Mk.
II Honing Guide
05M09.01
U.S. Pat. No. 7,553,216
This Veritas® Mk.II Honing Guide is an all-in-one system for sharpening
edge-cutting tools. The great advantage of this system is that it has everything you
need to precisely set primary bevel angles for high-angle and standard-angle blades,
as well as back bevels. The ranges are numbered and color-coded for clarity and
ease of use. The registration jig not only squares the blade in the carrier, but also
sets the appropriate blade projection for the desired bevel angle. It lets you sharpen
consistently to the same result or make a controlled change, as desired. This not only
makes tool sharpening on bench stones and surface plates faster, but also reduces the
wear caused by needless reshaping of edges.
This honing guide can be used to sharpen flat or tapered blades up to 27/8" wide and
15/32" thick in the standard-angle configuration. (The thickness is limited to 0.254"
in the high-angle configuration and to 0.282" in the back-bevel configuration.)
Our eccentric roller makes it easy to create a micro-bevel without resetting the
blade in the guide.
The main components are die-cast zinc/aluminum alloy and the other parts are all
precision machined from brass or steel for durability and accuracy.
Note: Before using the honing guide, apply a drop of oil to the junction of the roller,
as shown in Figure 15.
Blade Carrier Registration Jig
Locking Knob Clamp Knob Registration
Jig Clamp
Blade Carrier L-Bracket
Registration
Stop
Clamp Bar
Micro-Bevel
Knob Blade Clamp Registration
Knob Jig Fence
Roller
Figure 1: Mk.II honing guide components.
Step 1: Lapping
Since a sharp edge is basically the meeting point of two smooth surfaces, the first
thing to ensure is that the face or bottom of any blade is perfectly smooth in the area
near the cutting edge before you attempt to hone the bevel.
An easy way to lap a new blade is on a water stone of 800 or 1000 grit; only on a
very wide blade would you have to resort to a coarser stone such as 250 grit. It need
not be lapped flat along the entire face, particularly in the case of plane blades, but
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it should be well lapped near the cutting edge. In this lapping process, be sure to
keep the face of the blade flat; otherwise, you could gouge the face of the blade or
create an unintentional back bevel. When you have the back well lapped, polish it
on a 4000 or 8000 grit stone.
Bevel
Bottom or Face
Cutting Edge
Grinding Marks
Polished Area
1/4"
Figure 2: Lapping the face.
Step 2: Setting the Honing Guide
This honing guide can be set to one of three bevel angle configurations. These are
numbered and color-coded for clarity and ease of use (see Figure 3).
• Position c (red) for high angles,
• Position d (yellow) for standard angles and
• Position e (green) for back bevels.
Loosen the blade carrier locking knob, then lift and slide the blade carrier to the
required position. For example, if you are honing angles between 15° and 40°,
set the blade carrier to the d (yellow) location.
Blade Carrier in Blade Carrier in Blade Carrier in
High-Angle Configuration Standard-Angle Configuration Back-Bevel Configuration
Figure 3: Configurations for different bevel angle requirements.
You will notice a significant overlap in the bevel angles marked on the registration
jig. There is no particular disadvantage to using either configuration unless your
blade is particularly short (butt chisels for example), for which it may not be possible
to achieve a lower bevel angle at the high-angle configuration.
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Step 3: Setting the Registration Jig
The registration jig ensures your blade is centered and squared in the blade carrier and
sets the blade projection for the desired bevel angle.
Slide the registration jig onto the dovetail feature along the front of the blade carrier.
Set the registration jig such that the pointer on the top jaw of the jig aligns with the
approximate width of your blade on the scale on the top of the blade carrier (see
Figure 4). Tighten the registration jig clamp knob only finger tight. Do not overtighten
as it is desirable to have some up and down movement of the registration jig to allow
it to easily slide off the blade when loosened.
Set the registration stop to the desired bevel angle, aligning it with the scale of your
choice. The registration stop in Figure 4 is set for a 1" wide blade and a 30° bevel
angle using the d (yellow) standard-angle configuration.
