# I picked a sharpening direction



## Paul W Gillespie (Jul 7, 2011)

Having dropped off three hand plane blades to be sharpened at a local place, only to have been disappointed with the job, I decided to try and pick a sharpening method. I went to Woodcraft today and saw this Arkansas stone set on sale for 29.99. I have been debating between stones, sand paper and the WS3000. Having no experience in sharpening I decided that for $30, plus $15 for the cheap guide, I would give these stones a try, before investing in a better guide and stones or some other system.

I was a little disappointed when I got home to discover that while it says they are 2" wide, they are a bit smaller and my 2" plane blades don't fit. They should be good for my chisels though. Also the box is nice, but it lacks hinges or any way to keep the top on it. It does seem like a nice set though and should do the job.

I have read that these can be used with oil or water, but once you use oil you are stuck with it. I am going to go the water route.

I am also a little confused on the grit of each stone. I am pretty sure the black one is the hardest, finest and the last I will use. I think the white one is the softest, most coarse and be the first one, if needed. I believe the tan one is the middle stone and the one to start with for undamaged tools. What do you think.

If I like using stones I will look into getting the Veritas II guide and some bigger stones or try sandpaper. If I don't like doing it by hand I wait for the Worksharp WS3000 to go on sale.


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## joesbucketorust (Dec 13, 2011)

That's a nice little set. I think the correct order is black - hardest, white is middle, tan is softest. 

If you make a fitted board for them - just any 1" thick board with recesses routed out to fit each stone in, then you can use them to sharpen even your 2" cutters.


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## joe bailey (Dec 15, 2011)

Paul -you can do a first rate sharpening job with those stones (and that guide). Hopping around from system to system is not the way to go. Take enough time to master the oilstones - they were and are used by countless master craftsmen. I believe Joe has the order correct.
Be sure to try and utilize the entire surface of the stone so as not to dish it. Also, be careful to wipe off that roller wheel between stones, lest you bring grit from one operation onto the next stone.
BTW - I have always used a combination of kerosene and mineral oil to make my own honing fluid.
Well, that's my $.02.


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## Paul W Gillespie (Jul 7, 2011)

Joebucket could you please explain a little more about the fitted board and how I can use it to sharpen the 2" cutters? I think I get that it is a 1" thick board with space routed for each stone, but how do you use the bigger cutters on it? Do you move the cutter and guide from side to side so you hit each edge on every other pass? 



?

Joe Bailey, I think I am going to try using water for a honing solution first. If I soak them for a while before use and then keep adding water to them as I sharpen, will that work? I will take the time with the stones to try and get it down. I was just saying that if I hate it, I may go WS3000 when funds allow. Part of my fear of hand sharpening was that there are too many choices in stones and sand paper, I could decide what would be best for me.


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## joesbucketorust (Dec 13, 2011)

Yes, fit the stones so they are inlaid flush with the surface of the board - that gives you more surface to run the jig over. And instead of just going back and forth the length of the stone you get a pattern going - forward, back, then make a "W" shaped pattern so that you get the left half/middle of the cutter on one stroke, and then the right half/middle of the cutter on the other stroke. If you put just the slightest pressure on the right/left side when you do that you will also get the cambered corners you need to keep from getting those annoying planing lines. 

Hope that makes sense. If not, give me a week to find the video camera and I'll try to make a quick movie.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

You will probably have to do a little "investigation" to detemine the harness level of each stone. The color does not necessarily indicate softness or hardness.

[URL="http://www.danswhetstone.com/stone_grades_101.htm] SEE THIS ARTICLE [/url]

George


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## Benny Blanco (Apr 21, 2012)

Joes method works for me, when the blade may be wider then the stone.
I also use oil thinned with kerosene, but, I use Sunnen honing oil, because I have a Sunnen honing machine that has 15 gallons of that stuff in it.
If the oil is too thick, the edge wants too skate across the stone.
Sort of like grinding drill bits by hand, takes a while, but once you get the "feel of it", piece of cake.


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## Paul W Gillespie (Jul 7, 2011)

Looking at the stones under a photographic loupe, the white stone is larger grained, the tan one is medium grained and the black gray one is the finest grain. So I am guessing that is the order of softness to hardness. I could be wrong. I will call Woodcraft tomorrow.

