Sharpening guides or systems for carving tools?

[Kate]

Hi Bill, Thank you for reposting. I have been having problems with my newsgroups lately and though I tried to reply to the first post you left with the photos I don't think it made it. I posted a photo of the strop I made a couple of months ago. I sharpen on one side and then run the blade over the side with no medium on the other side for a few swipes. Seemed like the thing to do.

For a polishing medium I am using a white buffing compound. I'm thinking I might need to make another strop for rouge... what jewelers call white diamond. It's a coarser polish than rouge...whatta ya think?

I'm not near sighted but I DO have a magnifying light on my bench. I'm thinking of trying to make a wooded guide (as suggested above) just to keep myself from rounding the edges.

Kate

At the risk of being repetative, I've re-posted a response to a query in alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking below:

I have a set of six of the Dockyard micro tools and use some of them quite often.

I initially sharpened them on a fine oil stone. It's just a matter of being careful to maintain the proper angle (15-20 degrees). I have an advantage of being near-sighted, so I can look very closely at the edge while I'm sharpening : ). Then stropping on a leather strop occasionally.

Over the years, I have managed to drop and break most of my stones, so I've replaced them with a diamond hone, and I love it for setting the initial edge.

Now I have a home made rig for maintaining the edge of my tools. It consists of a piece of oak about 14 inches long and 2 inches wide, with a handle carved on one end. I rounded one end for stropping the inside of larger gouges and stretched an old leather belt around it while wet (inside of small goughes anf v tools can be run alonf the edge of the belt). When the leather dried, it shrank and tightened up. On the other side, I glued a piece of plexiglass on the stick to which is spray glued a piece of 400 grit wet and dry sandpaper. This works very well for touching up the edges of small tools. The best stropping compound that I have found is the Flexcut Gold compound.

It's not necessary to maintain an exact 20 degree edge, just a flat one. The Dockyard tools hold a pretty good edge and I prefer an angle a little flatter than 20 degrees. As mentioned above, between 15 and

20 degrees is fine.

See: Kate Sharpening post in alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking for:

I've attached a couple of pictures to help explain this - you can see that the sandpaper is getting pretty chewed up and will be replaced soon.

I've also attached a picture of some of my carving tools and accessories. As you can see, a tackle box makes a great tool holder. Some of the things that come in handy are small files, dental picks and a toothbrush for cleaning away small chips.

Bill

[Tanus]

Oh geez, Kate. NEVER ask. It's either your first born or a case of yellow paint in aerosol cans. Sometimes both.

[J T]

Sat, Jan 12, 2008, 10:45am (EST-1) [e-mail] (Kate) doth posteth thusly:

** if I used a belt sander on these little guys, they would be gone in the blink of an eye. **shod... nop, have never shod a horse. Grew up withhorses under my arse, **But you DID you DID, in the other post. Funny as hell too. I read a little of it. Will sit and read it all when I get some time this evening. Thanks JT And, the appropriate sacrifice would be_______ ?

Ah, if they won't hold up to a belt sander, probably not worth keeping. My little carving knives, made from old bandsaw blades, hold up well enough. Now that I recall, now I do all my carving with my pocket knife - easier to find.

No, it's shoed. Lots of people make that mistake. It's technical past tense stuff, advanced English. Like rotten, its past tense, but most people don't have the education to know abou it. You've heard of words that sound the same, not spelled the same, with different meanings, so-sew-sow, and so on. Then there's words that are spelled the same, but different meanings. Lead-lead, and so on. Well rotten falls in this last catetory. Write, wrote, written, rotten. Rotten is the past tense of written. It's easy to get confused. And, yes, it's much preferable to have a hors under your arse, than vice versa.

Personally my feelsings on horses are similar to those of the Apache Indians. Rade it until it drops, eat some, cut off some to take along, and proceed on foot.