Registration jig set
for 1" wide blade.
Blade carrier
positioned at
the d yellow,
Registration stop set for 30° standard-angle
(d yellow standard angles). Pointer setting.
Figure 4: Registration jig installed.
Bevel Angle Used on these tools
<15° Back bevels.
15° to 20° Paring chisels, skew chisels (including turning skews that
are bevelled both sides), low-angle planes for softwood,
skew-blade planes.
20° to 25° All of the above (except skews) for hardwood or end-grain use.
25° to 30° Chisels used both for paring and light mortising, firmer chisels
for softwood, most plane blades (smooth, jack, jointer, etc.),
and spokeshave blades.
30° to 35° Mortise chisels, firmer chisels for hardwood, plane blades for
hardwood with pin knots.
35° to 40° Mortise chisels for heavy use, particularly any with brittle steel.
>40° Scraper plane blades and bevel-up smoothing planes used on
wood with difficult/reversing grain to produce Type II wood chips.
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Step 4: Installing the Blade
For reliable results, the blade must be properly installed in the guide.
Loosen the two blade clamp knobs on the blade carrier. Open the clamp bar wide
enough to slide the blade in. The knobs must be loosened and tightened in small
increments. Do not tighten or loosen one side substantially more than the other;
otherwise, the clamp bar or knobs may jam.
Hold the honing guide upside down, and slide the blade in the honing guide such that
it bears against the fence on the registration jig and just barely touches the blade stop
(see Figure 5). The blade will be centered in the honing guide. The resulting bevel
angle will be accurate, and the edge square to the side of the blade. Hand tighten
the knobs firmly and evenly. The clamp bar must be parallel to the upper jaw to
effectively secure the blade.
Registration Stop
Fence
Clamp Bar
Figure 5: Installed blade.
Loosen the registration jig clamp knob and slide the registration jig off of the blade
carrier. Check that the blade clamp knobs are still tight after removing the jig to ensure
the blade doesn’t inadvertently shift in use.
Step 5: Honing the Primary Bevel
Ensure that the micro-bevel knob is set to the
12 o’clock position (as shown in Figure 6). The
spring-loaded knob is easy to adjust by pulling
it out of the body just enough to allow rotation
Figure 6: Micro-bevel knob set
of the pointer to the desired position.
for honing primary bevel.
Roll the guide and blade back and forth on the abrasive surface until a satisfactory
bevel is formed, ensuring that any downward force is applied mainly to the edge
of the blade. Since the roller maintains the
angle, it should be in contact with the stone
at all times. If the roller is lifted off the Heel
Primary
stone, the very edge of the blade will have a 30°
Bevel
higher bevel angle than the one selected.
Cutting
The primary bevel should extend at least Edge
1/8" Face
back from the edge.
Figure 7: Primary bevel.
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Step 6: Honing the Micro-Bevel
One of the features of the honing guide is that the blade can be quickly and easily
honed to a razor-sharp edge by adding a micro-bevel (or secondary bevel) to the
primary bevel. A smooth micro-bevel on the blade produces the same result as honing
the complete bevel, since only the cutting edge itself has any effect when cutting. You
remove less steel, but arrive at a sharp edge quickly. With the micro-bevel knob in the
6 o’clock position, you will obtain a micro-bevel with a 1° to 2° difference from the
primary bevel.
1° to 2°
Primary Bevel
Micro-Bevel
Figure 8: Micro-bevels. Figure 9: Micro-bevel knob set for
honing the micro-bevel.
Back Bevels
Back bevels are low-angle bevels applied to the back of a plane blade. There are two
major reasons to apply a back bevel, and these depend on the type of plane blade.
