Messages

I'm in the same boat as you regarding freehand honing. I'm having a bear of a time and haven't gotten a handle on it yet. I ordered a front vertical base, Eldfall Chronicles should be in tomorrow, and I'm going to use the KS-123 knife angle setter to hone at the same angle I grind at.
You know, https://www.musicanalyticstools.com/ grinding gets all the attention, but I'm finding that honing will make or break an edge. I bought Dr. Kraichuk's Knife Deburring book. Hopefully, my thick head will gain something from all the hard work and research he did.
I sharpened a couple straight chisels and didn't have a problem honing them. That big chisel bevel helps, and I needed a success, lol. But this is just the beginning of my journey, so discouragement isn't an option.

Freehand honing's tough, but dialing in angles will help.

Congrats on the Tormek! CBN wheels rock for HSS – they last longer and cut better. Diamond's overkill for high-carbon tools. Grab a 220 grit for reshaping, 1000-1200 for the sharp finish. Keep 'em clean and they'll last