How do you sharpen your blade?

Not sure lucas. Depends on the abrasive type at a guess.

The haze finish is partly aesthetic but it's also a sign that a given stone is in a sense punching above its weight - with broken particles grinding finer than the parent stone.

For me whether there's a mirror finish or not isn't the main matter. How fine the final abrasive is. In my case I use a honing compound (Chrome Oxide, or 'green stick') on a powered belt that produces scratches of half a micron. But this is applied only on the micro-bevels. There's no practical reason to go further. It can also be used manually applied to a strip of leather or even, I'm told, on a piece of MDF.
 
Files. Then Puck. Then strop. Occasionally, have followed the puck and strop with sandpaper up to 2000 grit. Don't do that much anymore unless someone asks for a wall hanger rather than a working axe. Don't even own a bench grinder.
 
I recently came across a reference to a study about the friction effect of sharpening scratch marks on a carpenter's chisel. In short, it was negligible. Perhaps that's no surprise as they're parallel to the direction of travel. Would they have an effect on extracting the blade after getting stuck? Would depend on the interaction of the wood fibres with the scratches. Maybe polishing a bit does little.
 
I like an angle grinder with an 80 grit flap wheel for light profiling, then a Scotch Brite pad on the same grinder for a really quick polish. These days I'm never far from power so this works fine for my needs. Just have to keep a light touch with the grinder to keep from burning the edge.
 
I use hand stones always to sharpen my Kelly double bit and Estwing hatchet. I first use a Norton fine India (320 grit), and on to a soft Arkansas at 5-600 grit. I hold the axe stationary and rub the stone against the edge. If I have the time I'll take it to a hard Arkansas to finish at 8-900 grit. The edge now is shinny and will cut very nice. I cut and split 3 cords of oak a year and will do this 3-4 times during the season. The angle I use is around 38-40*. DM
 
I've tried all kinds of ways to sharpen my axes, I can't seem to get a good edge with the puck, and I've spent what seems like hours. I've also tried sand paper with my bare fingers behind it, in circular motion, which seems like an amazingly easy thing to do, and still can't get the hair popping sharpness.

So For now I am sticking to my sandpaper on my strop board. for bigger axes, I take a portable board to the axe instead. I do want to get better at the puck, it seems much more practical. I am not sure what angle I use, probably to wide. But I would guess maybe 30.
 
Ziggy99 said:
Hard to shave with a 30 degree edge.

What grit is your puck?
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I got the lanskey. I think its a poor puck grit even on the "medium" side, I think its 240, which is really not that great for a finishing stone. I might be off on the 30, could be less, I just sharpened this little plumb hatchet I bought, and its shaving my arm pretty smooth, so maybe I'm getting better!

Freehand is not for the faint, but its more rewarding.
 
When I first got into sharpening tools I used the jigs to set and learn the proper angles. This is helpful when beginning so you know what a properly sharpened tool should like in finished form. I learned to sharpen drill bits because ... either you learned or you were always buying new ones. Well in time I learned to sharpen every carpentry hand tool free hand on the job with a file or stone or free-hand on a belt sander.

Tools get dull during the day and being dependent on "shop sharpening" is very limiting to production in the field or on a work site. For many people I think its helpful to start with jigs so you understand the correct profiles etc.. Shop tools are also nice to set the base profile quickly so that it can easily be maintained with free hand tools as they get dull.

I would encourage anyone who gets sharpening experience to learn to sharpen free hand. If you start on an axe that is already profiled and you work with a fine polishing stone you won't screw anything up very badly and you'll get the feel of it. In time you naturally develop the eye/hand coordination and feel for the right angle. You should be able to tell from the feel of your stone and the visual polishing marks whether you are lengthening your profile angle or just sharpening the edge of your bit or are properly hitting the angle and the edge. If you sharpen with a circular motion with some water or light oil on the stone you can easily see your hone marks and adjust the angle as you go. Its not like a few bad strokes are going to screw something up that will be hard to repair.

If you head into the woods with a properly profiled axe you ought to be able to maintain it in top working form for weeks with just a stone (puck, canoe, flat etc.). You can take a file along in case the edge gets dinged and needs a chip worked out, but a stone should satisfy all your normal maintenance sharpening needs.
 
What Thunderstick said about freehand sharpening. I sharpen everything freehand, including hand plane and spokeshave irons. It takes me more time to reset the iron at the proper depth than it does to sharpen it. Now we are not talking about profiling , only sharpening. I NEVER use the micro bevel technique as it means more work down the road. I am a single bevel guy. I only use files and stones for sharpening.
 
In my shop - convex grind using a belt grinder without a platen. In the field - flat using a medium single cut file. A quick strop if there is a burr.
 
mostly sandpaper, but also a 1X42 belt sander for restoring beat up and misaligned bits.
coarse for creating bevels, down to fine for polishing out coarse marks.
i have natural Washita Arkansas stones and files but seldom used them. files once in awhile to hog off metal.
 
have any of you guys used a Smith DCS4 in the field for axes? It has the grits I would like to have 325 / 750. Not sure how easy it would be for an axe though.

4cf7cfa20299.jpg
 
Grimalkin said:
have any of you guys used a Smith DCS4 in the field for axes? It has the grits I would like to have 325 / 750. Not sure how easy it would be for an axe though.

4cf7cfa20299.jpg
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I have one, and it works great in the limited use I have put it through. It's mostly for my machetes, but I don;t see why it wouldn't work for an axe. I don;t think it will re-profile, but it will certainly sharpen and hone a bevel with good geometry.
 
Mill bastard single cut file. Axe held securely and file pushed from edge to edge until I have a uniform fresh edge from edge to edge. Probably about 20-25 degrees.

Flip and repeat. Remember, this is a working tool. its used for chopping trees and such, not shaving.

My 2 cents worth.

Larry
Tinkerer
 
Grimalkin said:
have any of you guys used a Smith DCS4 in the field for axes? It has the grits I would like to have 325 / 750. Not sure how easy it would be for an axe though.

4cf7cfa20299.jpg
Click to expand...

I've used one of those in the kitchen. It's certainly a great value. But I find the handle gets in the way of using the full length of the sharpening surface. It produces a good edge.
 
tinkerer said:
Mill bastard single cut file. Axe held securely and file pushed from edge to edge until I have a uniform fresh edge from edge to edge. Probably about 20-25 degrees.
Flip and repeat. Remember, this is a working tool. its used for chopping trees and such, not shaving.
My 2 cents worth.
LarryTinkerer
Click to expand...
Exactly. I don't want my axe to shave. Maybe a little arm hair but I give it a edge to chop wood and last. DM
 
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