The Last Scary Sharp Tutorial You Will Need - Ben at Workshop Heaven with Matthew Platt

[@Gibboncore]

Ben, good for you for being so honest and eating humble pie on You Tube. The most important thing is to keep an open mind and keep moving forward.

[@andymartell7296]

Must admit, the conversation about concavity went straight over my head, so I watched Matts, Workshop Heaven “Sharpening Chisels” straight after and it all makes sense now! Thanks for the video Ben... you’ve converted a newbie!

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Matt made the whole process clearer to keep too! A truly interesting guy with an incredible knowledge of tools and their use.. B

[@driesvanoosten4417]

What a wonderfully scientific approach to sharpening!

[@oldmanbill6697]

Oh dear, Oh dear, Oh dear. I'm totally confused what to do now. Your video on the Sorby Sharpener was impressive and convincing and I begun saving. Now you are converted to the scary system. So I've come up with a solution, you stick with Scary and sell me, at a greatly reduced price, of the Sorby machine you no longer require. Brilliant!!

[@numberkruncherr]

I second the recommendation for David Charlesworth (who as it happens recommended Workshop Heaven when he answered a query of mine). It's not just that his videos are very informative, but his presentation style is so calm and relaxing they're worth watching just as a tension release.

[@gastonlaberge2119]

Calm and relaxing. Two tool junkies talking over and over about sharpening chisels for 45 minutes. It's like watching 3 coats of paint dry.

[@Wateringman]

Its been staring me in the face for so long, and never thought about it. To use a J-veneer roller to apply self adhesive sandpaper on plate glass. Always used a large dowel. Learned something new. Thank You!

[@robertnewell5057]

THIS IS A MUST SEE VIDEO AND THE TITLE IS 100% CORRECT! (I don't usually shout on the internet). I am not normally a fan of Ben's videos (too much chat and opinion and not enough tuition and demonstration for my taste), but this is a noble exception (although there are still plenty of places to fast forward, IMNSHO). Even so, this is BY FAR the best discussion and demonstration of Scary Sharp I have seen. If it all sounds too easy, as proof of concept, you can just get any old high grit paper (I used 2000), flat surface, lapping fluid and honing guide to test Matthew's approach. I did this with one of my garden chisels (come on, you know exactly what I mean), and in under 2 minutes I was doing the shaving arm hair, pairing hardwood endgrain lark with ease! I have no doubt his 3m stuff is vastly superior and have ordered. The only point I will take exception to (which doesn't relate to SS) is at 11.43, where you guys say (in essence) 'buy the best tools you can afford'. This is only sound advice if you know what you are getting into. Buying tools is a very tough choice for the beginner/novice. A large initial investment is only good if you are sure you are going to pursue the craft. Craft skills are hard, and my guess is a lot of people don't progress very far. Guitar making is really hard, not because the joinery is hard (some of it is) but because of all the other stuff (the delicacy of the work, the finishing skills, the relatively limited possibilities for correcting/concealing mistakes, the large amount of often conflicting advice, many times with associated tool choices), and so I conclude there are lots of people with tons of the best tools they can afford lying around gathering dust or sold on for pennies. Balanced against this, I would say you can get a lot of basic work out of modestly priced tools (as you progress, you will still have a use for them). If you really, really want to start off buying the best tools you can afford, do a course first, even if it's in basic woodwork at night school, so you can get a feel for whether you have the stickability to develop the skills. Other than that 5 star. Thanks Ben and Matthew

[@fenrir7969]

Matthew should certainly do more videos, he seems very knowledgeable and has a good character for this kind of thing.

[@68HC060]

He's very relaxed, very kind and always honest. That's why I told myself that I'll always buy from him if he has the things I need/want. :) -Very recently (within the last hour I think), I somehow just got convinced that I need the Scary Sharp System (3S). I was about to go for the Naniwa stones, but I'm kinda lazy and at the same time want something real good...

[@Kwaker76]

A 45 minute video about sharpening tools shouldn't be anywhere near as fascinating as this was to a layman like me. I want to sharpen stuff now!

[@sinocte]

That's pretty much exactly what I was thinking!

