Reply To: Sharpening
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I use the DMT diamond plates up to 1000 grit. I have a coarse and fine that is two in one. It’s kind of annoying to have to flip it but its rare that I have to use the coarse side unless I mess up pretty bad.
I then have a king water stone for my ultra fine 6000 grit needs. It works very well but of course it has the inevitable valley that I have learned to navigate.
I then strop with just the chromium oxide compound and a plain piece of leather. Takes me about 3 minutes free hand after normal use. About 10 to 20 if I need to adjust an angle.
I made that holder from pine and it is bolted to the back of my bench. It seems to work well there, and is very accessible in my tiny tiny shop.
In my opinion, free hand sharpening is a very useful skill in regards to muscle control and sensitivity. Most of the critical woodworking operations rely on strong and steady hand muscles, such as setting out knife walls and paring down to them. Holding a chisel blade at a very precise angle and applying pressure is a good workout for your hands. It also saves time to freehand, from what I can imagine. I have never used a honing guide. Maybe not a first, since you will definitely mess up and roll the edge too far but once you develop the skills, it leaves you feeling more confident and in touch with your tools.
Cheers and happy woodworking!