Joebucket, I think I get the idea, but if the stones are even with the wood don't they gouge it when the edges hit?


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## Benny Blanco (Apr 21, 2012)

Some-times the truth can be harsh, or funny.

i will say this just because it is.:blink:

All those sharpening guides and what not, were invented by people that couldnt sharpen a thumb tack:no:

I was thinking of what tip was given to me a half century ago that helped me the most.
This probably the best, when drawing an edge across the stone, think of cutting the most thin slice off the stone, and find the feel of that.


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## Paul W Gillespie (Jul 7, 2011)

Don't know what the "Some-times the truth can be harsh, or funny." is for, but God bless you Benny if you a a sharpening master. I am a noob and I have no qualms using a guide to keep the blades even. Plenty of people use them and have no complaints. Maybe some day I will acquire the skill to hand hone, but I am in no rush.


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## joesbucketorust (Dec 13, 2011)

This is an older one from before I went off the deep end and bought the waterstones, tormek copy, slow speed grinder, diamond paste.... The wood block is actually about 5x5x12 and the stone is under 2" wide. The stone is actually tight in the wood - the bottom of the walls wasn't cut out as much so it's a snug fit. I cut it deeper than needed, put the stone in and then held it to my 6x48 belt sander to make the wood exactly flush with the stone. 
In use, pressure is on the pushing forward stroke. When I'm on the right side of the blade (pic two) then there is just a slight bit more pressure on the right finger than the left. When I'm on the left side, I press just a slight bit more with the left finger. I'm not pushing so hard that the other side is riding up in the air, just enough so that the pressure is focused over the stone. It's hard to describe, easy to do.


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## Paul W Gillespie (Jul 7, 2011)

Thanks Joe, you are always helpful. I am guessing you just pop the stone out and put the next one in or is there a holder for each? Also are you pretty positive that the tan stone if the coarse one?


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## joesbucketorust (Dec 13, 2011)

The stone can be popped out easily, but my other one was a different size so I had two boards.
I'm just guessing the tan is softest because all my hard arkansas stones have been black or white, not tan. And the description in the link you provided says you get a hard black, hard white, and a soft - although of course they could be taking liberties with their description. 
It should be easy to compare the two if you take a fresh piece of metal and make a few swipes on each one and compare the action/marks. One should remove a lot of metal fast but leave a rougher surface than the other.


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## Benny Blanco (Apr 21, 2012)

If guides work for you, that is good!

Old school that I am, the guide is built into the hand.
This is what I am doing in this photo,

My first and second fingers are on and in front of the blade, riding on both on the "blade" and the "stone".

Thumb and third finger both supporting the side of the blade and riding the surface of the stone at the rear.

Now, the blade is adjusted in that grip so as the flat of the bevel is flat, or feels pretty much flat to the stone.

The blade is slid along, and slightly leaned forward, until a very light drag is felt through the first and second fingers, that are in an ideal place to feel that. Not like a grip on a can of beer!

As I mentioned before, like shaving the stone.
The object is, to get the same feel of the drag of the edge, each stroke, then, pretty darn sharp, and done with quickness.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

You did right not using oil with the sharpening stones. You should never put oil on natural stones as they will get impacted with dirt and metal and alter the texture of the stone. I keep my sharpening stones in water 24/7 as soaking them in water will rust away any metal that might impact the stone. 

Your pictures won't load with my internet so I can only guess which sharpening stones you have. The black stone is the finest stone where I have one that is red that almost looks like garnet is the coarsest. The white stone that looks like marble is next to finest. I don't think I could ever put into words how I use a more narrow stone to sharpen a plane blade. I just hold the stone in my left hand and work the stone back and forth against the blade holding it in my right hand. Once sharpened I finish the job by stropping it on a piece of leather which is mounted on a board. The leather is treated with a jewelers rouge and is done with water on it. I was taught this method of taking care of sharpening stones and sharpening tools by a old German woodcarver, Ludwig Kieninger.


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## Tools (May 30, 2012)

That particular guide doesn't give a totally solid point of contact via the single, narrow roller. 

A lot of people who sharpen freehand do so by vacillating pressure across the blade during the passes- ie, three passes orienting the downward pressure to the right of the blade, then three more passes orienting towards the left side, then three more passes pressing down on the center. Keep this in mind when using that guide, since it's not going to keep your blade perfectly level during the cutting action. 