[@microdrone]

You are correct, i found myself inspired to get to my sorely neglected tools, as well as my better ones :)

[@SweetTGuitars]

If you still want further proof or are in a pinch and don't have the 3M film, you can use high grit wet dry paper just remember, pull don't push. The wet dry is more fragile and won't last but it will work in a pinch and give you acceptable results for a sharpening or 2.

[@bjdenil]

"If you get on a motorbike and tell it to 'getty up' you are not going to get very far." Love it!

[@fotogfitzfoto412]

"Giddy-up".

[@GertvanderDoes]

If you get on a horse and tell it to giddy-up it will still not get you very far. I find horses to be highly unresponsive creatures with very much a mind of their own. I've tried several times. Far prefer motorcycles which do not have such bothersome traits as minds.

[@bucketlung61]

I can find time in my life for some Workshop Heaven vids. I learned a lot during breakfast which is practically unheard of, Already working on my birthday, Father’s Day, Christmas and bonus time shopping lists. Good to see he sells a few Crimson items as well. Would be good to see Ben collaborating with other specialists in the future.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Count on it.. I loved the process and the learning! B

[@Klausemann66]

The treatment of the plane blade's back with the masking tape needs to be done every time I sharpen the blade or just at the first time? Great video. Thanks for teaching us so much!

[@JustinMac4192]

From coarse to fine: Coarsest was never mentioned 15 micron 9 micron 3 microns Thank you for the great video

[@BifWood]

Thanks for the video! Is there a sharpening device tgat hold the kife at the desired angle for wood carving knives

[@martymartinez4930]

Ben, great video as always, +1 on David Charlesworth. As one who has honed and restored straight razors for almost 40 years, and own and experimented with all systems available, yes film works and works very well. All glass is not “Dead Flat”. But glass can easily be flattened, with a diamond plate or a sheet of 220 Wet & Dry and any close to flat surface, it will ride on the high spots. Dead Flat does not matter, especially for woodworking, how thick is glue, will wood deflect when glued? The object to be flattened will ride on the high spots. Dead Flat is more efficient because more abrasives are in contact with the surface, but really how much more? A flattened glass will adhere film (when not glued) better, You do not need to glue film. For all but planning figured wood, that level of sharp is not needed, but I totally get why one would want to do so. I am also a carver and maintain my chisels carving sharp with leather and Chromium Oxide .50um-30k grit or good metal polish. I use cheap glass tiles from Home Depot 12X3x1/4 inch, flatten with a diamond plate once. Where most fail with film is using too much pressure. Do your correction work on stones, finish on film, or dare I say it…Jnats or Nano Diamond or CBN sprays, down to .005um = 3.2milliion grit. On a razor past .3um - 60-80,000 grit you will exfoliate skin. Carry on, good work.

[@kjemradio]

(In the manner of Master Yoda) Ben has unlearned what he has learned. The chisel has been sharpened. Begun the new technique has!

[@frystanudlar6964]

This video was awesome while eating my lunch.

[@CarusChelmsford]

Great video. Just a question regarding the plane sharpening...when in the honing guide, is it set to the angle of the primary bevel....ie are you polishing the entire primary bevel, or is it set slightly steeper so you're effectively doing a much smaller secondary bevel like with the chisel?

[@stuart3078]

Anybody wondering the grits. They’re 50 micron , 15 micron , 9 micron, on the micro finishing film and 3 micron on the lapping film

[@IvanWizard-Karl]

do you know which grit he used on the back of the glass for the chisel?

[@joenichols9666]

Seriously, I don't like drawn out videos about something like sharpening. BUT I do like learning. You could have done a 5 minute video that would have been ok but this was more like a lesson. GREAT.

[@philgallagher1]

One of the things I admire most about Ben is that he is never scared to change his mind. I remember him being REALLY negative about using CNC for ANY part of guitar building. Now look at Crimson. They use CNC for virtually everything! (Except "Master Built" of course!). I agree that it is worth having a look at Paul Sellers - Master Woodworker. He has 50+ years experience. He buys cheap chisel sets from Aldi / Lidl and then uses this system ie: wet/dry paper on a sheet of glass. He swears by these chisels, uses them himself and gives them to all his student to practice sharpening. At £7.00 - £8.00 for a set of 4 (¼", ½", ¾" & 1") even if you ruin them (which is highly unlikely) the cost is negligible compared to ONE Ashley Isles chisel!