Horse \Horse\ (h[^o]rs), n. [AS. hors; akin to OS. hros, D. & OHG. ros, G. ross, Icel. hross; and perh. to L. currere to run, E. course, current Cf. {Walrus}.] 1. (Zool.) A hoofed quadruped of the genus {Equus}; especially, the domestic horse ({Equus caballus}), an unreliable means of transporation; best though of as a self-propelled food source. Well, Hell, sounded like the guy didn't know what it it..

Ah, converting the heathen? The Woodworking Gods are not greedy. A small sacrifice of wood will do them nicely. Remember, don't try this at home, as High Priest of the Woodworking Gods, I handle all their adinistrative work. So, either a small amount of decent wood, which is definitely larger than a token of wood, will suffice. Or, a short sligltly used female virgin, especially one that likes to do house work will do. A couple of the guys tried to send along female goats, I did NOT ask any questions about their virginity. But blood sacrifices are NOT acceptable by the Woodworking Gods, it does have to be a human female. And no kids included. Wouldn't hurt if she likes to fish too. No smokers.

Well, I'm still on my first cuppa. Now need to contemplate whether to just finish it, then go to town, then a bit of shop time, or just have a second cuppa first. Decisions, decisions, decisions. Hell with it, I'm gonna have a second cuppa.

JOAT

10 Out Of 10 Terrorists Prefer Hillary For President

- Bumper Sticker I quite agree.

[J T]

Sat, Jan 12, 2008, 12:11pm [e-mail] (Tanus) doth mistakenly state: Oh geez, Kate. NEVER ask. It's either your first born or a case of yellow paint in aerosol cans. Sometimes both.

Not only a bloody damn heathen, but a bloody damn barbarian also. Among other things, I've got my own first born, and he's enough of a PITA I don't want to take on someone else's PITA. And I buy my own paint. No wonder the Woodworking Gods don't bless you.

JOAT

10 Out Of 10 Terrorists Prefer Hillary For President

- Bumper Sticker I quite agree.

[Kate]

"Tanus" wrote

**snip!**

Oh geez, Kate. NEVER ask. It's either your first born or a case of yellow paint in aerosol cans. Sometimes both.

[Bill]

An angled piece of wood might not be a bad idea, but if your tools are like mine, the edge angle is not perfectly consistant all along the edge, and doesn't need to be. As long as it's somewhere in the 15-20 degree range you should be good to go. Also, a LITTLE rounding is not going to kill you.

Bill

[J T]

Sun, Jan 13, 2008, 12:06pm [e-mail] (Bill) doth sasyeth: An angled piece of wood might not be a bad idea, but if your tools are like mine, the edge angle is not perfectly consistant all along the edge, and doesn't need to be. As long as it's somewhere in the 15-20 degree range you should be good to go. Also, a LITTLE rounding is not going to kill you.

Tell her BELT SANDER.

Or, is she's paranoid about it, she could make some wheeled holders/jigs at just the angle she wants Possibly need more than one if taking that route..

BELT SANDER Kate.

JOAT

10 Out Of 10 Terrorists Prefer Hillary For President

- Bumper Sticker I quite agree.

[Bill]

I do use a belt sander on larger tools and can get a pretty good beginning of an edge on chisels, larger gouges, knives etc. But when it comes to Dockyard tools, a little touch on the belt sander and you'll come away with a nub ;0>

Bill

[Puckdropper]

Bill wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Get a smaller sander. More specifically, this little toy tool set might be just the ticket for sharpening tiny tools:

(You may find it cheaper elsewhere. Mine was $20 from KB Toys.)

I've used the sanding disc several times to touch up the edge of the lathe tool.

Oh, you'll probably want a somewhat beefy 6V power supply for it. The D batteries in lathe mode last about 3 hours. I used an old model railroad transformer for mine, which resulted in a variable speed lathe as well as saving big bucks on batteries. (I don't know if a tiny "set transformer" would work, but they can be picked up for a song...)

Puckdropper

[Father Haskell]

It's hard to estimate 20 degrees, but easy to estimate level. Clamp the chisel in a padded vise at 20 degrees and hone with a stone or slip held flat.

