The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.

Martin Luther

Notes & Comments

Information regarding Grindstones

Re-grinding Carving Edges

Carving edges are typically not reground; only to reshape them, or repair a problem with the edge. More commonly, the edge is simply honed on the leather wheel.

Hollow Grinding the Back

Hollow grinding on the back of the bench chisels (traditional, not Japanese chisels) is recommended by some, including by Garret Hack. Two videos below show that process.

Skewed end of the chisel

Skewed End

If this chisel is to have a skewed end (as shown to the left), it is recommended that α not be greater than 20°, as a more acute angle will tend to cause the chisel to drift to the side when using it.

15° is a better target for the maximum.

SE-77 Square Edge Jig

SE-77 square edge jig

Some have mentioned that it is a bit tricky to get the alignment correct for chisels using this jig. That said, this jig is very useful for cambering plane blades, so it is useful to have if you sharpen those also.

Shorter chisels won't always work in this jig. The MB-102 Multi Base can alleviate this issue.

If you have some of your grandfather's old chisels around which you want to use (other to open paint cans), consider using

• SVS-38,
• SVH-60, or
• SE-77 with the MB-100

SE-76 Square Edge Jig

SE-76 square edge jig

This is a great jig to use for sharpening chisels, including skewed edges. However shorter chisels won't always work in this jig. If you have some of your grandfather's old chisels around which you want to use (other to open paint cans), consider using the SVH-60.

As with the SE-76, shorter chisels won't always work in this jig (unless using the MB-102 Multi Base). Consider using

• SVS-38,
• SVH-60, or
• SE-77 with the MB-100

The SE-77 has replaced this jig and the SE-76 is hard to find.

SVS-38 Short Tool Jig

SVS-38 short tool jig

This jig is also useful for sharpening chisels where there is not enough length to use either of the two jigs listed above.

SVH-60 Straight Edge Jig

SVH-60 straight edge jig

This is the original jig for sharpening chisels and plane blades. It is no longer being made which is unfortunate as it is really great for holding shorter chisels. If you have shorter chisels, consider getting one from the used tools market.

The SE-77 has replaced this jig and the SVH-60 is hard to find.

• Hewn and Hone
• Edge Geometry (YouTube video).


• Paul Sellers
• How to Make a Strop (YouTube video)


• Herman Trivilino
• Herman Trivilino showing the use of a platform jig (YouTube video)
• Tormek's Videos
• Tormek AngleMaster WM-200 (YouTube video)


• Tormek's Centering Knife Jigs KJ-45 & KJ-140 (YouTube video)


• Tormek Live Sharpening Class - Part 1. Knife sharpening (YouTube video). Wolfgang and Sèbastian from Tormek talk about different techniques for knife sharpening.


• Tormek Live Sharpening Class - Part 3 - Chisels, plane irons & Tormek grinding wheels (YouTube video). Sebastien and Wolfgang offer some great tips on the sharpening of chisels & plane irons using the various Tormek grinding wheels, including the use of the diamond wheels.
• At 00:46, there is a great explanation of sharpening a tool with a radiused end using the SE-77 Square Edge Jig.
• At 00:52, there is a great explanation of how to use the MB-100 Multi Base.


• Tormek Live Sharpening Class - Part 4 - Carving Knife & Carving Tools (YouTube video). Wolfgang and Sèbastian from Tormek go through the sharpening of carving knives and various carving tools such as v-tools, carving gouges and short wood chisels.

  The commentary that starts at 10:40 about setup of the Tormek SVM-00 Small Knife Holder Jig are excellent.

  Around 24:00, there is a discussion on sharpening hook knives (with the grind on the outside edge). Sharpening the inside edge must be done by hand, or using the method advocated in The Complete Guide to Sharpening (1996) by Leonard Lee.



• Tormek Live Sharpening Class - Part 9 - Sharpen a flat bevel with Tormek MB-100 on a diamond wheel (YouTube video). In this episode we learn how to use the Tormek MB-100 Multi Base to sharpen a completely flat bevel ▼, on the side of Tormek's diamond wheels DC-250, DF-250 and DE-250. For some tools, such as 🎻 luthier knives,🔪 Kiridashi knives, v-tools, chip carving knives and Japanese plane irons, a completely flat surface on the bevel is preferred over a slightly concave, which you get when you sharpen on the rounded part of the grinding wheel. For some people this is more of a personal preference.

  Regardless of what might be the reason to want a flat bevel, Sèbastian and Wolfgang show how to achieve it with your Tormek wet sharpening system, They will also touch upon the differences between the different types of bevels.

• Tormek's Videos (continued)
• Tormek Live Sharpening Class - Part 10. Advanced knife sharpening (YouTube video). Wolfgang and Sèbastian from Tormek talk about advanced techniques for knife sharpening.


• Tormek Live Sharpening Class - Part 15. Repair a damaged knife (YouTube video). Wolfgang and Sèbastian from Tormek show you how you can repair damaged knife on your Tormek sharpening system If your knife has a chipped edge, a broken tip, or if it has started rusting, you can often repair the knife and make it as good as new.


• Tormek Live Sharpening Class - Part 20 - MB-102 Multi Base - Enhanced Knife Sharpening & Flat Bevels (YouTube video). This video covers the MB-102 jig which can be used two ways:


• For sharpening on the side of the grinding wheel (particularly the diamond grindstones). The value for this approach is:
• It allows for a flat grind on the cutting edge.
• It allows for sharpening short tools. This video demonstrates this well.


• For sharpening vertically from the horizontal position. This is a replacement for the front vertical base. Sharpening knife edges using a edge trailing approach may be preferable if you sharpen on a softer Japanese water stone (so you don't accidentally dig into the grindstone). It is also quite useful for sharpening spoon knives.


• Tormek Live Sharpening Class - Part 24. KS-123 Knife Angle Setter (YouTube video)


• Tormek Knife Jig SVM-45 (YouTube video)


• Tormek Long Knife Jig SVM-140 (YouTube video)


• Tormek Small Knife Holder SVM-00 (YouTube video)