Nothing wrong with that methodology, just have to be aware of what you're working with.


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## Tools (May 30, 2012)

Benny Blanco said:


> If guides work for you, that is good!
> 
> Old school that I am, the guide is built into the hand.


I completely agree, but the learning curve is what it is. It took me a year with the training wheels before I finally 'got' the fundamentals of sharpening and could achieve a result without a guide that was as good as the result achieved with one. 

Particularly when rehabbing old chisels/planes purchased from garage sales or flea markets that inevitably look like they were sharpened by dragging them on concrete, I'll still use a guide in that situation.


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## Benny Blanco (Apr 21, 2012)

I hand sharpen a wide variety of tools, saves time and money, and is helpful for sharpening the odd tool out in the field with less then perfect stones.
For example, utility blades, I bought a pack of 5 Irwin bimetal blades 7yrs ago, I have only used 2 so far, feather the edge back a little, much sharper then new ones.
Same with Exacto blades, use them alot.
Sissors, pruning shears, touching up the tip of a drill bit, and everything else.
Working on a variety, helps get the feel.

If an edge is chipped badly, It probably best to grind it back with a belt or bench grinder, then stone it.
For a bench grinder, Jet dealers have white aluminum oxide wheels, that are coarse and soft, grind pretty cool, get a dressing stick to keep the face true and free of loading.


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## Anokiernan (Jun 13, 2011)

Like you, I also started with that $15 sharpening jig, a granite plate and loads of wet/dry sandpaper. That guide really made it difficult to consistently sharpen my chisels because they did not mate up with the "dovetail" in the clamp correctly. As a result they would clamp up tilted or skewed, particularly the more narrow chisels (under .500" wide). To make it a little more repeatable I found that making stop blocks for each tool helped. They were simply pieces of scrap cut into an "L" shape. The top of the "L" registered against the guide, and the inside of the "L" registered against the cutting edge of the plane blade or chisel. Try not to judge sharpening by hand too heavily based on the woodcraft guide.

Recently I have become the ecstatic recipient of the Veritas MKII guide with the skew and camber attachments from my girlfriend. What a world of difference! It made sharpening downright enjoyable! If it wasn't for also owning some larger wood turning tools I would have no desire for any powered method of sharpening. :thumbsup:


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## Paul W Gillespie (Jul 7, 2011)

Rather than start a new thread I figured I would continue my old one. I finally broke out the stones I bought a few months back and figured I would give my Narex chisels a first sharpening. I started with the 1/4 one because my brother used it for something and it looked a little marked up, not nicked, but messed up a little. They had heavy tool marks in them and I start trying to flatten the back. This took me almost two hours and I think it still needs more work. I am still trying to figure out the grits of my stones. To me it seems the white one has the most cutting action, then tan and then black, but I have been told that the tan is the softest, most aggressive.

After three hours and one semi sharp chisel I am calling it quits for the evening. The 1/4 is sharper than it was, but I don't think it is where it should be. I will continue practicing once the cuts on my fingers heal. I think this might be my first blood drawn since I started my wood shop and hopefully it is the worst. I have seen what many of you have as far as war wounds and hope I never have to tell one of those cautionary tales.

First Blood








The mystery stones








A lot of work flattening the back and I still have no mirror shine.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Paul, do you have any idea what the x the stones are supposed to be?... Even if not which is which.


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## Paul W Gillespie (Jul 7, 2011)

Tom here is the link to the set. It says one is a soft, one a hard white and one is a hard black.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Doesn't tell ya much about em, huh?

Are you stroking the chisel sideways across the length of the stone? Random directions on the same grit can look scratching compared to all one direction. Only the last 1/2" really needs to be flattened btw although some, such as myself, do like the entire back flattened.

I've noticed at times that finer grits seem to cut quicker, fine and hardness are two different things and a fine but also hard stone can cut quicker than a courser softer stone... Think fine diamond hone :smile:

Good luck! I'm hooked on the wetsand paper and don't see me going back to stones at any point.


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## Paul W Gillespie (Jul 7, 2011)

I might get some sand paper and give that a go soon. I have a bunch of granite scraps from a granite store I can use. Either that or I splurge on the WS 3000.


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