# Like so many others...



## BurlyBob

I've had that occur also but I think it's sometimes due to me not tightening the clamp evenly. I've been using wet and dry paper to 3000grit on granite counter scraps. I'm very pleased with the results I get. It's way superior to anything I could do freehand.


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## ellen35

It is finicky to use but it does work. I found myself going back to my old fashioned method of sharpening using just my chisel, my waterstone and and smooth movements back and forth.
One thing I do not like is that you cannot use the entire stone as you need some balance for the roller.


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## CooperDBM

One thing I found was that the micro-bevel knob had to be set 180 degrees (pointing down) from the zero position to get a straight micro-bevel. If you set the knob to 90 or 270 degrees (pointing horizontal) then you get a skewed micro-bevel, like your picture. Something to do with the cam mechanism I guess. I don't think the documentation discusses this and I don't know the reason for the 90 and 270 degree positions.

Other than that I've liked the guide once I learned to tighten the clamping knobs evenly in stages.


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## HillbillyShooter

IMHO this is the best system for use with flat stones, and the results are equal to or better than I get with my Tormex. However, the use is pretty much limited to sharpening chisels and plane blades. As for a skewed bevel, I check the primary bevel every 5-10 strokes and the secondary bevel every 3-5 strokes for a skew. If a skew is found I correct by using more pressure on the opposite side for the next series of strokes. I use both diamond and water stones, preferring the water stones for the final polish of 4,000 up. I find the water stones are just as fast as the diamond without leaving the dull surface appearance. I also have the Arkansas stones I started sharpening with but seldom use them.

Finally, I've found that stropping the blade before and after each use really extends the time between sharpening sessions.


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## CharlesA

> Other than that I ve liked the guide once I learned to tighten the clamping knobs evenly in stages.
> 
> - CooperDBM


 +1

I used to get uneven results, but when I started to really bear down on the clamping knobs, I started to get pretty uniformly stellar results.


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## dbray45

I have an older version and it has worked for me. I just ordered the jig for skewed blades and will see how well that works.

Of late, my main new tool places have been Lee Valley and LN. They have been producing seriously nice tools, have been very consistant, and thier tech support have been really good.


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## Racer2007

> It is finicky to use but it does work. I found myself going back to my old fashioned method of sharpening using just my chisel, my waterstone and and smooth movements back and forth.
> One thing I do not like is that you cannot use the entire stone as you need some balance for the roller.
> 
> - ellen35


I had thought of getting one of these since it seemed like it would make the process faster . but I think I will stick with my Scary Sharpe for now since I have gotten used to it and I don't like to have to Fuss with a tool to make it work. I don't use chisels much and My chisels my not be as sharp as some others but I can get nice thin shavings with them when I do use them .


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## matt352

Thanks for posting this review, it matches my experience exactly.

Thinking about the skewed grind, I narrowed it down to either (1) the iron isn't square in the guide or (2) guide isn't holding the iron parallel to the stone. I checked (1) with a machinist square and it was perfect, so moved on to (2).

I tested parallelism by clamping a straight edge to the back of the iron in the guide and measured the distance from each end to a flat cast iron table. I tried several irons and micro-bevel settings.

In the worst case, with a brand new apron plane iron, the guide held the iron 0.5 degrees out of parallel.

This is the problem, and it is repeatable. Tightening/loosening the clamp screws didn't make any difference.

I read everything that I could find and I suspect that this defect is common (universal?), but users tend to blame themselves or compensate using the cambered roller. There are many reports along the lines of "All my problems went away when I switched to the cambered roller."

I decided that I was happier with my old eclipse clone, so returned the Mk2.

Lee Valley service was exceptional, as always!


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## CooperDBM

When it comes to the micro-bevel, I believe any apparent skew at the top of the micro-bevel (between the primary and micro-bevels) will be much greater than the skew at the cutting edge. For a 25 degree primary and 27 degree micro-bevel the skew at the top, looking straight down on the blade, will be almost 12 times the skew at the cutting edge.

If you just have a primary bevel the skew at the top and cutting edge will be the same.

Matt, the micro-bevel mechanism does seem to cause the guide to tilt a bit. As I said earlier it seems worse when you use the 90 and 270 degree positions. At 180 degrees (straight down) I still see a slight skew which looks a lot worse that it is.


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## Bonka

I am so glad I got the MKII. It forced me to learn to sharpen by hand.


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## Bill_Steele

I have the MkII and I like it. I have also experienced the skew. To minimize or eliminate the "skew" I make sure my water stones are flat and I try to make sure that whatever I'm clamping in the guide is centered over the roller. I use the registration jig for initial setup (establish or match the primary angle).

Make sure if you are just honing (and not establishing a primary bevel) that you start with the micro-bevel knob oriented in the same direction (down for me) used to cut the original micro-bevel. With the first stone/grit take a few swipes (using the guide) and see how the scratch pattern is oriented. If it is skewed then lightly tap the side of the blade/chisel (I use the removed registration jig) closer to the tip to very slightly move it in the direction you need in order to minimize/eliminate the skew. In your case I would have tapped on the right side of the plane iron to advance that corner slightly ahead of where it is now.

It's not really going to be obvious to the eye that you have moved it-but take a few more swipes and notice that the scratch pattern has moved. Repeat the adjustment as need. This is kind of a trial and error sorta approach, but it has worked for me. Think of it as the kind of adjustment you might make to a block plane that is adjusted by tapping the front or back of the plane to advance or retract the plane iron.

I find that once I get the alignment correct I can go ahead and sharpen through all grits (without the need for further adjustment) and I get pretty decent results.


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## Holt

> One thing I do not like is that you cannot use the entire stone as you need some balance for the roller.
> 
> - ellen35


Could you not make a stone holder with a small platform to let you get full travel on the stone?


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## JKN

I had the exact same experience with the skewed microbevel in the picture below. I called Veritas and they shipped me another entire unit that day. The new one produces a microbevel that is pretty much perfect.
I'm very happy with it now

John


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