[Kate]

JT, It might be a geographic thing. Here's from Webster's own:

Main Entry: shod Pronunciation: 'shäd\ Function: adjective Etymology: Middle English, from past participle of shoen to shoe, from Old English scogan, from scoh shoe - more at shoe Date: 13th century

1: wearing footgear (as shoes) 2: furnished or equipped with a shoe

Hmm.... I'll have to have a look on that sacrifice. The biggest piece of wood I have around is 3" x 32" maple flooring....

** if I used a belt sander on these little guys, they would be gone in the blink of an eye. **shod... nop, have never shod a horse. Grew up withhorses under my arse, **But you DID you DID, in the other post. Funny as hell too. I read a little of it. Will sit and read it all when I get some time this evening. Thanks JT And, the appropriate sacrifice would be_______ ?

Ah, if they won't hold up to a belt sander, probably not worth keeping. My little carving knives, made from old bandsaw blades, hold up well enough. Now that I recall, now I do all my carving with my pocket knife - easier to find.

No, it's shoed. Lots of people make that mistake. It's technical past tense stuff, advanced English. Like rotten, its past tense, but most people don't have the education to know abou it. You've heard of words that sound the same, not spelled the same, with different meanings, so-sew-sow, and so on. Then there's words that are spelled the same, but different meanings. Lead-lead, and so on. Well rotten falls in this last catetory. Write, wrote, written, rotten. Rotten is the past tense of written. It's easy to get confused. And, yes, it's much preferable to have a hors under your arse, than vice versa.

Personally my feelsings on horses are similar to those of the Apache Indians. Rade it until it drops, eat some, cut off some to take along, and proceed on foot.

Horse \Horse\ (h[^o]rs), n. [AS. hors; akin to OS. hros, D. & OHG. ros, G. ross, Icel. hross; and perh. to L. currere to run, E. course, current Cf. {Walrus}.] 1. (Zool.) A hoofed quadruped of the genus {Equus}; especially, the domestic horse ({Equus caballus}), an unreliable means of transporation; best though of as a self-propelled food source.

Well, Hell, sounded like the guy didn't know what it it..

Ah, converting the heathen? The Woodworking Gods are not greedy. A small sacrifice of wood will do them nicely. Remember, don't try this at home, as High Priest of the Woodworking Gods, I handle all their adinistrative work. So, either a small amount of decent wood, which is definitely larger than a token of wood, will suffice. Or, a short sligltly used female virgin, especially one that likes to do house work will do. A couple of the guys tried to send along female goats, I did NOT ask any questions about their virginity. But blood sacrifices are NOT acceptable by the Woodworking Gods, it does have to be a human female. And no kids included. Wouldn't hurt if she likes to fish too. No smokers.

Well, I'm still on my first cuppa. Now need to contemplate whether to just finish it, then go to town, then a bit of shop time, or just have a second cuppa first. Decisions, decisions, decisions. Hell with it, I'm gonna have a second cuppa.

JOAT

10 Out Of 10 Terrorists Prefer Hillary For President

- Bumper Sticker I quite agree.

[J T]

Mon, Jan 14, 2008, 7:41pm (EST-1) [e-mail] (Kate) doth sayeth: It might be a geographic thing. Hmm.... I'll have to have a look on that sacrifice. The biggest piece of wood I have around is 3" x 32" maple flooring.... Now, the slightly used virgins, both are smokers, neither of them fish and one is a terrible housekeeper but MAN OH MAN is she a good looker!

Nah, you must have gotten one of those new dictionaries, you know, like new math where 1+1= about 2.

Hey, the maple would work, the Woodworking Gods aren't greedy.

Neither of the slightly used virgins would be acceptable by any means, they smoke. Nasty, nasty, nasty.

