Medium-quality honing guide?

[Dave Trendymiddlename Starr]

This is probably asked a lot, but I couldn't find a recent post. I'm looking to get a honing guide, but I'm really displeased with the budget options like the Robert Larson thing for $10 on Amazon, but I'm also not too fond of the idea of paying nearly $100 for the Veritas Mk2. Is there anything in the middle that's decent? There's a wide spread in between the two options where something of acceptable quality could fit, but I haven't heard of such a thing.

Thanks!

[Tpt life]

Tell us what you don't like about the Larson. This will give us a better starting point. 

[Woodenskye]

I have the Veritas and really recommend it.  I know the price is high, but it is a fool proof way of getting the chisel or plane iron at the correct angle and setting a micro bevel if you like.  Lie Neisen makes a honing guide, but never used.

[JimPSr]

31 minutes ago, Woodenskye said:

I have the Veritas and really recommend it.  I know the price is high, but it is a fool proof way of getting the chisel or plane iron at the correct angle and setting a micro bevel if you like.  Lie Neisen makes a honing guide, but never used.

+1

[BonPacific]

14 hours ago, Dave Trendymiddlename Starr said:

I'm also not too fond of the idea of paying nearly $100 for the Veritas Mk2.

The base model of the Mk II is $70, and works great. You don't need the extras for standard planes or chisels.

[TerryMcK]

The Veritas MK2 is a great device, will last many years and is a very worthwhile outlay for novices to pros.

An even cheaper option is no honing guide at all. It is not really that difficult to do and has worked well for many woodworkers for decades. Have a look for Paul Sellers or Shannon Rogers sharpening videos. You develop muscle memory in your hands overtime and the results are fantastic. I have the MK2 to put on the primary bevel but always do secondary bevels by hand nowadays. You could call me a "hybrid sharpener" to borrow a phrase from Marc Spag.

[Tom King]

Keep checking ebay and see if you can get one of the original Eclipses that those cheap ones are poor copies of.  I bought one new back when they were available, and another off ebay some years back.  I use them more than the others.   I have a MK II, but it's only used by my helpers when we use oil stones where no water is available.  The one I use for cambered blades is an old Record with a small radius ball for a roller, but the same thing can be done almost as easily with the Eclipse.

The Eclipse is very easy to use, but you need a little help from a screwdriver to get it tight enough so it absolutely can't move on the tool.  I keep one of the Veritas plane screwdrivers handy on the sharpening sink, not only for plane cap irons, but the clamp screw on the Eclipse guide.  You might be able to get it on tight enough with bare fingers, but after your hands are wet from waterstones, you don't want to loosen the screw with wet skin, or the skin might not stay on.

The other thing you need is a simple homemade jig so you can repeat the exact same angle every time you clamp something in the guide.

edited to add:  I just checked ebay, and there are two on there right now.  I hadn't looked at prices lately, but this looks a bit high to me.  If I didn't have one, I'd still buy this one if you don't want to spring for the LN version:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Original-ECLIPSE-36-Chisel-Plane-Iron-Projection-Sharpening-Guide-/272648142312?hash=item3f7b187de8:g:TdoAAOSw42dZAlP6

[BonPacific]

I have come across a few articles mentioning the Kell honing guide, but I haven't heard anyone here mention it. It's only a few dollars cheaper than the Veritas (no idea what shipping comes too), and you'll need wider stones for any big plane-irons.

 

Edit: Nevermind, the plane-iron version costs more than a MK II, only the narrow chisel version is cheaper.

[gee-dub]

I have a wide Kell with small and large wheels.  I also have a Veritas  and your standard old $10 guide.  All have their uses.  I use the Veritas most, the Kell second most and the $10 one almost never since I have the other two plus free handing.  The Veritas handles most of my tasks.  The Kell is for my short, narrow or steep angle requirements.

Any guide is handy for a variety of tasks.  I know a lot of folks regard them as training wheels for free hand sharpening.  Indeed they serve that task well if you use them as a training guide for muscle-memory and not as a crutch for laziness ;-)

Guides serve other purposes for me outside of normal tool-in-hand work at a stone or plate.  When I am doing a lot of chisel work I get fatigued.  Being able to shove a chisel into the port on a Worksharp 3000 for 2 seconds and go right back to work is a real benefit for me.  Likewise, a plane iron can be pulled from the body, popped into the MK-II guide and used on the top of the WS3K plate for a moment or two and put right back to work.

My dream shop has a sharpening area that I can just walk over to, do a quick touch-up and go back to work.  The WS3K or diamond plates run dry fill that gap for me for now.  I do have sessions at the sink with my stones where I put a fresh edge on anything I deem requires it; this works fine.  My point in that for on the fly stuff in my current shop setup, guides can help me keep moving along without being my sole means of acquiring an edge.

 

P.s. Learn to tweak your $10 guide here or here.

[OldSouthWoodCraft]

I'm not sure if this is still for sale or not but this might help in your journey to a razor sharp edge.

 

Btw I have a Larsons guide and I haven't any issues with it but that's just me. I only use it on my finer (1000, 4000, and an Arkansas) stones anyways.  I take the milling marks off with hand sharpening and then I hone it by hand too.

 

[Guest Randy]

Classes I have taken and books I read seem to agree that side-held honing guides hold the blade firmer and with less possibility of movement during sharpening.

Lie-Nielsen makes/sells a honing guide with various jaws for smaller blades, skewed blades, etc. However, it ends up being the price of the Veritas MkII which, by the way, is also a great tool. I own that but have found that sometimes the blade or chisel moves with the standard hold down in the guide.

There are also cheap guides out there for $15 or so. I think Lie-Nielsen still sells one besides its more expensive one. They are all side-hold guides and, as far as I know, work well. They just don't always work for every blade and chisel you have if you have small ones, short, ones, or skewed chisels.