# Best honing guide <$20?



## danj

I've been looking around for a decent honing guide for chisels and plane irons. $20 is my limit, so the Veritas seems unless I find one used. I'm working on learning to sharpen freehand, but need to get some items sharper than my skill currently allows.

Thanks.


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## railaw

Just picked this one up today. 

http://m.woodcraft.com/aHR0cDovL3d3...1Y3QvMjAwMzExNC81NzYvaG9uaW5nLWd1aWRlLmFzcHg=

recommended By bob van **** of ct valley school of woodworking and on sale at woodcraft through the end of the month. $10 Haven't actually used it yet though so can't share my experiences.


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## tc65

I bought a very similar one from Amazon for about the same price. I use it all the time and like it. I don't think you can get anything better unless you go to the $75+ range.


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## danj

That's top of my list so far, but I have seen mixed reviews. Some say it rocks easily due to the single center wheel.


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## danj

Could anyone verify if the reviews at Woodcraft hold water? Specifically, many say this cannot hold narrow chisels, that the bed halves often do not set flush, and some allude to it being out of square. The wheel is of little concern as I'll still hold it as if I were doing it freehand. However, these other items are of greater concern.


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## tc65

Edit: this is in response to post #4 
I've not had that problem. You do have to be careful with narrow chisels (1/8 or 1/4") but you have to assume some user responsibility as well. It holds the angle which is what it is designed for. If you can't keep it from rocking then you probably shouldn't be sharpening anything by hand anyway.

Post #5 response:
I've seen those reviews as well - for the one on Amazon and from Woodcraft (don't know if they are the same manuf. or not). They are only a $10 tool and I always check (and correct if needed) for square when clamping. These are not precision machined pieces and they will have some variation particularly as they have a thick (painted?) coating. I've also read where some have used a small file to remove some of the paint/metal to get square. They are not the best for small chisels, and it may take a little fiddling to clamp them, but as I said earlier, I use it for my 1/8 and 1/4" chisels with no problems.


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## danj

Very helpful. Thanks

I'm considering building one of my own as well. I came across plans here:
http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/34177/honing-jighttp://www.finewoodworking.com/item/34177/honing-jig

I'm thinking for $10 might be worth a shot and file it down if needed.


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## Wrangler02

danj said:


> Could anyone verify if the reviews at Woodcraft hold water? Specifically, many say this cannot hold narrow chisels, that the bed halves often do not set flush, and some allude to it being out of square. The wheel is of little concern as I'll still hold it as if I were doing it freehand. However, these other items are of greater concern.


I have one of these and would agree with the reviews. It is a cheap tool and in this case, you get what you pay for. I have totally abused mine, using it to hold plane irons while grinding them on a 4" belt sander. It works great for that.


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## knotscott

railaw said:


> Just picked this one up today.
> 
> http://m.woodcraft.com/aHR0cDovL3d3...1Y3QvMjAwMzExNC81NzYvaG9uaW5nLWd1aWRlLmFzcHg=
> 
> recommended By bob van **** of ct valley school of woodworking and on sale at woodcraft through the end of the month. $10 Haven't actually used it yet though so can't share my experiences.


I picked up a similar jig for $10....works well.


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## firemedic

I have to second Wrangler on using the cheap one on a belt sander :laughing:

Here's another example of a shop built jig:
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f27/shop-built-sharpening-jig-30241/

The $10 one works well enough and is cheap enough that It's worth having around.


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## gideon

railaw said:


> Just picked this one up today.
> 
> http://m.woodcraft.com/aHR0cDovL3d3dy53b29kY3JhZnQuY29tL3Byb2R1Y3QvMjAwMzExNC81NzYvaG9uaW5nLWd1aWRlLmFzcHg%3D
> 
> recommended By bob van **** of ct valley school of woodworking and on sale at woodcraft through the end of the month. $10 Haven't actually used it yet though so can't share my experiences.


I have that one. It's ok but you really have to spend time squaring it up. so keep a precision with you and a cm rule handy as the degree of angle is measured in millimeters.


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## danj

Thanks all. Was about to order from Woodcraft, but the shipping was almost as much as the device. That and they say 7-10 days. I doubt it would take that long, but not chancing it. Ended up with the Larsen one from Amazon. I'll square it as needed and probably build one later when I have time. Thanks all.


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## Billy De

Yep the old faithful eclipse 38 bought it 45 years ago the one and only honing guide I have ever owned.The design hasn't changed one bit.

Couple of points it doesn't handle firmer edge chisels very well (the reason I gave up on it) the bottom grip is made for bevel edge chisels up to 1 1/4" if my memory serves me. You do have to take care with the small chisels or they tend to run off square.:furious:

The top fastening position will hold plane irons from no3 up to the no8(never had a no2) the wheel is a bit small but you can use that to put a gentle camber on the irons.:yes:

It was cheap then and its cheap now so what it works.:thumbsup:.

