# Do not have high expectations!



## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Ive got the same one, and i tend to agree with you. It has a real tough time with my smaller chisels that dont have a bevel on the side, but for my plane irons its worked really well so far. Thanks for the review.


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## nobuckle (Nov 3, 2010)

I went to my local Woodcraft store to buy one of these and the salesman there spent some time going over some of the pros and cons of this particular honing guide. He stated that while it might be a good tool to use when sharpening a plane iron it may not work well when sharpening chisels. With this in mind I have decided to hold off until I am able to buy the one that Lee Valley makes. It's alot more expensive but it's alot more versatile.


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## Arminius (Dec 27, 2007)

I have spent hundreds on tools that I go months without using - at 60 dollars or so for a tool I use almost every work session, the Veritas honing guide is excellent value.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

I have the same one, and while I don't hate it as much as the OP obviously does, it is NOT my favorite sharpening tool.. It works fine for plane irons, not so much for chisels. I can make it work, but it's iffy… The issue is that it doesn't always clamp down just so on different shape chisel sides… I don't know if there is one out there that does clamp down on everything you throw at it fine. Like I said, I can make mine work, but setup isn't fun…


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## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

I only use mine at this time to sharpen plane irons and find that is works exactly as desired for that purpose. How much perfection are you expecting for 13.00? For flat sided chisels I find it works ok by dropping the chisel down onto the two metal posts since the sides of the guide are flat there and will do the job. When I have more chisels I'll get something better but doubt I will ever get rid of this as it does what it is supposed to for plane blades and bench chisels.


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## slickSqueegie (Oct 8, 2011)

derosa, I get perfection every time by hand, I was simply looking for an easier way to do it.

I guess your right, as I stated, what do I expect for 13 bucks? well, I bought it from woodcraft! This thing belongs in Harbor freight!

I guess its time to break down and order the veritas.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

a bit of a strange review. more of 'an opinion' than a review.

*I guess it works but I am not happy with it.* : what works, and what doesn't, why aren't you happy with it, what's missing?

*And this little unit is far from it!* : in what way is it far from it? how could it be closer to it?

I do not have this unit, but have seen it in person in use by others, and it seems to be doing exactly what it is designed to do and does it well at a ridiculous low cost. just trying to understand what were you expecting from it and what made you view it so differently than my experience with it


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## slickSqueegie (Oct 8, 2011)

what works, and what doesn't, 
The roller in the device rolls smooth, and is brass! 

but the whole thing has paint on it!
shouldn't the surfaces be machined???

Like I said, this thing belongs in harbor freight, not Woodcraft!

I had a hard time getting my blades squared in it because of the paint.
I could scrape the paint and hope for good results.

but I could also save that hour of my time and buy the veritas.

13 dollars or not, this thing doesn't cut it in my opinion.

If you are looking for perfection (as every woodworkeer should be while sharpening) this is not for you.


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## rodneyh (Feb 8, 2011)

I have the same, and it works great for me.


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## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

Although I don't agree on functionality, I could also see this thing selling for 5.00 at harbor freight as well, probably just not enough demand for them to bother with.


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

I have it as well, I cant get some chisels, usually smaller ones to sit in a way I am happy with. I havent tried it on irons yet. I figured maybe my issue was user error. Now I see others struggle with same issue.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

I think I can explain, but not sure if I can make it understood, so let's see if this makes sense…

The sides of the jig are stepped, such that a flat piece such as a plane iron can get solidly locked in to the clamping mechanism. However chisels, that tend to have bevels on the side that would face down in the jig, would tend to be "squeezed out" as the slides clamp down unless the operator is VERY careful to insure that the sides of the clamp are pressing only on the flat side parts of the chisels.

Once locked down properly however, it works fine, it's just a nuisance to set up.