[@1066wastrel]

bought a Quansheng block plane from these guys (I was very impressed with it) a part broke a few months later, I called WH, it was replaced & posted free of charge (super impressed at this point) my plane lives in a leather wallet in my toolbox & all my workmates know it is strictly off limits on pain of death, I wasn`t kidding!

[@MountainFisher]

I bought a diamond covered foil for sharpening my leather cutting tools. I bought 1200 grit foil and glued the 4x6 inch piece to a piece of steel. 1200 grit is 15 microns and 30 microns is 600 grit, 3 microns is 8,000 grit. If a tool gets chipped I use my 1x42 belt grinder with 220 grit silicon carbide belts and wet them with a sponge and grind out a chip. Then I shape it on an EZE LAP diamond sharpener in 600 grit then the 1200grit and then strop on 5 micron or 5,000 grit diamond compound on leather then strop 1 micron or 15,000 grit. Plenty sharp enough for leather. I took a 38mm wide chisel and ground the bevel to 20 degrees to make a skiving knife, having a wet grinder makes grinding hardened edges easier. I took a small 4 inch plane and sharpened it for skiving leather as well, sold it to a saddle maker. I learned about the aggressiveness of diamond when making knives out of D2 tool steel which has vanadium carbides in its matrix. Tungsten carbide is like 9.4 on the Mohs scale and vanadium carbide is 9.6 and harder to put a high polish on the edge. High vanadium blades are known for abrasion resistance and can be difficult to sharpen. I would also use diamond compound to quickly put a mirror polish on a knife like O1 tool steel or 440C. D2 doesn't take a mirror polish very well, looks like orange peel. For everyday cutting 1200 grit is as far as one should go, scalpels are sharpened with 400 to 600 grit for what is called a butcher's edge. A polished edge is mostly good for, wood, leather and shaving and is certainly not for kitchen or skinning. It is why I put a working edge on the knives I sell, a buffed edge is extra work for nothing.

[@HrafnMusic]

You had me at Damascus Steel Screwdriver

[@mcswordfish]

I really like that idea "Buy cheap, buy expensive when it breaks", especially for hobbyists and beginners. I bought an Aldi Pillar Drill recently for £60, and if it happens to last forever, it was a good investment. However, if/when I burn it out, I'll clearly be using it enough to warrant buying a more expensive model. That said, I have no reason to believe the £30 Stanley No. 4 that Santa bought me from Ben's side project won't belong to my children and their children one day.

[@738polarbear]

Jeez this geezer is making a whole West End production about sharpening a bleeding chisel.

[@markjarman7819]

I use this system myself and I find it perfect.

[@philclennell]

The ruler trick has everything moving, as Ben says. Ruler moving and only one hand on the blade is infuriating. However, a honing guide used the other way up and running at the correct angle - say 0.4 of one degree - produces a much more precise result. Just run a guide block through the thicknesser taking whiskers off and check with a digital angle guide. it works a treat if you're precious about polishing the last 3 mm to a mirror polish.

[@SoRadAwesomeStCool]

Is there a brand of chisel that you recommend for entry level woodworkers such as myself? Just for little things here and there, not necessarily for large projects, just for messing around and learning the ropes.

[@tonydavis3842]

Just watched what was supposedly Matts video on scary sharpening. Very informative. Just a pity Ben hogged the limelight!

[@kewlbns69]

excellent video...this is the kinda thing i subbed for. :D

[@noisytim]

Where can I get those sanding/honing paper/foils? I’m using the multi colored ones (without the backing) right now, and they’re a bit crap :(

[@j.dietrich]

3M Microfinishing Film, available from Workshop Heaven. www.workshopheaven.com/hand-tools/sharpening-tools/scary-sharpening.html

[@peteregan9750]

sidchrome here in australia - life time garantee - still see them 2nd hand - have full tang screw drivers and impossible to break in tips.

