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| Patent pending. |
| The skew registration jig is used with the Veritas® Mk.II Honing Guide,
allowing skew chisels and blades to be accurately and repeatedly sharpened
and honed to a very sharp edge. The jig attaches to the guide using the
same dovetail feature along the front of the blade carrier as the standard
registration jig. It is used with the blade carrier set to the 2 (yellow)
standard-angle configuration. |
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Figure 1: Skew registration jig.
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| The jig is designed to hone bevel angles of 20°, 25°, 30°
and 35°, and skew angles from 10° to 45° in 5° increments
(see Figure 2). Skew angles for 18°, 22° and 28° are
also included, as these are common angles for skew plane blades. |
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Figure 2: Skew registration jig markings.
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| Step 1: Setting the Bevel Angle |
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| Place the fence in the appropriate groove for the bevel angle you are
honing. The fence shown in Figure 2 is set for a 25° bevel angle.
Note that the bevel angle is measured normal to the cutting edge, not parallel
to the length of the blade. (See Figure 3.) |
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The fence is reversible to accommodate left and right skews. Simply flip
it over
end for end to orient the blade stop left or right, as needed. |
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Figure 3:
Bevel and skew angle measurement. Note the direction in
which
the bevel angle is measured.
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| Step 2: Setting the Skew Angle |
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| a) |
Establishing the Skew Angle using the Jig |
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If the skew angle is known, slide the fence so that
the blade stop is tangent to the appropriate skew angle line (see
Figure 4). |
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Figure 4: Setting the blade stop to a known skew
angle.
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| You can also use the jig to determine the skew angle, as shown in Figure
5. Slide the blade along the fence until the edge of the blade aligns
with one of the graduations. Once you have determined this to be the skew
angle, slide the fence into place, as noted above. |
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Figure 5: Determine the skew angle.
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| b) |
Establishing the Skew Angle using the Blade |
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If you wish to hone a non-standard skew angle, or if
you simply wish to maintain the existing angle, you can use the cutting
edge of the blade as a guide. Place the long side of the blade against
the registration pin and pivot the blade about the pin so that the
cutting edge is parallel to and in full contact with the fence, as
shown in Figure 6. Slide the fence so that the blade stop contacts
the side of the blade and tighten the fence clamp knob (finger tight
is sufficient). |
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Figure 6: Configuring the jig to reproduce
an existing skew angle.
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| Step 3: Installing the Blade |
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| Once the registration jig has been configured, slide it onto the dovetail
feature along the front of the blade carrier, and tighten the registration
jig clamp knob. In general, position the jig so the center of blade bevel
is as centered as possible under the roller. This will provide a more stable
assembly when honing, and assist in keeping the guide centered on the stone. |
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Figure 7: Blade centered in the honing guide.
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| Note: The scale on the top of the blade carrier is irrelevant
when using the skew registration jig. |
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| 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. |
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| Hold the honing guide upside down, and slide the blade in the honing guide
such that the long side of the blade bears against the registration pin
and the blade stop, and its cutting edge bears against the fence. Tighten
the knobs firmly, but avoid overtightening. |
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| Loosen the skew registration jig clamp knob, slide the registration jig
off of the blade carrier, and sharpen the blade. |
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| Note: The skewed blade orientation results in a rotational
force on the blade not encountered when sharpening a straight blade. As
such, it may not be possible to put as much pressure on the blade as it
would with a straight blade. |
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Figure 8: Installing the registration jig and blade. |