24 Axe Sharpening Gauge Template

Written By Anonymous Tuesday, March 31, 2020 Add Comment Edit

How to sharpen your axe by hand with a file and a whetstone sharpening an axe with a file. I like to use any file that is between 8 and 12 or 200 and 300 mm long.

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The gauge is simply made from a piece of cardboard a small piece of brass or even a piece of wood.

Axe sharpening gauge template. Tools needed to sharpen an axe are a file a honing stone and a strop. Its used to check for the sharpness of the blade. A good example would be the axe you see in the picture to the left.

The angle is about 25 degrees but is slightly convex. Now flip the axe over and repeat the process on the other side of the blade. This type of sharpening can be categorized as sharpening without having to do a complete regrind.

Next rub the tip of a coarse whetstone along the edge in a circular motion. Stop and check the shape with a sharpening gauge. Turn the axe over and repeat the process on the second side.

Make sure to sharpen both sides alternately and periodically run your finger along the edge to ensure that both sides are perfectly straight and smooth. A flat mill bastard file should be used if your axe is extremely dull or chipped. It is time to check the shape of the edge with a sharpening gauge.

To sharpen an axe start by rubbing the edge of the axe with honing oil or sewing machine oil. A sharp axe is a safe axe. The file does the initial rough work of shaping the edge and the profile of the axe blade.

When you can see the scratches starting to smooth out and the edge getting brighter it is time to change grits on the stone. Figure 67use a sharpening gauge to check the shape of the edge. Angle gaugeguide drywall hand sanding pad sanding block sandpaper sheets various grits leather strop.

After using the file if needed finish. Continue to file equally on both sides of the ax until the sharpening gauge pattern fits exactly over the edge. Ideally the angle should be a about 25 degrees and slightly convex.

Dull axes not only make your work harder they can glance off the wood and cause serious injury. File this side sharpening on the push stroke and lifting the file off the blade on the return until the burr goes back over to the first side of the axe. The gauge should be exactly to scale and can serve as a template.

Figure68a template for a sharpening gauge reproduced to exact size and illustrations showing its use drawings by frederic h. The small stone i am using is a very useful little sharpening tool to have in your tool kit due to its small size.

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