# The Guide To End All



## TheFridge

figured that thing was bulletproof.


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## CL810

Well, with yours and Terry's endorsement it must be a must have tool. Dang!


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## terryR

Have sharpened 6 plane irons with such ease that I'm amazed with this guide. Very solid build.

I also added this tool to my Christmas list in the hopes of tuning my spokeshaves with the additional jaws. Looks like the Rabbet block needs jaws as well.

I suppose I should plop a chisel in the guide before also giving 5 stars, but I'm low on hair on my left arm from testing edges. LOL. Seriously, I have no doubts this guide will hold chisels securely. So, 4.9 stars…

Red, Thanks for your time here, bud.


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## bearkatwood

Very well written and concise, good job red. Makes me want to buy one. I have been using the MKII and like it, it does take some time to set up. Good review, thanks.


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## WoodNSawdust

Thanks for the nice review. Kinda makes me wish I had waited to buy mine from a different company. Oh well.


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## Kentuk55

Thnx for your review


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## AnthonyReed

Thank you much for your insight BRK!


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## walden

Very cool. Thanks Red.


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## duckmilk

Thanks for the review Dan. I use the eclipse regularly because it takes less fuss to set up than the MKII. I also had to glue rubber scraps into the recesses of the MKII jaws because it would not hold chisels without slipping. This review will probably lead me to get one.

Edit: just checked out the site https://www.lie-nielsen.com/nodes/4239/honing-guide and have a question. Will the basic guide hold chisels or do you need to order the chisel jaws separately? Also, with the chisel jaws, won't they hold a mortise chisel?


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## terryR

Yep, the standard jaws hold a chisel just fine…I just checked!
The "chisel" jaws are for very narrow chisels. Under 3/16" I think?
I forgot about pig stickers…


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## BigRedKnothead

^Ya, I suppose a guy could justify the mortising chisel jaws. I find them to be one of the easiest to sharpen free hand.

Duck, the only edit I've made to my review was to note that the basic jaws will hold the vast majority of chisels and plane irons. There are different jaws for the LN mortising chisels. Not sure if they'll hold other types.


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## Brit

Thanks for the review Red. This has been on my must get list for a while now. You just made it jump up a few places.


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## putty

Nice review Red, it is on my want list too. I see the thin ruler in the 3rd picture, do you put a back bevel on your irons?


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## BigRedKnothead

> Nice review Red, it is on my want list too. I see the thin ruler in the 3rd picture, do you put a back bevel on your irons?
> 
> - putty


Yes, just slightly as a final step to get that burr off. Takes the edge to another level. Like Deneb does at the end of this vid:





Then I strop too.


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## duckmilk

Thanks for the clarification Terry and Dan.


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## lj61673

I've had mine for a few months now. Not much to add except that it is the best made and easiest jig I have ever seen or used. I added the long jaws for my spoke shave blade and it worked perfectly. I also made one of those reference boards like the one Red shows. Makes sharpening a pleasure.

At first I was a bit disappointed that I would need an additional set of jaws for the 3/16" & 1/8" chisels as the website states, but the standard set holds my 3/16" chisel just fine.


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## zzzzdoc

I love mine. I always had issues with the Veritas MK-II having the blade slip and honing inadvertantly on an angle. The Lie-Nielsen is rock solid, and once you get the dimensions right, works great.

I'll have to make that registration jig. I've been doing it by drawing lines in permanent magic marker on the plane and chisel blades. This approach is much faster.


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## TheBronzeoakleaf

Have to disagree with your findings. I have an eclipse-style guide and love it. $12. I have a post on my blog on how to make a simple modification to make this guide usable with thicker chisels. The L-N may be more useful for odd-shaped or shorter blades, but at $125 plus buying other parts for different blades, I'm pretty happy with what I have. I'm kind of tired of tool manufacturers remaking simple tools like this and charging a mint for them.


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## Sarit

$125??

