On Thu, 16 Jun 2005 10:56:45 +0100, Andy Dingley wrote:

People have told me that I have a rather unusual technique. I sharpen by
hand and hold the stone in one hand and the blade in the other. The blade is
stationary and I move the stone.

How big a stone ? I know lots of people (especially carvers) who do
this, but they use small slip stones (or else broken stones), not bench
stones.

It's also a useful technique for knives, I've found. It's easier to keep
the correct angle by moving the bench stone over the stationary knife.
That is, for blades such as hunting knives and such. Axes come to mind,
also.

Recall the Forstner sharpening jig in Leonard Lee's book.

For the record, I have now tried the Mk II on spokeshave blades--Stanley
style, not classic wooden shave blades. The 151 size will barely, but
successfully, work with the mid-range 25 degree setting. Smaller 63/64
blades won't work in the midrange. They'll clamp in the #3 "back bevel"
range, but the jig doesn't label a 25 degree stop there. There _are_ other
stops machined into the jig (for the other two ranges) and I found one
that is pretty close to 25 degrees. Trouble is, "there's no there
there" to register against the side rail. I have it "squared" to the rail,
but I'm seeing a canted bevel as I work the blade on a 325 diamond
stone. The LV short-blade holder for the Mk I would probably be just the
ticket for the Mk II. I also have put some wear on the bottom jaw while
fussing with the little blades.

--
"Keep your ass behind you"
vladimir a t mad {dot} scientist {dot} com