| Review by YooperCasey | posted 676 days ago | 764 views | 0 times favorited | 11 comments |  |
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- Veritas Mk.II Sharpening System
- Brand: Veritas | Category: Sharpening Accessories
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One of the first purchases I made was a Veritas sharpening jig. I had been researching woodworking for several years before buying a single tool while I attended MTU. One thing I noticed time and time again was the fact that tools must be sharp. Beyond sharp they must be properly sharp, with a proper angle, back bevel and micro bevel!
After much intimidation about the whole process I decided to pick up the Veritas jig. I purchased it in the full kit with an included waterstone to get me going.
When it arrived it was expertly packaged and didn’t jiggle an inch.
At first glance I was sort of perplexed, I had only sharpened knives and at that by hand. So I turned to the instructions. Now I don’t know who they have writing it, but they have a talent for writing superb and understandable instructions. I’ve written a few sets of instructions and it is an extremely difficult process compounded with anything mechanical. (Write down every single step it takes to make pancakes once!)
When finished reading the instructions I slapped a low dollar chisel into it and came out with the sharpest chisel I had ever seen in my life. In the few months I’ve used it now I have sharpened every single edged tool I have on it. The clean up and disassembly is both very quick and easy.
The one area I always expect to have trouble it the bar that clamps down on the blade. It has two set screws which each clamp independently. If you get it skewed by tightening one all the way than the other the blade will slide towards the loose side, but it happens once and then you balance the tightening. The screws almost can get too tight, but I have yet to need a pair of pliers even with wet hand to remove the blade.
The micro bevel is very easy to set, just a simple pull and flip of a side knob. One other nice thing is the ease of flipping over a tool and doing the back side as well without removing it from the jig.
I have used it both on the enclosed waterstones, and on a granite plate with sandpaper, both work very well. One thing of note is not to place the waterstones on any surface which may flex (foam antislip pad). This will cause a very slight rocking and a rounding over of the edges.
All in all, I will probably have this tool for a lifetime. I also suspect there is a good chance that someone will be using it once I am gone.
-- Casey, Engineer, Escanaba, MI
11 comments so far
Karson
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25802 posts in 1296 days
posted 675 days ago
Great review. A nice tool.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
rikkor
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11335 posts in 770 days
posted 675 days ago
Great review. I bought one of these. It very nearly made sharpening chisels fun.
davidtheboxmaker
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372 posts in 701 days
posted 675 days ago
Nice review.
I have the earlier version which is a little more difficult to set up the 25 degree bevel angle – I’ve overcome that with a shop made jig which also helps align the blade vertically to the clamping device.
Getting this gadget was a major turning point in my woodworking – suddenly chisels and plane blades were sharp, and what a difference that made!
MsDebbieP
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14159 posts in 1056 days
posted 675 days ago
nice review. (even the instructions reviewed!!)
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Pete Jack
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1 post in 675 days
posted 675 days ago
I agree with this review. If you a sharpening a bunch of chisels it’s easy to leave the roller in the microbevel position and make the primary bevel at the wrong angle if you are a space case like me. Always remember to reset the roller when you take out a blade or chisel.
-- Meaasure once, cut twice
TheGravedigger
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211 posts in 920 days
posted 672 days ago
Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger, Pete. I’ve done the same thing a few times myself.
-- Robert from Raymond, MS. "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is therefore not a practice, but a habit." - Aristotle
IowaWoodcrafter
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256 posts in 972 days
posted 671 days ago
I have one of these as well. I use it in conjunction with diamond honing stones. I’ve never used a honing system in my life. I have been able to put a very sharp edge on my chisels and plane irons without much fussin or cussin.
-- Owen Johnson - aka IowaWoodcrafter
Douglas Bordner
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3424 posts in 959 days
posted 671 days ago
Wish my first generation Veritas jig would wear out. I want this one and the optional camber roller. Debbie, do you think you could talk Robin into selling a refit for the older jigs? I know you are buddies.
-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.
RickH
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18 posts in 644 days
posted 635 days ago
I own this and it works great. Thoughtfully designed and extremely well made. After using on both stones and plates I have to say that I think I prefer the paper on float glass plate better. That’s because stones will lose their flatness after some use, whereas using glass plates they are always perfectly flat. But this honing guide works wonders on either.
-- Rick - OC, CA
Chris
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1469 posts in 887 days
posted 628 days ago
I have one of these too. Also, Veritas has released a new Camber Roller Assembly for the jig to allow sharpening radius or cambered blades (I.E. Scrub Plane blades)
-- Chris
Scott
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58 posts in 757 days
posted 337 days ago
I graduated from MTU in 1984. It is nice to see another Huskie on this site.
-- Scott, Kentucky ----- "Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry" Mark Twain