What many people don’t consider is that the time you “save” by not setting up a jig is negligible if you’re not working in a high-production shop. For me, and I think for most people watching woodworking content, this is a hobby and I don’t need to worry about the seconds per sharpen that I could potentially save by doing it free-hand. The jig provides consistency and I enjoy that. Given that hobbies should be enjoyable I think I’ll stick with my Veritas honing guide. 🙂 Nice video and awesome channel. Greetings from sunny Nicaragua.

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

Well said, thanks for adding to the conversation, much appreciated

Very good video. I can’t afford an expensive sharpening jig, so I trained myself to do it freehand. Yes, many times I did not achieve a gleaming edge but as another person commented, this is a hobby for me. I also don’t do micro bevels or use the ruler. Get it sharp and back to woodworking. Keep up the good work.

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for adding your take to this subject, much appreciated

I adopted the Peter Sellers method and found it quick and easy for bench planes blades and chisels. I do find the jig easier for smaller block plane blades.

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

The process i use is essentially Paul's method, just using a honing guide instead of freehand to make it more beginner friendly. I still think freehand sharpening should be learnt because not everything can be sharpened with a jig.

Thanks for validating my sharping process. I use a simple budget jig, works great.

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

I find the most basic methods work best, add in the repeatability of a honing jig and it just works.

Been doing that same thing for years. Just works. The advantage I find over hand sharpening is it preserves the blade because just a few microns of metal removed each time and it also preserves the angle in the exact position each time. Blades always look like new from the factory. Easy clean up too.

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and adding your take, much appreciated.

I've seen a few folks mention ditching the microbevel now. Honestly, I used one cause the jig could do it... no other reason :P

@AussieWoodshed

3 ай бұрын

Nothing wrong with using a micro bevel in itself it does work (and the Veritas jig makes it so easy). I just like to simplify the sharpening process and i see a micro bevel as an unnecessary extra step.

Good video!!! I used to use this jig it creates the most consistent blade sharpening.. better than the simple one and making micro bevel is also easy and fast process...but this jig is not cheap and after the COVID i have ruined the roller of the jig ( should be oiled from time to time) i couldn't use the jig there was a world wide shortage and the ine i could find was expensive....so i moved to free handed sharpening - no regrets. Oh but eventually i bought new roller 😂

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

Nothing wrong with learning free hand, after all some blades can't be sharpened on a jig. But like you i do like how easy it is to sharpen with the veritas guide. Glad you were able to eventually get your guide working again. Thanks for adding your experience to the conversation.

Hi. Very informative video. Thanks for that. But I have a question: You only sharpen a 25° bevel? And no secondary bevel? Thanks for your work.

@AussieWoodshed

4 ай бұрын

That is correct I sharpen only a primary bevel, but at 30 degrees for most tools. The 30 degrees is a bit stronger so stays sharper for a bit longer.

@DirkOgier

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for the update. I will try it. Stay Safe, 👍

Nice. I must admit to moving away from micro bevels. I tend to sharpen by hand, and feeling for the bevel and then lifting a bit tend to end up lifting a little more each time. If you just feel for the bevel and maintain the main bevel it seems to be less of a problem. I'm interesting in you saying you roll the edges of your blades. How do you do that? By hand or on the grinder?

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

A primary bevel definitely makes registering the bevel for free hand sharpening easier. I never got into micro bevels and i always saw them as unnecessary. Rolling the corners i do on my sharpening stones, i have covered it in a few sharpening videos, however i am planing a dedicated video to show this process coming up in the near future.

@AussieWoodshed

Ай бұрын

Was just looking back at the few comments and the video on rolling the corners has been out for a while now. If you haven't already seen it you can find it here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/p5qrsKOvaaTImso.html

@robnichols9331

Ай бұрын

@@AussieWoodshed Thank you - I enjoyed (and commented on) that video too. Keep up the good work :).

I have never got a burr that quick ever. Am I doing something wrong? With those hard steel blades it seems to take a while. Certainly not 10 seconds or so.

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

The 'plates' im using are atoma diamond stones (kzread.info/dash/bejne/p4N7j5VtY5CTeMY.html - link to video where i made the setup used, which has links to the products and explains it a bit better). There are a few things that can affect how quickly a burr is reached: 1) the back of the chisel needs to be flat 2) the bevel angle (25, 30, 35 degrees) has already been set So both the back and the bevel need to meet to form the cutting edge. I will assume this has been done. 3) how fast the sharpening stone cuts, in my case diamond stones which cut fast. This can also be different based on the grit used, in my case 400, 600, 1200, strop. 4) how long you leave a blade before sharpening, i try to not let it get blunt. As soon as i notice it's not cutting as easy i sharpen it. By not letting it get too blunt this means less time sharpening, quicker to get a burr. Remember there is no right way, this is what i have settled on and it works for me. Hope this helps, if you need further clarification please ask.

I was told that a micro bevel doesn't do much in the end of it all, but I still do it as a little chef's kiss lol

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

If you want to add a micro bevel do it, but i do agree it doesn't do much.

