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I finally received my Two Cherries chisels, 2 bench chisels in 6mm and 16mm, and one 16mm curved chisel.

They seem a HUGE leap above my Marples Blue Chip chisels, which were disappointing The Cherries are polished to a mirror shine, on all sides. They're nicely balanced. I also needed a good sharpening system.

After doing a lot of research, I bought an Alisam sharpening sled and a fine grit Spyderco ceramic bench stone. I also have 4 grits of 3M micro sharpening papers, which I'm putting on marble.

I really like the sled. I can dial in the angle I want. It has a disc that ensures my chisels are at a 90° angle, and it has small springs on the front wheels. You can't put too much pressure on whatever you're honing. It'll fit over a stone up to 3" wide. The 2 handles work well for me, esp. since I've had surgeries on both hands.

It's idiot proof for this idiot.

That sharpening setup looks interesting. How well does it handle very narrow (e.g. 1/8") chisels?

be sure you use as much of the stone as you can side to side ect.
Here is something that you may find interesting. I have used this and it does work. As a side note save a leather belt and with jewelers rouge it makes a great strop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_OZI_8k7h4

MaineGeezer wrote:That sharpening setup looks interesting. How well does it handle very narrow (e.g. 1/8") chisels?

It held my 1/8" Blue Chip securely and straight. It straightened out the edge, which wasn't 90° anymore.

What surprised me was how little pressure it puts on the edge, but allows fast sharpening. I found an old article in woodworkers Journal, comparing honing guides. The Alisam was judged the most useful. They make 3 models, depending on your stone thickness. It will allow the use of a stone up to 3" wide, but if you go that wide, you'll only use the middle of the stone. This is why I opted for a 2" wide stone, so I can use the whole stone.
Here's the article: http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/chise ... e-reviews/

tippie53 wrote:be sure you use as much of the stone as you can side to side ect.
Here is something that you may find interesting. I have used this and it does work. As a side note save a leather belt and with jewelers rouge it makes a great strop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_OZI_8k7h4

Thank you for the top. Right now I'm using a ceramic sharpening stone, so it shouldn't wear at all. But, I'm thinking of adding a waterstone. I'll make sure to use the whole surface.

Nice Diane. I have the curved Two Cherries chisel as well. I have found it hard to put in my veritas jig to sharpen it though.
A strop is almost a necessity (or a buffing wheel, which I have and use too) for getting that scary sharp, no burr edge. Mount the leather on a wood paddle and you can use it with the chisel/plane blade in the guide.

Kevin Sjostrand wrote:Nice Diane. I have the curved Two Cherries chisel as well. I have found it hard to put in my veritas jig to sharpen it though.
A strop is almost a necessity (or a buffing wheel, which I have and use too) for getting that scary sharp, no burr edge. Mount the leather on a wood paddle and you can use it with the chisel/plane blade in the guide.

I used to cut precious opal from Australia. I have leather wheel pads along with several grits of very fine grit diamond polishing compound to use with it. I think it should work well with the chisels and irons. I also have an old belt as John mentioned, so i can go either direction.

The curved chisel will have to be done by hand. I can't use the Alisam either.

<------Chisel envy. Be interesting to hear how you like your sharpening system. I keep going. Ack to wet or dry sand paper on a granite. I did add 300 and 1000 diamond stones that eliminated paper below 1000. Enjoy you new chisels!

Kbore wrote:<------Chisel envy. Be interesting to hear how you like your sharpening system. I keep going. Ack to wet or dry sand paper on a granite. I did add 300 and 1000 diamond stones that eliminated paper below 1000. Enjoy you new chisels!

I'm using marble with micro abrasive paper. I should be able to get a decent edge and keep it.

I've been using chisels that dont keep an edge for a couple of years now. It's time to upgrade.

I sharpened the new chisels and my small low angle plane today. I used the ceramic stone first, then 4 grades of micro sharpening film. I have an old belt to make a strop, but didn't need it today.

I managed to make them scary sharp. I have the missing hair on my left arm (and a cut on my finger, lol) to prove it.

I managed to use the sled with my curved chisel. I ignored the degree setting, and simply matched the bevel.

I still have to sharpen my old chisels, the jack plane, and the smooth plane. I'm going to invest in the ultra fine ceramic stone, and make a leather strop. The film's don't last long, so I prefer to spend my money on something much more permanent.

The two cherries chisels took longer to sharpen, so I expect their edges to last longer.