[@Workshopheaven]

Many thanks Ben, I will now spend the rest of my days shouting "Robert Wearing not Robert Wooding you spanner...!" at the screen. Cheers, Matthew

[@timcorley2459]

I use 3M micro film to polish acrylic panels in public aquariums to optical clarity after being scratched by the public viewers.

[@farikomike524]

apparently......they use it to polish the glass on fighter jet cockpits too. (so i've heard) 👍

[@BeesWaxMinder]

A screenshot of a list of items (the glass; the fluid, etc) would’ve been a good idea, I think…

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Thank you, will remember that for next time. DC

[@davidcherrington5864]

And now I’m going to have to take a drive to workshop heaven and spend my money ! Just looked at the website and I’ve just got to go !

[@pequodexpress]

What is the micron/grit of each paper used? I can see that the finest (pink) is 3 microns. What about the other three strips?

[@pequodexpress]

At 34:00, there begins to be some mention of the various microns used. The coarsest strip, #1, is ???????? microns (30 or 40 microns?); Strip #2 is 15 microns; strip #3 is 9 microns; strip #4, the finest strip, is 3 microns.

[@stuart3078]

At 16:16 Matt holds up the float glass. Looking at the colours of the micro finishing paper and cross comparing on the workshop heaven website it looks purple to me which would be the 50 micron aluminium oxide sheet.

[@MichaelE.Douroux]

What's your opinion of DMT Dia Sharp (continuous surface) vs. Atoma?

[@Teguvas]

Looks great, unfortunatly at the moment I'm more concerned with getting deep pitting out of blades and getting old chisels back to somewhere between 25 to 30 degrees rather than a round point.

[@Kipperbob]

Convinced me to try Scary sandpaper again.

[@erezfinzi2482]

"Turns out I'm an Asshole"... 😂😂😂

[@likeakite]

Thanks so much....that was brilliant

[@dmartin1650]

Oh crap! Now it looks like I'll be giving even more of my money to those fabulous people at Workshop Heaven :( :)

[@stevengreen4316]

So using normal glass as opposed to float glass, this will be totally inferior because of the pull of gravity. What actually would the measurment difference be. What kind of projects do you think your audience are building that demands such accuracy.

[@patbassman8251]

Id like to a video of an old beaten up chisel being restored and sharpened cos I have spent hour rubbing away thinking how long is this going to bloody take.

[@mitchtube3]

I reckon you should stock that honing fluid at crimson ;)

[@sadmemeboi]

27:35 is that large sheet of leather worth 80 pence? a dollar? what am i missing

[@Steve-dr7rr]

Can I ask if you can’t afford this system what would be best to use on narex richer chisels

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

A double sided 800/1200 grit japanese water stone is a perfect entry point. Add a King stone which is much finer and a strop and you could never need anything else. Only thing is they are soft and need to be kept flat.. a leveling beam, or piece of glass with coarse paper on works well

[@Dolpheus01]

Very impressive, this is probably how DEATH sharpens his scythe

[@MrTrilbe]

Well to start with, he hones it on moon light, but only when he goes by the name of Bill Doors

[@BravoColl]

Susan probably sharpens hers like this, maximum efficiency without messing around.

[@sijou4441]

What is that lapping fluid you used on the abrasives? Thanks.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

This stuff, it's very good. B

[@sijou4441]

@@CrimsonCustomGuitars Hi Ben, thank for the reply, but: what's the name on the bottle of that honing fluid- @20:32 ? I didn't catch the name and the manufacturer..Thanks Sandor

[@tacnav4465]

I have scary sharp strips. I don't use them a lot because my project work is not frequent. But, I still don't know how to tell when they do need replacing.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

When they tear or start taking longer than you want to abrade the tool..

[@DF-uq2ir]

Ben's got a Bromance going down. 🤩

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

He currently knows more than I do, I will suck his mind clean and share the results worldwide. That's, that's a bit weird, isn't it? B

[@DF-uq2ir]

@@CrimsonCustomGuitars NOPE 😂 Love your work. Keep sharing! 👍

[@walterrider9600]

thank you

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Our pleasure! B

[@diemturner5755]

Ben...as you look around his shop, it appears as though you are nursing a semi. I'm not far off the mark am I? :D Can't say I'd blame you, that's some lovely kit he's got there.

