I think Bob just about covered it. The only thing I would add is, not only is the bevel important, the edge should be straight and exactly 90 degrees from the plane of the iron or chisel. Also, The honing step is very important. Honing is the procedure of removing the hook (of metal) left behind when setting the bevel and edge of the tool. The only tool that should have a hook is a scraper.
My honing setup is a delta variable speed grinder with cloth wheels. I took off the fenders / guards / tool rests and turned the motor around in the base. Now, the wheels turn away instead of toward the operator. I keep the left whell coated in WD40 and jewelers rouge. The right wheel is left un treated. To hone a tool, I start with the left wheel and finish up with the right. This grinder is also very helpful for polishing just about anything around the house. A lot of times, a quick pass with this grinder will restore the edge without having to go through the entire sharpening process. This is especially true with my lathe tools. Bench chisels tend to need more work because the edge gets a dink out of it. (At least in my shop). I learned about this setup from an old wood carver buddy of mine. He is an expert sharpener who's tools are always razor sharp. When looking at sharpening systems, make sure there is an easy way to dress the stone or wheel. If there isn't, you will never achieve the results you want. A sharper tool is a safer tool. Learning to sharpen is as important as learning to use the tool. That being said, if you looked at my bench chisels right now, I would be embarrissed. Let me know you are coming so I can sharpen them. :) Terry On Thu, 15 Jan 2009 05:45:24 -0500you write: > >The grinder that is set up for chisels and some plane irons is the Work Sharp >3000. That has a little window or port on the side >of the machine and the angle is already set for you. > >There are a bunch of other grinders and if you have the money a couple of very >expensive sharpening systems out there Like Tormek >and Jet. > >If you want to sharpen by hand, I'd suggest getting a jig for it. It's tough >trying to keep the same angle each stroke. I saw a >very impressive tool for hand sharpening at Woodcraft. It is made by >Pinnacle. It has preset angles you choose and it locks at t >hat angle until you actually make a change. The cool thing is it has a >definite stop for each of the angles so all you'd need to >do is count to the one you want. The draw back is you have to use the angles >that are built in, you can't add or subtract a coupl >e degrees to finish with. But you'll always get the same angle when you're >finished. > >Just go on a couple of the sites we talk about often and search for sharpen >and you'll have a whole evening of reading to do... > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Keith Christian > To: Blind Handyman > Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 11:20 PM > Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Sharpening blades > > > Hi, > > I am very interested in learning how to sharpen chisels, knives, and > hand planers. Is this something that I should consider doing with an > oil or water stone? Or is it possible to get an attachment for my > grinder to take care of sharpening in one step? It seems like there was > a conversation a long time ago about a machine that had a bar that could > be set for a particular angle and one could run their blade across it > for sharpening. > > I have heard of people using several steps in the sharpening process. > One step is a mild stone with 200 grit, then a 400 grit and then a > leather strap or buffing wheel for polishing. > > As you can tell, I am at the learning end of this sharpening gig. Is > there a sharpening FAQ that Ray or anyone else has put together on the > topic? > > Thanks, > > Keith