Hey, had to go to Raleigh today, to see the doctor that diagnosed me as having sleep apnia. Got the results of my last sleep study, turns out I do not have sleep apnia. LMAO That's what I've been saying all along. Anyway, stopped at my favorite used bookstore on the way back, and they had a number of books on carving instructions, and some on hand sharpening tools. You might not want to stop by there, but you could check some used bookstores in your area. Me, I'm gonna try to remember to stop by the glass place tomorrow and see if they've got one or two pieces of plate glass about 12"X12" or so, one for Scary Sharp (TM) and one for a light box. Or, I'll just use my belt sander. LOL

JOAT

10 Out Of 10 Terrorists Prefer Hillary For President

- Bumper Sticker I don't have a problem with a woman president - just not Hillary.

[Kate]

Hey! I have some pieces of tempered glass about that size! Want me to send you one? Seriously!

Kate

Hey, the maple would work, the Woodworking Gods aren't greedy.

Neither of the slightly used virgins would be acceptable by any means, they smoke. Nasty, nasty, nasty.

Hey, had to go to Raleigh today, to see the doctor that diagnosed me as having sleep apnia. Got the results of my last sleep study, turns out I do not have sleep apnia. LMAO That's what I've been saying all along. Anyway, stopped at my favorite used bookstore on the way back, and they had a number of books on carving instructions, and some on hand sharpening tools. You might not want to stop by there, but you could check some used bookstores in your area. Me, I'm gonna try to remember to stop by the glass place tomorrow and see if they've got one or two pieces of plate glass about 12"X12" or so, one for Scary Sharp (TM) and one for a light box. Or, I'll just use my belt sander. LOL

JOAT

10 Out Of 10 Terrorists Prefer Hillary For President

- Bumper Sticker I don't have a problem with a woman president - just not Hillary.

[Kate]

"Bill" wrote An angled piece of wood might not be a bad idea, but if your tools are like mine, the edge angle is not perfectly consistant all along the edge, and doesn't need to be. As long as it's somewhere in the 15-20 degree range you should be good to go. Also, a LITTLE rounding is not going to kill you.

Bill

Thanks again Bill :)

K.

[Kate]

"J T" wrote

BELT SANDER Kate.

------

*** !! POKE !! *** Now, you cut that out!

;¬Þ

K.

[Kate]

"Father Haskell" wrote It's hard to estimate 20 degrees, but easy to estimate level. Clamp the chisel in a padded vise at 20 degrees and hone with a stone or slip held flat.

[J T]

Mon, Jan 14, 2008, 10:13pm (EST-1) [e-mail] (Kate) doth sayeth: Hey! I have some pieces of tempered glass about that size! Want me to send you one? Seriously!

Hmm, I'll definitely consider t he offer. As long as you know the Woodworking Gods probably won't certifiy it as a sacrifice, not wood you know. I want to try the local glass place. I'll get back to you. We really could use a fishing buddy tho. Now, if you were parinoid about using a sharpening, and we all know you're not paranoid. Uh, you did take your pill today, right? LOL You might well have run across this already. But on the off chance you either didn't, or already forgot, this would probably work pretty well. Of course, you' might well wind up with a separate one, with varying angles, for each chisel..

Me, I don't think I'd ever bother with a guide - like I said, each cut would be at a slightly different angle, so beeing off by just a shade wouldn't man a thing, and being dead on with the chisel angle would just be un-needed. That's my theory anyway. If you don't like the belt sander idea for some strange reason, I'd probably opt for a very hard wheel on a grinder, possibly slow, probably not. Delicate touches would probably do. I think for class tho, Scary Sharp (TM) is the way to go. Astound and astonish friends and neighbors with your hand sharpening skills. People will probably come from yards away to view your skills. They don't come to watch me and my belt sander, but on the other hand, that's the way I prefer it. Remind me sometime to tell you about the day the Jehovah's Wtnesses came when I was sawing in my shop. LMAO

JOAT

10 Out Of 10 Terrorists Prefer Hillary For President

- Bumper Sticker I don't have a problem with a woman president - just not Hillary.