[@my1lastword]

Does someone have a list of the various grits they used for this? I have to seek around all over this 45min video just to figure out which papers are recommended...

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Most places will sell a starter kit with everything you need. B

[@Garryck-1]

They’re 50 micron , 15 micron , 9 micron, on the micro finishing film and 3 micron on the lapping film

[@johnq.public3341]

It is 4 am at the moment of writing this comment but it is worth it

[@Myrkskog]

If I only I could sharpen my Fujiwara chisels with two strokes. I've been unsure about Scary Sharp because I still had to spend 45mins flattening the back or grinding the bevel to get that minuscule knick out of the edge. Even with the 100micron ultra coarse stuff, I still spent an edge at the plate grinding that sucker out. Clearly, I'm doing something wrong.

[@wolandsmachine]

Ben should challenge himself to build a Classical Guitar...Would we love to watch that?

[@HoffOfAllThings]

Question is, if we followed the ruler trick, how much hell am i in for to undo it?!

[@68HC060]

Not much. You just need to remove the microbevel. But you could try it on an old rusty carpenter's chisel first.

[@DarknessNam]

What honing guide was being used in this vid? Does anyone know? Thx.. :)

[@nikearth]

Richard Kell No. 2

[@szczerzo]

watched this second time. Why this is so interesting?

[@extramild1]

Workshop Heaven is the best website ever. However it would be cheaper and easier to have a mistress and explain the credit card statements to wife.

[@philclennell]

I've tried this method and it works, however, replacing the abrasive is an absolute pain and it's dead easy to get air bubbles. When all said and done it has no soul either when compared to using good oil/water stones. Furthermore, woodworking tools were never intended to have engineering tolerances and uber-flatness, around which a whole money-making sales environment has sprung up.

[@onpsxmember]

What is stopping someone to use the honing guides on non soft waterstones?

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Nothing at all, I was just taught that they were a crutch and to be avoided.. I'm changing my mind on that front after this experience. B

[@onpsxmember]

@@CrimsonCustomGuitars Oh it wasn't a critique on your part, you made yourself as small as someone from your statue could.^^ I was just wondering if there would be a reason against it since he showed the stone sharpening without the guide. But if I remember correctly he just showed it as an example as a on the road method. If there is anything you want to update on knife sharpening, now would be the time. I've got 4 grits of waterstones now and I'm sucking up every video I can...once more before I waste hours ruining a blade. 220/600/1000/6000 and a strop with SiC paste are ready to go.

[@dfiction]

the guy on the left talks too much...the guy on the right is so smart and the dude keeps interrupting him

[@EliaseViao]

I put secondary bevels on my chisels... my girlfriend called me lazy.

[@jessevollick14]

Which microns are these?

[@kirilvasilev1081]

It is not a good idea to transfer a chisel from one grit to another without cleaning the blade

[@AnthonyJanflone]

Ben do you sell those plane irons? They have a strange name.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

I don't but they are available through Workshop Heaven. Very good steel. B www.workshopheaven.com/catalogsearch/result/?order=relevance&dir=desc&q=Plane+blade

[@AnthonyJanflone]

@@CrimsonCustomGuitars Thank you Ben and all the crew!!

[@christianboddum8783]

Please move the camera smoother!! It's not hard to do.

[@rapturekevin]

I dont get the whole work hardening thing. You will never achieve the temperature needed to harden the steel. Im a machinist btw.

[@A1BASE]

rapturekevin yeah. This is Ben using terms doesn’t understand. 🙄 One piece of feedback I’d have for him is when getting a demo from an expert in a subject is to talk less and listen more.

[@jimmythomas5582]

It's all good etc but the guy had me falling asleep

[@Imightberiding]

Sorry, what? Did you say something? I must have dozed off.

[@00Dusty]

Old school chisel and oil stone works ever time 🤘🏻 if it dosent cut falling paper your doing it wrong (my oil stone is my grandads and about 70ish years old) also I have seen a chisel worn out after years of proper use and sharpening until it was a nub 😂

[@thebutton7932]

16 minutes of waffle . . . . Ben, you are hard to watch . . . try saying less.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

I agree.. it is so hard to do though! Should we re-edit and release just the sharpening bit..? B

[@wildcat714]

@@CrimsonCustomGuitars no, you be you man. I enjoy your videos because of how you approach things. I enjoy seeing the process you take and understanding what you are thinking when you're doing something.