And in all honesty, I am not sure how they could have designed it to work any better…

The jig does appear to be reasonably well made, and the advancement / retraction of the clamping sides is smooth and steady. And it does exactly what it is supposed to, it holds your iron, or chisel at the angle you set it at, so that the honing is consistent.

To be completely honest, I think the issue is more a nature of the beast thing. Even Lee Valley sells the same exact item (for less money at that)... These "Clamp Type" jigs are just slip prone on chisels. The Veritas Mark II Honing Guide that clamps from above I would think would be a better design compensating as it does for the bevel by applying pressure evenly downward. But it comes at a price…

Both prices shown are present Lee Valley Prices…

Vise Type Honing Guide $10.90
Veritas Mark II Honing Guide $64.50

With experience you learn what doesn't work with the cheapie, and honestly, I know I get far better results with the guide than I ever could freehand. I have never had it come undone in use, just some fusses during setup, and then only once or twice as I got used to using it. Not a big deal at all… Others have mentioned smaller chisels, and that is where I had the issue (my 1/4" chisel caused me migraines at first) but with some experience, it gets easy…

I don't disagree with the OP that this isn't a perfect item, but I feel the 2 star rating is undeserved as this one is, well… average, which should give it 3 stars… It's not great, it's not terrible, it just is what it is…


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## tenontim (Feb 24, 2008)

I have this guide and for the price it's a good starting point. And like most lower end planes and other hand tools, it needs a little tuning up. As is, it works good for plane blades, but the paint does need to be filed off of the inner clamping surface to get it to hold a chisel well. I've filed the clamping surfaces on both the chisel clamp and the plane blade clamp and this jig works fine for me. I guess it's a matter of what you think your time is worth, and if it's not worth the time to fine tuning it, then maybe you should quit spending money on cheap tools. You get what you pay for.


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## slickSqueegie (Oct 8, 2011)

dbhost, nicely put.
I guess I was a little harsh, and maybe it does deserve a little more props, but not from me.

I guess I gave it a 2 star rating because my standards are higher. I bought it with moderately low expectations as it was, and it really didn't disappoint too much. I bought it to see if it would save a little time. but it did not. I spent more time setting it up than it takes to freehand and be done.
I use chisels and planes A LOT and re sharpen just as often.

Arminius-
"I *have spent hundreds on tools that I go months without using - at 60 dollars or so for a tool I use almost every work session, the Veritas honing guide is excellent value."

Thank you, I'm ordering it soon!


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## slickSqueegie (Oct 8, 2011)

tenontim

If the package said "Honing guide, works well after spending time tweaking it" I would have known that this isn't what I'm looking for. 
But this thing is in "Woodcraft"

harbor freight is where it belongs.

hence the review.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

I guess I just hate seeing a Chevy compared to a Caddilac. They are related, but not the same thing…

I got mine at Woodcraft too, and am disappointed that they sold something that needs fidgeting, but then again, they sell cheap planes, and other sorts of stuff that needs to be fiddled with…

Sounds like you will be happier with the Veritas…


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## reggiek (Jun 12, 2009)

It is funny how everyone seems to chase these so called sharpening miracles. Sharpening is not that hard to accomplish? I use some diamond sticks I've had for years….a couple ceramic stones for knives….and a leather strop….with these I sharpen by hand…with the help of small wooden triangles to set up the proper bevel. I sharpen my lathe tools, my plane irons….a couple of marking knives and my carving knives. All of them are razor sharp (I can prove this by how many bandaids I go though in the shop…lol). There really is no best way to sharpen though….all of the methods will get you there…you just need to understand the basics….and thre are many great You Tube videos, web pages and books discussing the basic principles. I was going to do a blog on it but why re-create what is already available?


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## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

I have this guide and it works fine for me.


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## cabmaker (Sep 16, 2010)

I dont understand why you have such high expectations from woodcraft. On many items there I have seen little diff. from harbor freight. that just happens to be one of them. BTW I have that same jig and after 40 yrs of freehanding I find it very usefull and accurate but does depend on some dextarity skills.