On a bench plane (where the blade is Primary Micro-Bevel
mounted bevel down), a back bevel is used to Bevel
increase the effective cutting angle from the
otherwise fixed 45° of the plane bed. This
is useful when working wood with highly
figured and/or reversing grain. The back-
bevel angle will need to be tailored to the Back Bevel
particular situation; however, the following Figure 10: Bevels on a plane blade.
chart may be used as a starting point:
Back- Effective
Bevel Cutting
Angle Angle Application
10° 55° Difficult/reversing grain in softwoods (such as pine) and
slightly figured/reversing grain in more difficult hardwoods
(e.g., oak, ash and maple).
15° 60° For all but the most difficult woods. Usually required for
woods like oak with very severe grain fluctuation, crotch
figure as well as near knots and bark inclusions.
20° 65° To minimize tear-out on the most difficult woods.
On a low-angle plane (where the blade is mounted bevel up), a back bevel is used
to increase the included bevel angle without affecting the effective cutting angle.
The purpose of this is to increase the durability of the edge, particularly when
working end grain. For this application, very low back-bevel angles must be used
to maintain adequate relief angle behind the edge.
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To create back-bevel angles of
10° or higher, simply set the
blade carrier in the e (green) Blade installed
bevel up.
back-bevel configuration and the
blade registration stop on the e
(green) scale. Install the blade with
the primary bevel up (as shown in
Figure 11), and the micro-bevel
knob in the 12 o’clock position.
Figure 11: Configuration for honing
Back bevels should extend no more back bevels.
than 1/32" back from the edge; a few
passes on the abrasive surface should be sufficient to achieve the desired effect. A
large back bevel will offer no advantages and will require a lot of material removal
from the micro-bevel, should the need arise to remove the back bevel.
Important Note: In the back-bevel configuration, the indicated bevel angle
is dependent on blade thickness. The settings on the registration jig have been
calibrated for a 1/8" thick blade. Blade thickness does not have a large effect on
bevel angle, and a blade 3/16" thick will have a bevel angle varying less than 1°
from the registration jig setting.
For a back bevel of 9°, simply remove the registration stop and use the end of the
registration jig as a reference. To remove the stop, first loosen the registration jig clamp
knob, withdraw the registration jig clamp, then slide the stop from the registration jig.
Re-install the registration jig clamp and clamp knob.
To obtain back bevels of less than 9°, you will need to set the micro-bevel knob in
the 6 o’clock position and use a spacer block (see table below for required offset)
underneath the roller. The spacer can simply be a block of hardwood. It is important
that the top surface of the spacer block be parallel with the top of the abrasive surface.
If not parallel, the back bevel will have a skew to it. Once set, mark and save the block
for future use. The spacer will limit the travel of the honing guide, allowing only
short strokes; however, this is not an issue as a back bevel of 1/32" is sufficient.
Offset* Back-Bevel Angle Registration Stop Location
5/8" 8.5° c (red) high angle 45°
5/8" 7° c (red) high angle 35°
5/8" 6° c (red) high angle 30°
5/8" 5° c (red) high angle 25°
5/8" 4° d (yellow) standard angle 15°
13/16" 3° c (red) high angle 30°
13/16" 2° d (yellow) standard angle 15°
*Note: The offset is the space you have to create between the spacer and the
abrasive surface. The thickness of the spacer depends on the thickness of your
abrasive material.
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5/8" Offset
Micro-bevel knob in
6 o'clock position. Spacer Stone
Figure 12: Set-up for very low-angle back bevels.
Setting Other Angles
The blade stop on the Veritas® Mk.II Honing Guide’s registration jig has discrete
positions for preset bevel angles, providing quick, accurate sharpening and perfectly
repeatable results. The registration jig not only squares the blade in the carrier, but
also sets the appropriate blade projection for the desired bevel angle. The angles
specifically marked on the jig represent the most common blade angles you will
encounter on manufactured chisels and plane blades. But that doesn’t mean the
honing guide can’t handle other angles. On the contrary, by mixing configurations
and settings, the honing guide can yield just about any bevel angle.
A B C E G H I K
D F J L
Figure 13: Registration stop hole locations.
