"Andy McArdle" wrote in message
u...


I'm not sure what direction to use when honing gouges... do you stroke
along the bevel (from side to side) or in the same direction that a
grindstone would cut?

Probably doesn't make a rat's arse, but tradition says at right angles to
the edge. That way tiny projecting pieces break off without significantly
affecting the edge. If you've got a grit groove parallel and it breaks off,
can make an edge twice as blunt.