A Bargain Honing Jig and How To Improve It

When I first learned how to sharpen, I bought a very simple and inexpensive honing jig made in England by Eclipse. Today, the same jig is widely available under many diff erent brand names and often costs less than $15. It works quite well—I’ve used mine for years— but I’ve made a few small refinements to it. The jig’s body is aluminum, so it’s very easy to modify using a file or disc sander.

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The jig has two positions for clamping tools: an upper ledge for plane irons and a lower pair of V-shaped grooves for chisels. To set the honing angle, you measure the distance from the tip of the blade to the body of the jig. Here’s what you can do to make this jig even better.

• Flatten its face. For accurate and repeatable projection measurements, the two front faces of the jig must be square and even with each other. The easiest way to flatten the faces is by placing the jig on a disc sander’s worktable and gently pushing it into the disc. (Photo 1)