Table 1 indicates the bevel angle that each registration stop will achieve in each of
the three configurations (standard angle, high angle and back-bevel angle).
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Table 1: Obtaining Other Angles by Adjusting Wheel Setting Knob
Standard Angles
Arrow Direction Arrow Direction
Hole Up Back Front Down Hole Up Back Front Down
A 15.0 15.4 15.8 16.2 G 26.5 27.0 28.0 28.4
B 16.0 16.5 16.9 17.3 H 30.0 30.4 31.7 32.1
C 19.4 19.9 20.4 20.9 I 33.5 33.8 35.4 35.7
D 20.0 20.5 21.1 21.5 J 35.0 35.3 37.0 37.3
E 23.0 23.5 24.2 24.7 K 37.0 37.2 39.1 39.3
F 25.0 25.5 26.4 26.8 L 40.0 40.2 42.3 42.4
High Angles
Arrow Direction Arrow Direction
Hole Up Back Front Down Hole Up Back Front Down
A 19.0 19.4 19.8 20.2 G 35.0 35.3 36.7 36.9
B 20.4 20.8 21.3 21.7 H 40.0 40.2 41.9 42.1
C 25.0 25.4 26.2 26.6 I 45.0 45.0 47.2 47.1
D 25.8 26.2 27.0 27.4 J 47.2 47.1 49.4 49.3
E 30.0 30.4 31.4 31.8 K 50.0 49.8 52.4 52.1
F 32.8 33.2 34.4 34.7 L 54.3 53.9 56.8 56.3
Back-Bevel Angles
Arrow Direction Arrow Direction
Hole Up Back Front Down Hole Up Back Front Down
A 11.5 11.6 12.2 12.6 G
B 12.3 12.7 13.0 13.5 H
C 14.6 15.2 15.5 16.1 I
D 15.0 15.6 15.6 16.5 J
DO NOT USE
E 17.1 17.7 18.2 18.7 K
F 18.5 19.1 19.7 20.2 L
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Alternatively, the blade projection can be set according to the desired bevel angle,
as shown in Table 2. Measure from the edge of the registration jig and mark the
line on the bottom of the jig. Align the edge of your blade to this line.
Blade Projection
Figure 14: Measuring blade projection.
Table 2: Obtaining Other Angles by Adjusting Blade Projection
60°
Standard-Angle Setting
55°
High-Angle Setting
50° Back-Bevel Setting
45°
40°
Bevel Angle
35°
30°
25°
20°
15°
10°
5°
0°
0.0" 0.5" 1.0" 1.5" 2.0" 2.5" 3.0" 3.5"
Blade Projection
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Honing Guide Maintenance
Your honing guide needs to be oiled regularly. The machining tolerances on this
guide are tight to make it as accurate and as durable as possible. Since the guide
is exposed to water and abrasive particles in use, fine particles can get between the
roller and the cam to interfere with smooth operation.
We recommend that you flush the roller with water, dry it and apply a drop of oil to
the junction of the roller, as shown in Figure 15, every few times you use it. Work
the roller with your fingers to ensure that the oil is well distributed inside. As grit
from the sharpening process eventually fouls the clamping screws, they should be
cleaned and oiled occasionally as well.
It is also important to keep the surfaces of your sharpening stones true, not only to
produce accurate edges, but to avoid uneven wear to the guide roller. To true your
stones, lap them on silicon carbide paper on a flat surface or use silicon carbide grit
on a piece of glass (or steel lapping plate). Add a shot of oil (for oil stones only) or
water (for water stones only) and lap them flat.
Oil roller in these locations.
Figure 15: Locations to oil roller.
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Accessories
05M09.03 Skew Registration Jig
05M09.05 Camber Roller Assembly
814 Proctor Avenue 1090 Morrison Drive
Ogdensburg, New York Ottawa, Ontario
13669-2205 USA K2H 1C2 Canada
563 customerservice@veritastools.com INS-267 Rev. D
© Veritas Tools Inc. 2011 www.veritastools.com Printed in Canada.
