Classic Shaker Side Table - Popular Woodworking Magazine

STAGE 3: Honing the Secondary BevelTo hone the secondary bevel, you want to sharpen only at the cutting edge – sharpening theentire bevel is a waste of time. So you need to shift your tool in the guide a bit so only theleading edge contacts the stone. I usually shift the tool back 1 ⁄ 4 " in the guide; this adds a 2°or 3° secondary bevel. This works with all makes and models of the side-clamping guide thatI’m aware of.STAGE 4: Polishing theSecondary BevelThe motions are the same for polishing asthey are for honing. Keep the tool in thesame position in the guide and place it onthe waterstone. Some polishing stonesrequire you to first build up a slurry with asecond little stone, called a Nagura. Adda little water and rub the Nagura on thepolishing stone until a thin film of slurryappears over the entire surface of thewaterstone. Now you are ready to polish.First loosen the screw on the guide and shiftthe tool backwards. I mark this second settingon my bench, which speeds my sharpening.Retighten the guide’s screw.Second, place the guide on your coarsewaterstone at the far end. Place even pressureon the chisel and pull the guide toward you ina smooth motion. Roll the guide forward usingalmost no pressure. Repeat this motion fivemore times and then examine your edge.Place the guide on the far end of the stoneand roll it toward you. Repeat this motionfive more times and examine your edge.Secondary bevelYour secondary bevel should appear as aseries of fine scratches in a narrow band at thecutting edge. Feel for the burr. If you can’tfeel it, repeat the six strokes on the coarsewaterstone. When you can feel the burr andthe scratches appear consistent on thesecondary bevel, move to the next step.BurrThe burr is almost impossible to photographbecause it is so small, but we got lucky here.The small wire lying across the bevel of the toolis indeed the burr, which detached from theface when I pushed my thumb against it. Nowyou know how small the burr is.The edge should look like a mirror all theway across. You should not be able to feel aburr on the face of the chisel, but it’s there.You must remove the burr before proceedingto polishing. Use your polishing waterstone.When removing the sizable burr left by thecoarse waterstone, you want to take carebecause the burr can score the stone. Pressthe face lightly against the polishing stone andpush forward. Repeat this a couple of timesand increase the pressure slightly. When theburr is gone, you can move to polishing.Remove the burr from the face of thechisel. Remove the chisel from the guide,place it face-down on the polishing stoneand push it forward once. Rubbing back andforth will scratch the face needlessly. WM14 ■ woodworking magazine Autumn 2004