Chisel Sharpening - Help!

[Walter216@AOL.COM]

Terry:

You need catalogs from Garret Wade and Trendline Tools.  (Both have nice 
websites.)  Between them, they have every useful sharpening aid known to 
woodworkers.

I use a Makita power water stone for repairing chipped blades and general 
sharpening.  I also have a Veritas stone pond and sharpening guide for when I 
want to do final edges by hand.  Finally, I have a leather "power strop" that 
I chuck up in a drill press for touching up the edge during a lengthy carving 
session.

The instruction book that comes with the Veritas sharpening guide is an 
education unto itself.  Read it and follow the suggestions and you'll get the 
results you want.

Heed Newton's point about prepping the back side of the blade.  If you don't 
get all of the tooling marks out of the metal, you'll never get the kind of 
edge you need.  Also, the quality of the chisel makes a difference.  Marples 
and Sorby chisels are expensive but take an edge quicker and hold it longer.

I sharpen chisels that I use on hard woods to 35 degrees, 25-30 degrees for 
softer woods like pine and spruce.  Same bevels on plane blades.  Which 
reminds me, don't forget to prep the sole of a new plane the same way you do 
a chisel.  Cuts friction like you wouldn't believe...

Good luck,

Walter Connell
Lancaster, TX