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## Routerisstillmyname (Oct 16, 2008)

Had one of these, sent it right back. they don't work with Mortising chisels.


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## yrob (May 26, 2008)

I have a nice Veritas MKII jig. However, I recently bought this one for a simple reason. The thick heavy blades of my old antique mortising pigstail chisels do not fit in the Veritas. This is not an issue for this simpler jig. I found that it worked pretty well for that purpose.


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

Hey Slick- are you a Window Cleaner?


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## ksSlim (Jun 27, 2010)

Is that the same design that the guys from LN use when doing the sharpening demo?


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## retiredandtired (Mar 10, 2011)

I take tooooo many blood thinners to be playing with something that could be used for shaving. I put on a bandaid everywhere I think I might bump durning the day. Bought a chisel the other night and flattened it and sharpened it on sand paper up to 2000 grit, tried it out and had to install 3/4'' bandaid and listen to my wife about bleeding on the dinning table. Think about sueing the sandpaper company for letting me buy something so dangerous.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

ksSlim - that is the exact same one LN uses in their videos.


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

pends on the stone

soft stones are butchered without a guide

hard stones are far more forgiving

real stone vs fake

picking the right thing for you, I say

blood most often runs red : )


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## kjf48197 (Jan 15, 2011)

I have one of the woodcraft guides. I use it to get a good bevel angle on a plane blade that is being refurbished…you know the kind that have been abused for years. after that it is all free hand on several different grits of sandpaper. I don't even bother with using it on my chisels I just can't seem to get them to fit in the thing the right way. Also once things are sharp it only takes a few laps on a fine grit stone to keep them that way.


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## slickSqueegie (Oct 8, 2011)

I am glad that many of you are happy with it. I still stick to my guns and say it isn't worth more than two stars.

StumpyNubs - yes I am a commercial/residential window cleaner.


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

Well small world! I've run a Window Cleaning business in Michigan since I was a teenager! (18 years in the Saginaw/Midland area) I did my high-rise training in Detroit, and I worked for a company there before starting out on my own years ago. We quit doing commercial (except for a few larger accounts) several years back, now we just do residential in the warm weather and sit on our butts six months out of the year. Great money for the time involved!


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

I have one. And I only use it to reset the primary bevel on my plane blades. Other wise I am freehand. But for $13, it does exactly what I require of it.


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## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

I agree with those who are disappointed with this jig when used on bench chisels. It might not be such a problem if the packaging clearly identified it as a tool for handplane cutters only, but it doesn't. I made my own crude chisel honing jig once, with a piece of 2" angle aluminum and a 1 1/2" fixed caster, with clamping pressure from above rather than by squeezing the sides like this unit does. Worked sorta okay… I wish I could hone freehand!


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## maljr1980 (Sep 4, 2011)

i have this, it sucks lol. my chisels have tapered bevels and dont like this jig. make sure u push down on the tip of the blade and then roll, so the back end doesnt wabble and mess up your bevel


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## toymike (Nov 17, 2011)

I bought this thing about a month ago, works real good for plane blades, (havent tried chisels) on a surface plate and sanpaper but not on a stone the wheel seems to want to dig a trench in the stone


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

No offense Squeegee, but the Eclipse Jig is my Home Boy.


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

+1 for the cheap but worthy Eclipse style honing jigs.


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

Bought one years ago. Hated it from the get-go. Never seemed to get the right angle. Now collecting dust in some drawer in my shop…


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## Kreegan (Jul 10, 2012)

I have basically this same honing guide. I got mine from Lee Valley, not Woodcraft, but they're the same. I bought it after noticing that it's the jig used by Deneb Puchalski in his sharpening videos for Lie-Nielsen on YouTube. In fact, he has a video of the simple modifications needed to make this guide work a lot better. Check it out:






Rich


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

Basically the reason I gave mine away after buying a Worksharp3000.


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