Time to learn sharpening by hand. 
I know if you want to change the bevel angle, you'll need something like this (I have the $12 eclipse), but for day-to-day work it pays to learn how to sharpen hand (both in time and money).


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## BigRedKnothead

> Time to learn sharpening by hand.
> 
> - Sarit


Sorry, but did you read the review?


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## widdle

Real men sharpen by hand…Period….

I like to just hang out the truck on the 405 frwy at about 65 to get my hone on…


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## widdle

this ain't summer camp …


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## terryR

"I suspect the only fault folks will find with this guide is the price tag. At $125, it is pricier than most other guides on the market. However, many woodworkers could add up much more than that sum on various sharpening gizmos. Made in the US, parts and service will always be accessible from its maker.

Like everything else Lie-Nielsen makes, buy one and be done. Shoot, your grandkids will use it."

------------------

Red, some folks don't see the future…they only need tools to last the current woodworking phase in their life. Soon enough, their chop saws rust and gather dust, only to be stored in the corner of the garage with dusty bikes and golf clubs.

Some folks search for the lowest cost tool they can find, believing it does the same job. To me, cheap tools cost me time. Time to adjust the tool, repair the tool, modify the tool, and eventually replace it with another. But, that's my opinion only…

Sharpening by hand is quick and very effective, but eventually the bevel needs a jig IMO. Otherwise, the cutting edge is far from square and a problem for someone to correct after purchasing off eBay!

YMMV.


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## BigRedKnothead

^What Terry said.

Lol. Friggin Widdle.


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## DaneJ

Ive had mine for quite a while now, got it before it was for sale on the website.

The long jaws are worthwhile, I now have *sharp* spokeshaves.

I have converted to Thomas's sharpening method, I use a scrap of granite and sandpaper to re-establish bevels for damaged and salvaged blades. That being said, when using 80g paper and very narrow blades the grit and swarf gets between the wheel and body. but now that I know I just brush out the swarf frequently.

I also have the Veritas guide… when I made my sharpening station I used a bevel to duplicate the Vertas angles on the L-N guide then used that for the stop setting, this way as I sharpen blades originally sharpened with the Veritas I don't have to reestablish a new bevel.


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## Sarit

DIY Sharpening spokeshave holder:






Fast-forward to 16:42 to see how its used with the $12 eclipse holder.


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## TheFridge

I have the cheap one and it works, but let's be real. It's nowhere near the level of a quality that the Lie Nielsen is. Lifetime tools. 


> Soon enough, their chop saws rust and gather dust, only to be stored in the corner of the garage with dusty bikes and golf clubs.
> 
> - terryR


How did you know  my old ryobi sits there. Lonely. Under my real miter saw.


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## woodchuckwoods

I want to add my two cents but please don't be mad. I also have this guide and for everything that fits in it, it works great. But I feel it should be more universal for the price, it doesn't fit many of my chisels that the $15 guide fits. I would be fine to buy different jaws for it but to my knowledge they wouldn't fit. I called LN to try and find a solution but they pretty much told me in a nice way that they didn't care if it fit any other brands. I get it, they made it to fit their stuff not their competitors, its just thats a lot of money and they don't even make pairing chisel for me to buy to use their guide with. I hope they make some jaws that will fit a pairing chisel soon I would happily throw away my other guide in favor of this one.


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## BigRedKnothead

^Interesting input. It would be tough to make any "universal" guide for all makes.

+1 to some LN paring chisels. Although, my Blue Spruce paring chisel fits. You should justify one of those;-)


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## woodchuckwoods

BigRed, thats interesting because I to have the BS pairing chisels and the tapered fluting on the sides keeps them from seating on one end of the guide. On a positive I have gotten much better at freehand sharpening.


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## BigRedKnothead

Huh. Not sure which paring chisel model I have, but no tapered fluting. Fits fine too. Just to help I'll buy all your defective Blue Spruce at a discount…lol.


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