# Veritas Mk.II Honing Guide



## HillbillyShooter

FYI: After Ford bought Jaguar and before TaTa (sp.?) motors of India acquired it, Jaguar went from being one of the least dependable cars to one of the most dependable. Other than that, thanks for your observations, but I prefer my Tormex.


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## lepelerin

I do have one and I love it. I have no problem getting consistency in my sharpening with it. 
Unfortunately, as you mentioned, it does not take out all the stupid out of the equation equation.
Glad the cheapo meets your needs.


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## pintodeluxe

What brand is the inexpensive version you prefer?


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## CharlesA

To each his own. I've not had trouble getting blades secure, especially plane blades, unless they're 1/4 or smaller, and even if I'm careful I can get them secure, so I don't understand that one.


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## CooperDBM

I have this jig and get good results from it. Your second problem may be a result of the third problem. For the third problem you do have to be careful to tighten the screws evenly, going back and forth in increments so that the jaws stay parallel. I find that it holds well but you do have to be careful not to hit or lean on the butt end of the chisel or blade. I do sometimes tap the butt end sideways to fine tune the lateral angle.

Your first point would be true for any jig. I hope to graduate away from jigs someday but for now I need them.


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## MrFid

I have one and love it as well, but I know what you're saying about the blade slipping. What fixed it for me was that I consciously started tightening the two tightening nuts a quarter turn at a time each until the bar was squeezing the blade correctly. If you tighten one more than the other, the bar doesn't put pressure on the whole blade, only one corner of it. Maybe this is the issue? Sorry to hear that you don't like it, but glad to hear that you've found something that works for you.


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## Purrmaster

I'd guess the cheap one he's referring to is: http://www.rockler.com/honing-guide

You might want to contact Lee Valley/Veritas customer service to see if maybe something's wrong with it. They have very good customer service. Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you. It is a pricey honing guide.


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## RichardHillius

It's key to keep the bars parallel to each other and even than I know what you are saying and I rarely use mine for sharpening chisels anymore. It does work good for plane irons but I typically only use it when I first set the bevel than I freehand hone because it takes longer to setup than to just do it by hand.

It's not a bad tool and for skewed irons it's probably the best option out there but it does have it flaws and I think the straight up sharpening jig with the two side jaws and center wheel is hard to beat for a fraction of the price.


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## MoKC

I second your thoughts about this jig. I went through two of them and I was disappointed. I wrote a long review of my problems here. http://mo-hogany.blogspot.com/2013/03/veritas-mkii-honing-guide-problems.html


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## skywalker01

I have one as well and absolutely love it. All comments above are valid too. As for the rusting issue… I haven't used any kind of de-rusting agent and it has not a spot on it. I've had mine for about 5 years.


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## rad457

Have had mine for about a year, great tool! do not use it as much anymore as do not need it to touch up blades. 
pretty well do most of my blades free hand.


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## TheWoodenOyster

Thanks for your input guys. I am fully aware that I was supposed to tighten each side equally as I clamped the blade down. I tried that dozens of times and always got the same result. It is a little bizarre to me that those clamp bars would be perfectly straight and not have a little camber in them so that they tightened down on the blades like a bowclamp does on a tabletop during glue up. I found that as I tightened, I always ended up with solid contact on the corners of the blade, but not much holding power in the middle. Maybe I was clamping down too hard, but any softer and the blade would slip.

Glad the jig works for some of you. I gave it a whack, but it didn't work out for me. Makes me feel like I'm stupid and was doing something wrong, but I really don't think that was the case. Sometimes one thing works for 9 out of 10 people. I guess I was just person number 10.

You know sharpening, of all the things we do, it is probably the most personalized. We all get very attached to our methods and love them because they work for us. Honest truth is there are plenty of effective ways to sharpen and I think it takes everyone a few methods to find the one that works for them.

Again, thanks for the responses and I hope I didn't make anyone mad, but it doesn't seem I did. I just wanted to give an honest review of my experience.


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## lj61673

Thanks for the honest review. I have this jig too and it does have several quirks when it comes to narrow chisels.
as for the "not perfectly square" aspect, that will be true with any jig and may also be a result of unequal pressure exerted by your fingers. You should always get in the habit of checking progress every few strokes to make sure the bevel is being polished perpendicular to the edge and adjust your finger pressure accordingly to keep it correct.


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## carver1942

Thanks for the review. Not all tools work out for all folks. I consider this jig one of my best tools. The issues you point out are there. I have just learned to work thru them. I use it constantly and are able to get a razor sharp edge on my plane blades quickly. I use wet dry emery paper on a flat steel plate. Veritas should think about improving the hold down system. Repeat ability is an issue many have with this tool. Sorry to hear it's not working out for you. 
regards
Ed


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## bowedcurly

I think Veritas is giving away free no bake cookies with the purchase of a bicycle


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## iminmyshop

Sorry it didn't work out for you. I love it. Find it easy to put the blades into, hold at 90 degrees and get an accurate angle. Can't imagine sharpening without them. Well actually that's not true. I can imagine it and it's not a pretty sight.


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## BurlyBob

To each his own. I just finished flattening and sharping an iron for a Stanely #7. Only went to 600 grit wet dry till I get setup for higher grits. Mine works like a champ. I can buy a lot of wet/dry paper for the cost of a Tormek. There's also a lot of satisfaction gotten by putting in the time and seeing the results,


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## LexBoegen

My experience is similar to yours. I have both the Mk II and the original Veritas sharpening jig. I've found that the narrower the blade, the more difficult it is to keep from shifting in holder. I don't even try to sharpen any chisels narrower than 1/2-inch in it any more. Too bad, because I'm a big fan of Lee Valley and Veritas, but this jig needs some revision.

I do have an idea to modify it, but I haven't tried it yet. I've cut a piece of scrap steel the same size as the clamping piece, and I intend to glue some sandpaper to that and use it between the clamp and the chisel or plane iron to be sharpened. I've noticed that the clamp has a large hollow space in it, so there really isn't much material to grip the chisel with.


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## fuigb

Re: Toyota Camry quality… it isn't what many believe. When measured objectively Toyota's quality is on par with the mainstream. Better than the old Jags, but not a standout from Big Three, Honda, Kia, etc.

Re: jig… interesting to read the review. Hoping that it proves to be way wrong as I picked upthis product just after Christmas! :0


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## BlaiddDrwg

I also bought the MK II with the extras and have ended up using my $10 side clamping guide 90% of the time. The MK II is nice, but touchy and I've found that I don't have the patience for it right now.

I'll probably give it another go once I get my workshop moved this spring.


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## chriswright

I've used this guide on numerous plane irons and chisels with no issues. I wonder if you might have gotten a defective one. I'm sorry you had such a bad time with it.


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## QuestionableAbility

I reallt like the results I get with mine.


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