Billy


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## danj

The Larson I have doesn't hold some of my chisels square. Not so sure I can file it without keeping it from holding the others square. I'm getting better freehand, but this is really helpful for my plane iron. Now my Harbor Freight stone and and lack of paper are holding me back. Still better than a week ago though.


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## Phaedrus

*So far, so good.*



trc65 said:


> I bought a very similar one from Amazon for about the same price. I use it all the time and like it. I don't think you can get anything better unless you go to the $75+ range.


I also purchased from Amazon a few months ago and am pleased so far. I watched some extensive videos on the "Scary Sharp" method that went into detail about how to hold your chisle or other blade while sharpening with a honing guide.


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## Purrmaster

The guide from Woodcraft is the "Eclipse style" honing jig. They seem to be the generic honing jig you can get everywhere.

I've had two and used them pretty extensively. My experience was that the "slots" that chisels fit in are indeed often not totally square. On larger chisels I was able to make it work pretty well. On smaller chisels it's a little iffier.

It does indeed wobble a bit on smaller chisels. The biggest problem I had with it was the suggested set up lengths on it (i.e. have the plane iron protrude x number of inches from the jig for a 25 degree bevel). They don't mean much. I had to use the Sharpie thing to find the correct set up. Once set you can draw a line on the back of the iron/chisel and use that for set up next time. You'll still have to do some Sharpie fiddling but not nearly as much.

I'm still using it for my larger plane irons because my Work Sharp can't accommodate them.

One nice thing about that jig is that you can whatever kind of sandpaper you want. For example, when using that jig I can utilize the 3M Micro finishing film. Which goes up to 0.3 microns. I tried mounting said film on my Work Sharp and the film was immediately shredded.

Lastly, try not to drop it. It's pretty delicate. I dropped it once and it's permanently screwed up.


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## Paul W Gillespie

I have the cheap guide mentioned here and it works well enough. You do have to be careful not to rock it, but that is user error in my book. I also sharpened my 1/8 Narex bench chisel with no problems. Those Polthaus videos are great. He really explains it well and slowly, almost too slow. But I learned enough from his videos to go out and buy some sandpaper and give it a try. Now I have some sharp plane irons and chisel.


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## Phaedrus

This is my result with my cheap "Robert Larson" brand honing guide that I purchased on Amazon. I worked from coarse to 2000grit in 7 steps. I have a 3/8" that I am flattening the back of right now. We will see if rocking is an issue on such a narrow chisel.

Paul, I agree completely about the Polthaus videos. It is hard to believe that the guy can go into that much detail about something that should be somewhat simple. He seems to know his stuff pretty well. He has a blog with some wood working and tool reconditioning stuff on it as well, if you are ever looking for more ways to kill time.:blink:


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## danj

Purrmaster said:


> The guide from Woodcraft is the "Eclipse style" honing jig. They seem to be the generic honing jig you can get everywhere.
> 
> I've had two and used them pretty extensively. My experience was that the "slots" that chisels fit in are indeed often not totally square. On larger chisels I was able to make it work pretty well. On smaller chisels it's a little iffier.
> 
> It does indeed wobble a bit on smaller chisels. The biggest problem I had with it was the suggested set up lengths on it (i.e. have the plane iron protrude x number of inches from the jig for a 25 degree bevel). They don't mean much. I had to use the Sharpie thing to find the correct set up. Once set you can draw a line on the back of the iron/chisel and use that for set up next time. You'll still have to do some Sharpie fiddling but not nearly as much.
> 
> I'm still using it for my larger plane irons because my Work Sharp can't accommodate them.
> 
> One nice thing about that jig is that you can whatever kind of sandpaper you want. For example, when using that jig I can utilize the 3M Micro finishing film. Which goes up to 0.3 microns. I tried mounting said film on my Work Sharp and the film was immediately shredded.
> 
> Lastly, try not to drop it. It's pretty delicate. I dropped it once and it's permanently screwed up.


You can make up a jig to help with this. Set one using your sharpie method, then mark a line or attach a stop block to a board and mark it for that angle. Do the same for each required angle. From then on, use it to measure your irons and files for the same angles.


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## Purrmaster

Danj is correct. The stop block is a good idea as well and probably better than drawing the line on the back of the item.

My recommendation for sharpening supplies is this: The flat surface (glass, stone, etc.). A can of Super 77 spray glue. And 3M wet or dry sandpaper with grits ranging from 600-2,000 grit (start with 400 if the tool is really dull). I specifically recommend the 3M sandpaper because I have seen time and time again that 2,000 grit in the 3M sandpaper is finer than 2,000 grit in Klingspor or Norton. It sounds weird but but I've seen it in action.

Try not to get obsessed with getting a perfect, supremely sharp edge the first time. I did precisely that and it didn't help the sharpening any. Just drove me nuts.


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