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I have great respect for Ken, & he has been referencing his Edge On Up for ages.  He is a great resource for product testing :   Our own version of Consumer Reports. 

I've just not seen how it would be used to make me a better sharpener.  Alas, Grepper has enlightened me.

So, I'm interested in which model of Edge On Up tester that you bought

Ken,

I use task-oriented lighting on my lathe to get up closer & brighter.  Also, I can aim it where I need it. 

I use CFL or LED bulbs as they don't get hot & are less likely to cause fires with the accumulated wood dust. 

I've not seen an issue with flicker on either.

Kind regards,
Rich

Really interesting, & really surprising!!

Jan,

I inherited a number of tools from my father when he passed on.  He took Yankee thrift to the limit !

In a back part of one toolbox are two old knives that my father sharpened away but never threw away.  I've a picture below of two that got relegated to marking knives (I guess).

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Kind regards,
Rich

If I need a very accurate center that is smoothly cut, then I use my mini metal lathe.  Works amazingly well. 

Otherwise I use the method I was taught for sharpening TIG bits using a drill and a bench grinder.  A picture is below.   By revolving the bit with the drill whilst sharpening, it keeps the point well centered. 




Apologies to Tormek about posting a solution not using your system, but I couldn't find a way to send a PM to Jim with the picture attached. 

Jan,

I have the DBS Jig & find it a worthwhile investment.   But what intrigues me about your idea is for bits too large to fit in the DBS Jig (>22 mm).   Have you tried any that large ?

Kind regards,
Rich

Ken,

Sounds like an opportunity for the KenJig developer...

Rich

[repeatability]

Do not sell handheld sharpening short.

Ken,

I am a HUGE fan of repeatability.   With the cutting edge consistently the same, I get consistent results when turning.  So I'm not a fan of freehand sharpening. 

The Tormek jigs make repeatability possible.  I have great luck when using them.

Kind regards,
Rich

Ken,

I agree that practice macks one get much better.   But, perfect practice makes on great.  When practicing, be sure what you are doing everything perfectly.    Slow and perfect will beat out developing muscle memory for doing things wrongly.

Kind regards,
Rich

I don't hone knives :   I use the Japanese waterstone (SJ-250).  It works magic !!

Kind regards,
Rich

I use the BGM-100 to shape them on a dry grinder, & then sharpen them on the Tormek.  Works greatly.

Jan,

I never thought the rusty residue was a problem.  Am I missing something?

One solution by the way :  get an SB wheel (you can't see the rust).

Kind regards,
Rich

Ken,

I usually don't do spindle turning; however that day I was.  I'd started from a piece of wood that was already rounded, and was simply moulding the shape to be what I needed.

I was making handles for my metal lathe's cross slide (the old ones didn't freely rotate as I wanted).  The picture below doesn't show the attempts made with the honed skew; rather they simply show what I made.

Rich

Latest update:   I sharpened my skew using the SJ stone.  The edges were mirrors. 

When I turned a piece of walnut, I saw no real difference in the wood surface.  I did notice the extra time required, and will thusly revert to using the SB stone. 


By the way, I asked on an AAW blog about honing and was overwhelming told that most use a 180 grit CBN wheel.  So, I guess the roughly graded SB or SG stone (220 grit) easily beats that. 

Rich

Jan,

Would a wider Jig like the SVM-140 be better for the knife in the 2d picture? I have an older SVM-100 that I use on similar knives at home.

Kind regards,
Rich