Nailed it. I still use a jig every 10 sharpenings to bring the angle back, or to repair a nick. Inbetween I just give the blade a few swipes on the 1000 grit diamond plate and strop and back into it. Just don't get me started on the "Scary sharp system" BS...🤣

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for adding your input, we won't mention the 'Scary Sharp System'.

@philaandrew100

5 ай бұрын

@@AussieWoodshed 😆

What do you mean by "rolling the corners"? Or maybe a better question is how do you do it?

@AussieWoodshed

4 ай бұрын

I have a video showing this process coming out next week. Which will be much easier to understand than me trying to explain it in with words. It is similar to paul seller's process

@AussieWoodshed

Ай бұрын

The video on this is now out and can be found here if you haven't already found it kzread.info/dash/bejne/p5qrsKOvaaTImso.html

Luke, how would you store a waterstone after use if you expect to use It daily?

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

It depends on the water stone. There are 3 types i know of: 1) these require to be stored in water only dried when not in use. But can be stored permanently in water. 2) these need to be stored dry to prevent becoming overly soft and soaked before use, 3) these water stones are splash and go, meaning they just get sprayed with water before use and don't require soaking. It's best to read the instructions to find out what the requirements are. If you have any other questions please ask

@antonellochessa5389

5 ай бұрын

@@AussieWoodshed I will try first leaving It on a plastic container and wrapped in a rag after use, let's see how it goes.

@antonellochessa5389

5 ай бұрын

@@AussieWoodshed KZread must have removed my previous comment for spam because there was a link to the stone I have purchased for you to see. As I wrote earlier, it's a two-sides 180-400 grits waterstone that didn't have any instructions, nor could I find any in the other places I looked for on the web for that specific stone.

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

@@antonellochessa5389 it's annoying it didn't come with any information. It is most likely one that can stay soaked as that is the most common for a 2 grit stone.

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

@@antonellochessa5389 you will know if the stone needs more water if it soaks straight in and doesn't leave a film of water on the surface of the stone when you add water to sharpen.

To be honest, I have nothing against jigs. Depending on my mood and the project at hand, I sometimes use a jig, even if only to occasionally make sure it's all nice and square across the blade because even the best of freehand sharpening can eventually wander off slightly, especially with small blades that can tend to rock sideways a bit while sharpening. I don't find that they add any great time - just a few seconds to install the blade. I'm sure that not many people will have an issue with occasionally spending a few extra seconds to ensure accuracy - nobody can be in that much of a rush!

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

I agree, that no one should be that busy to add a few extra seconds for sharpening with a jig. I think for a lot of people given the repeatability of a decent honing jig, more time and frustration is removed than is saved not using a jig especially for beginners. That said i do think freehand sharpening should be learnt because not everything can be sharpened with a jig.

@PeteLewisWoodwork

3 ай бұрын

@@AussieWoodshed I'll be honest. Back when I was a bar-fitter in my younger years, we learned to sharpen by hand on 240 grit oilstones and that was really all we knew but as time went by and jigs for home DIY-ers became widely available, I tried them out and they showed up my discrepancies that I would not otherwise have noticed. So, I started using them occasionally to keep me on track. Then, I spent about 30 years doing site carpentry work, where hand planes are not used, so lost a lot of what I had learned. Returning to hand tools as a hobby for the past few years, I am finding a jig invaluable, especially as my eyesight is not what it was back in the day. The early DIY mags and now KZread are filled to the brim with stuff we 'need to buy' and the vast majority of it is absolute codswallop - but a few things are not and the honing jig is one of those few things, especially to help those who are not as accurate as they once were. The jig I use is one that I bought probably 30+ years ago and does the job, though I am thinking of buying the Veritas if it is that much better to warrant the extra outlay. At the end of the day, do you need 12,000 grit diamond stones? No - 240 or 400 at most will do for the vast majority of work (that you're going to sand to 240 for most finishes anyway). Do you need something that will let you know how accurate your sharpening is? Probably, yes - unless you have done it daily for 60 years like Paul Sellers, which very few of us have!

You're game kicking that hornet's nest that is sharpening controversies.😅

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

Yes, but it needs to be said

Great Video Luke, I like just get bloody on with it , but woodworkers love too bitch over sharpening❤.

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching. Yes they do.

Technically it does slow you down. BUT! Here’s the big butt, it only slows you down for mere seconds.

@AussieWoodshed

3 ай бұрын

If micro bevels and cambers are eliminated, there is really no difference between using a honing guide or not. But you're right there could be a few seconds in it.

Thanks for the advice! It is informative and useful!! And in general, thanks for your videos, now modern authors have little such useful information... It is interesting to know your experience in the primary sharpening of plane and chisel irons. I have practically exhausted the resource of two diamond stones in this job

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

It's my pleasure to help. Thanks for watching.

All of the "tricks" are simply used to compensate for the deficiencies of doing it free hand.

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

I think you are right.

But...but...but... no way it is sharp, it can't possibly be...you didn't use a 16000 stone... (as some would say)

@AussieWoodshed

5 ай бұрын

That must be magic, being sharp without a 16000 grit stone.