn't really all that much fun.

Originally Posted by Gumby

No, I've got a date with Kylie.

Good luck to you, I'm lucky to be hard of hearing, I couldn't imagine dating that screech owl.

Originally Posted by Groggy

Good luck to you, I'm lucky to be hard of hearing, I couldn't imagine dating that screech owl.

Who said that I'd be asking her to sing?

But actually, I'm off to DPB's for a play with his new router table and Incra jig. (See you there Stuart

I disagree Lignum,
it does matter if you use hand cut waterstones that have been blessed with the armpit sweat of a Japanese Zen master.

By putting that bollocks in your advertising campaign you should be able to convince someone to pay an extra few bucks for your work.

Or am I being cynical?
I saw a "hand made solid PNG Rosewood Entry door, with hand cut mouldings" the other day - retail price was $2200.
The mouldings were hand cut - with an electric router. A very simple piece.
Fantastic marketing - and the door had been sold as well!

they arnt the magic fix that they are made out to be

Well, actually I found they were. I don't get obsessed about it, but I find I get much better results using the waterstones, although I have to admit that I don't use the oilstones as much as I did and I've gotten better at sharpening since I got the waterstones.

The good thing about waterstones is that if they get dished, they are easy to fix. I have an oilstone that I stuffed up sharpening a router bit. How do I fix that? If I took a chunk out of one because I didn't know to pull the blade instead of pushing it, how would I fix that?

Anyway, waterstones are what I've got and they work fine for me.

Originally Posted by Clinton1

I disagree Lignum,
it does matter if you use hand cut waterstones that have been blessed with the armpit sweat of a Japanese Zen master.

Or am I being cynical?

Originally Posted by silentC

I have an oilstone that I stuffed up sharpening a router bit. How do I fix that?

Use your magic waterstone then for your router bits

Originally Posted by silentC

If I took a chunk out of one because I didn't know to pull the blade instead of pushing it, how would I fix that?

A good crystalon oil stone is by far the best to learn on. Heaps more durable than waterstones

Yeah but my point is that I can't fix them, whereas with the waterstones I can. See? It's an advantage of waterstones over other types.

Diamond plates are good but expensive. I'd probably give them a go. Maybe I will when I can see daylight through the waterstones.

Ahh, another sharpening thread! We could go on and on and on and on for pages and pages....

Originally Posted by Gumby

But actually, I'm off to DPB's for a play with his new router table and Incra jig. (See you there Stuart

What??

Don't you people have jobs to go to?

Originally Posted by silentC

Ahh, another sharpening thread! We could go on and on and on and on for pages and pages....

And I'm sure we will.

They get the day off when the weather is good down in Melbourne. Doesn't happen very often

Originally Posted by silentC

Yeah but my point is that I can't fix them, whereas with the waterstones I can. See?

Bung it on the linisher or a 40# in the belt sander will soon fix it

Originally Posted by silentC

Makes a break from asking people about their toilet habits and working on spreadsheets all day, which, as exciting as it might seem to outsiders, isn't really all that much fun.

Arh,

Just wanted to share some thoughts with you this morning. You know when you have a new pack of undies (from Target $11 for 7 ) and you pick one out of the drawer and wear it everyday. And the wife washes it and put it back to the drawer the following day.

My question is how do you make sure one undie doesn’t get picked more often then others. Do you have a tracking system, a labelling system or a spreadsheet type record maybe?

Cheers

Wongo (the thinker )

I wish you blokes would read the question!

The question was: "what is the best sharpening jig" and went on to include the words "I already have a couple of waterstones"

Lou in his wisdom implied the "Veritas Mk2 was a load of #$%&*#*". OK his post actually read "the hype around the Veritas Mk2 was a load of #$%&*#*" , but the clear inference was there despite his rantings on twenty subsequent posts.

I haven't seen a comparison review published or even a user review on the web which didn't place the Veritas Mk 2 at the top of the list.

I therefore conclude that Lou is in a world wide minority of one when it comes to the actual answer to this question.

I also have an Eclipse jig, the good old cheapie and a homebuilt timber sled thingy. Both work well and give satisfactory results, but the Veritas Mk2 IS THE BEST OF THEM.


NEXT;-

When it comes to digging in to waterstones, if you aren't up to that, use diamond plates, carborundum, sandpaper, old tile, a bit of concrete, or whatever floats your boat. WHO CARES? Eventually you'll work it out, and in the process you'll discover that whisper thin shavings are about more than flattening timber, just like driving a beautifully engineered car is more than getting from point A to point B.

That may not be relevant if you are trying to make a living from what you are doing, as there is no doubt that whisper thin shavings can also come at a cost in time and staring dreamily into space instead of getting on with the job in hand.

Again I say quite unequivocally, if you can't learn to use a VMkII without damaging your stones you've got no hope of sharpening by hand and maybe you should think about giving up - it's the best chance you've got. (Yes my son in law has also dug into one of my stones, but it's not "ruined", it's got a "dig" in it, a stone is a tool like all the others, not a precious object that can't be blemished).

I've used them all (except the diamond stone), I hate sharpening, have tried freehand, got good at it for ten minutes, then two years later when I had to sharpen my stuff again, had to relearn.

I've seen Toolin' sharpen, and he's bloody good at it, because among other things he's been doing it for a long, long time, and anyone who uses their tools regularly would be well advised to take him up on his offer. For reasons already outlined, I'll stick to my waterstones and VMkII, sharpening most of my stuff once or twice a year, and buffing/stropping in between sharpens just the way Toolin' showed me!

So in answer to your question Stuart, the Veritas Mk II appears through all the reviews I've read, and in my personal experience to be the best, but note as Lou says, the packet does not provide a warning "Requires a small amount of personal skill" to operate. If you can't handle that, maybe you need a sharpening service!

Cheers,

P