Veritas Side-Clamping Honing Guide

Thank you for purchasing a Veritas Side-Clamping Honing Guide. We’ve put together some useful information to help you get the most out of it. Although this will be of particular benefit to new owners, we hope those who have had their guide for a while will find something of value here too.

Getting Started

Before you start using your guide, it’s helpful to make a simple template for quickly setting the tool’s projection.

Set-Up – Blade Registration Jig

Simply print the full-size template from the instructions on our website. Here’s a link.

To ensure the template printed to the correct scale, double check one of the measurements; the 4 1/2" measurement is easiest. Glue the template to a scrap of wood or thin plywood.

Photo 1 – Tighten the locking knob after the tool is projected to the desired length on the template.

Set-Up – Blade Clamping Positions

The side-clamping honing guide can accommodate a wide range of chisels and blades because of its upper and lower clamping positions (Photo 2). Before using the honing guide, determine which location the tool should be clamped to using these guidelines:

• Upper location: Long blades and low-angle blades. Using this location provides better stability with bevel-up blades.


• Lower location: Regular blades and thick blades.

Photo 2 – If desired, you can write the clamping guidelines on the template as a reminder.

Using the Honing Guide

This honing guide’s simplicity and versatility allow you to quickly and repeatably sharpen a range of tools. When sharpening a new tool, first polish the back of the blade, working your way up to the finest grit of your sharpening medium. Veritas blades are lapped flat, so you are simply polishing this surface to the same degree that you will be honing the bevel. Other tools may require lapping. Before increasing the bevel angle of a new blade, consider using it for a time with its factory angle. If you experience edge failure, increase the angle by 5°. This approach lets you optimize the cutting geometry for the work you do.

The basic sharpening steps of a narrow chisel are outlined below:

1. Install the chisel in the honing guide with the aid of the registration jig and verify that the blade projection is correct (Photo 3).

Photo 3 – Place the mounted blade guide on the sharpening medium and check that the bevel is in full contact.

2. Lock the guide in both hands with the index fingers on the blade. Use back-and-forth strokes to sharpen (Photo 4).

Photo 4 – Apply only light pressure on the blade, letting the sharpening medium do the work.

3. When honing has progressed through to the finest grit, remove the burr on the back (Photo 5).

Photo 5 – Place the chisel’s back flat on the finest grit, and make a few side-to-side passes to remove the wire edge.