[@farikomike524]

it did go on a bit more than it maybe should have but it would be a crime to edit out your obvious love and utter fascination to the art of sharpening and hand tools in general. I have seen many many MANY of your videos over the years most of which is full of waffle but it's who you are and why we watch so....carry on waffling 👍@@CrimsonCustomGuitars

[@timnjillgreen]

You have introduced me to Skelton saws. So please don't cut the waffle, though my wife might disagree.

[@donhill1825]

Hard to call it a tutorial when it's mostly waffling

[@smubblie]

80p worth of paper.... in Australia I can only find this stuff in sheets that cost $12 a piece...

[@kimjohnston417]

Buy it from Workshop Heaven - they’re fantastic to deal with, prices are great and they run freight free international shipping specials once or twice a year as well. Shipping to here in Oz is no drama at all.

[@99tisard]

That poor bloke from workshop heaven.

[@derpimusmaximus8815]

Why would you use anything other than Waterstones? Because I can buy books from Amazon at home. *rimshot* *tumbleweed*

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Honestly took me a minute.. we'll done.. I need a coffee! B

[@davidwellings2783]

Wonderful! Honing guide oil and film sheets duly ordered, thanks to all!

[@Echo3_]

hey i`m 37 and i just bought my first house. :)

[@NhyraVirakah2]

Seems we share a name, Ben. ;P

[@perihawk]

I would like to take quite a bit of umbrage at the sheer snobbery displayed in this video. I was standing in my basement workshop, idly letting KZbin play through woodworking videos on sharpening in the background when it came on. While planing a cheap 1x6 from Home Depot with a $30 bench plane from Lowes while I try to decide if I really want to fall down this rabbit hole. Many, many videos have been encouraging and helpful, but not many sharpening videos. I was really hoping the Scary Sharp system would be a good one for those of us exploring, feeling ourselves out. You've guaranteed I won't want another one of your videos. So thanks for that.

[@lakestatebullies7391]

Almost 15min till the sharpening

[@timcorley2459]

You should have your interns first learn sharpening , then they can sharpen tool for free! lol

[@markgilder9990]

16 minutes to get to the point, luckily KZbin has skimming.

[@Imightberiding]

I enjoy sharpening videos & search for them. You can always learn something new. Unfortunately this 47 min video had about 5 or 10 min of content & nothing new or revolutionary. Oh well. Perhaps in the future this fellow will keep his videos to a tidy length that allows for needed information even if it is an obvious, older & well known technique. Lots of people could learn & be more likely to click on a 10 min or even a 15 min video than one that's over 3/4 of an hour long & little to nothing about getting down to business & sharpening. Couldn't watch in its entirety. Had to skip through to try & condense to the point of the title. Several details were omitted (ie: grits etc.) even given the length of this confusion. Don't know if this is the last word on scary sharp videos but it may very well be the last video people watch that this fellow uploads he he continues to insist on this format. Jaysus, this was painful.

[@nmssis]

FF 15:00

[@robertneely5148]

That Ben guy made what could have been a very good instruction video almost unwatchable with his irrelevant questions and inane comments. And the first 8 minutes were a waste of time I’ll never get back.

[@richardkwiatkowski3047]

16 Minutes of Waffle.....Ben, I bloomin' love the waffle....Round it up to 20 minutes! :D

[@michaelobrien4259]

7 mins before it started. Too much uninteresting and self indulgent conversation.

[@donp1088]

I think the tattooing went too deep…🤔🤭

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Heads are hard to do apparently..

[@Joeobrown1]

18:18

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Oh yes! B

[@fedorbutochnikow5312]

too long of a video. waste of watching time. why? make it concise.

[@graham6411]

Your small talk is not interesting or informative.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

That's why it is called 'small talk'; but I digress; I was pretty bad in these old videos. I'm trying to control it in this year's videos. Try the Bass Build 😁 I hardly talk at all!