Anyone got the new LV honing guide?

[AAvK]

So what *on Earth* does all of that have to do with the discussion of the qualities and functions of the tools in this thread? Can you answer that?

[AAvK]

Do you work for Alisam?

Did I state that there is a serious problem with the Alisam rollers on a stone?

I did not.

It is a product of design that I...

*agree* with...

...much more than other products.

Is that a problem?

[Bruce Barnett]

I bought one about 15 years ago made in Japan for waterstones.

[Hax Planx]

Now you tell me...

[Patriarch]

Hax Planx wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Some lessons have to be learned personally.

[Larry Spitz]

Hi Folks,

Mine arrived this morning. Imagine having a tool arrive in New Zealand before it gets to most of the people on rec.ww!

I have used the honing guide to sharpen exactly one plane iron. Maybe next weekend I'll have time to use it on a chisel or two.

It is head and shoulders above the old Veritas guide which I have had for many years and always hated. The setup is easy and doesn't require any fiddling. You set the stop, insert the blade, remove the stop and get to work.

The blade stays square to the roller and centered (left/right). So far, so good.

Cheers,

Larry > If you've gotten one already, please share your "first on your block"

[Ken]

Tim,

Maybe you can answer a question I've hade about the Alisam guide; I've been intrigued by it, but one thing bothers me about it.

Currently I am using the Richard Kell honing guide that rides atop the stone.

OK, the Alsam does not ride on the stone itself but on the frame you build around the stone. This is good for 3 reasons that I can see: 1. the wheels don't ride in the slurry; 2. the wheels (or wheel) does not possibly score the stone; 3. you can use the entire stone surface for sharpening, assuming the surrounding frame is wide enough.

The big problem I have is how do you accurately reference the surface of several different stones to the level of the frame. For example:

I use 4 stones of different grits for the full sharpening routine. Each one has a measurably different thickness. When I am done with the 1000 grit stone, I move on to the 4000 grit stone. I do not remove the blade from the honing guide till I am done with all 4 stones. Since my honing guide is referenced to the stone surface itself the bevel as set by the honing guide does not change from stone to stone.

With the Alisam I would have to shim each stone individually so that each stone is the same exact height relative to the surrounding frame. For this shimming procedure to be accurate it seems like it would be awfully tedious.

That, or build a separate frame for each stone.

But then what do you do as the stones lose thickness due to wear and frequent flattening ?

Thanks, Ken

Tim wrote:

[AAvK]

Right okay, I thought as much. Sounds very good. But on what and how do you sharpen? Waterstones with slurry? Sheets on glass... ?

[David]

w/o a guide I always get a rounded bevel, no matter how hard I try to avoid it. Isn't that one of the main reasons to use a guide? Your a better man than I if you can freehand a perfect bevel and micro bevel.

Dave

Hax Planx wrote:

[Tim]

Ken, First off, you don't need to build a frame for the Sharpening Sled to ride on. I only suggested that if you have say a 3/8 in. diamond plate and 2 in. stones and want to use one model over all stones without the expense of buying the optional side supports. If your stones are 2 in. thick varieties but some worn to 1.5 in. for example the SS2 will be fine for all your stones. With that said, one of the benefits of the Alsiam guide, more precisely, the positive stop detents with precision laser engraving to set your bevel angle, allow you to easily raise or lower the iron to contact the different heights of stones you may be using at one setting. This is not tedious. You simply set the guide over the new stone and slightly loosen the toggle foot clamp just enough to move the blade to contact the new stone, check for squareness with alignment slide and retighten. Should take seconds! The accuracy is built in.You did not change the bevel angle at all. If the stone is a thicker one, just loosen the iron in the jig before placing over the stone. Hope this answeres your question. Tim Queeno

[Tim]

Alex, I'm sorry, I thought you were refering to the Alisam Sharpening Sled when you mentioned riding in slurry. My apologies. Yes I am the inventor of the Sharpening sled. Regarding using the Mk II for the "Scary Sharp" technique I would say our model SS3 was made specifically for this technique. Plus the ability to sharpen scraper plane blades as well! It rides very low on the table or plate glass surface and with all the attributes of the taller Sharpening Sled models like, bevel accuracy, 4 points of stability, wide range of bevel angle detents including "back bevels", easily set a micro-bevel and an alignment guide. As far as cost, we are not the most expensive guide out there (a master honing guide for $98.60, with less capabilities as the Alisam), but I believe the best performance and value at this time. Thanks, I appreciate your support of my design. Tim Queeno

[Australopithecus scobis]

Arrived today. Current guide is eclipse style, never had or used the Mk I Veritas guide.

Setup is quick and easy. Chisel slid all over the place. Aligned a plane blade with the jig. Checked it a couple of times during sharpening. (Had to take off a bunch of metal to go from eclipse's "25 degrees" to Mk II's "25 degrees".) Blade is so far off square that it has to be mounted cockeyed in the plane. Hmm.

Went back and re-read the instructions. Clamping force has to be equal for the bar to grip properly. Wording of the instructions is telling: no firm, unmoving grip is promised. The lower jaw really needs a pad of no-slip.

Instructions say to put drop of oil in indicated spots. I worry about contaminating my waterstones.

Shape is very well designed. Curves and cutouts fit the hand. I did feel some chafing while working with a 2" plane blade. Can't manage a Kirby-style grip.

I'll be putting a bit of electrical tape on the jig's projection stop to avoid nicks.

It's a huge improvement over the eclipse. I'd like to hear what Mk I owners think of it.

[CW]

People have told me that I have a rather unusual technique. I sharpen by hand and hold the stone in one hand and the blade in the other. The blade is stationary and I move the stone. Been doing it this way for over thirty years.

[Andy Dingley]

How big a stone ? I know lots of people (especially carvers) who do this, but they use small slip stones (or else broken stones), not bench stones.

This is the way I work on swords too, except I'm holding the blade down with my foot and a clamp.

[bluemax1811-newsgroups]

I made it pretty much exactly like Jeff Gorman's plans at

'm sorry I am in a location where I don't have access to my digital camera.

Bob

[AAvK]

Ah yes. Me too, currently in the making but something of a variation from that exact design. I laminated two slats of hard maple, rounded the front underside, brace drilled a 1/4" hole to center the lever cap which is now mounted with slotted round head machine screw, brass washer and wing nut underneath, the edge of the lever cap is 1/16" up from the front cutting end of the jigs main body. Still need to come up with a wheel design and it's mounting legs.

Do you have any suggestion as to an axle hardware that will work well through a section of dowel as the wheel, yet connect to flat maple slats (as the legs) and still be able to spin without binding?

[Australopithecus scobis]

It's also a useful technique for knives, I've found. It's easier to keep the correct angle by moving the bench stone over the stationary knife. That is, for blades such as hunting knives and such. Axes come to mind, also.

Recall the Forstner sharpening jig in Leonard Lee's book.

For the record, I have now tried the Mk II on spokeshave blades--Stanley style, not classic wooden shave blades. The 151 size will barely, but successfully, work with the mid-range 25 degree setting. Smaller 63/64 blades won't work in the midrange. They'll clamp in the #3 "back bevel" range, but the jig doesn't label a 25 degree stop there. There _are_ other stops machined into the jig (for the other two ranges) and I found one that is pretty close to 25 degrees. Trouble is, "there's no there there" to register against the side rail. I have it "squared" to the rail, but I'm seeing a canted bevel as I work the blade on a 325 diamond stone. The LV short-blade holder for the Mk I would probably be just the ticket for the Mk II. I also have put some wear on the bottom jaw while fussing with the little blades.