sharpening... the never ending questions
Jonathan Ronnow, Sweden
>I was searching the archives for people who sharpen japanese tools with oilstones, by hollow-grinding and the using the hollow to index the tool against the stone. I found lotsa other posts, some rather amusing and well worth reading.
Preferences vary and some people love their sharpening systems and will fight for them. Well I for one love microabrasives, I can get my tools as sharp as they can be, and probably too sharp for my woodworking skills. Im not saying this to brag, but rather to give a background information.
So. I have the veritas guide which I use with the microabrasives. Excellent control, fast honing and all of that. But then came along a coarse/fine india stone, and the wish for a translucent arkansa or perhaps a fine ceramic stone. Why? Some time my blades will be too short to clamp in the guide, and setting up the glass plates with the abrasives and guide and things out in the field is sometimes a bit of a hassle. So, two slow-wearing oilstones and a strop seems to be a nice alternative, and a bit easier to haul around. And yes I can admit that the article at the museum store is inspiring...
Anyways. How will the oilstone road work together with my japanese chisels? Various written advices say that the hard steel in them might fracture if presented to a hard abrasive, and that hollow grinding might weaken them.
I understand that I might get less penetration if I raise the bevel angle to compensate for weakness, but thats a tradeoff Im accepting. After all Im not in such a hurry...
Bob Smalser, you show oilstone honing in your latest tutorial, and also own japanese mortising chisels. Do you hollow grind them?
Jr