The Mother of All Honing Guides

[Philip1231]

Well, I was in my shop Friday night minding my own business when who should show up but Jim Ritter, aka Boatman53, of the 
world renowned Ancora Yacht Service.  This was no social visit, Jim was clearly a man on a mission, a mission to spread the word
about the slickest honing guide I've ever seen (and believe me, I've seen my share of honing guides). The prototype is made of machined 
aluminum and features and elegantly simple and fool-proof mechanism to set blade projection, straight or skewed matters not.  The honing
angle is set by indexing the wheel carriage against a built-in scale.  The carriage wheels can be positioned inboard or outboard to allow for cambered 
honing.  Even the allen key needed to change the carriage wheels is fitted right to the guide.  Its a big guide: dwarfing the standard guides we
have all used. It is outfitted with a recess to allow it to fit on the Tormek. It has adjustable indexing pins which allow support/alignment of smaller blades.
 Clearly the size alone puts it in the category of "Mother of All Honing Guides".  My name is on the list for one of these beauties: you 
would do well to get signed up for one: you surely don't want to miss out on this one.  Here are some pics of the beast showing how it can handle 
a Ray Iles mortise chisel and one of the new Veritas mortise chisels.  

[theoldfart]

I got a chance to use the same jig on Saturday at CVSW. Sharpened up a pair of spoke shave cutters in very short order. Used the setting gauge to get the correct overhang and sharpened/honed them up in no time. I'm also on the "WANNA" list and I only drooled a little!

[Steve Friedman]

Great review and I wish this becomes a resounding success for Jim.

Nice drive-by gloat on the new Veritas mortise chisel.  PM-VII I assume?

Steve

[Bill_Houghton]

I think that's a Ray Iles chisel.

[Philip1231]

PM-VII: just been playing around with it and like it, a lot.  Flats on handle for positive registration, nice and tall for 
vertical registration (plumb-ness).  Looking forward to my first project with it.

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Ray Iles in the first 2 pics, Veritas in the last.

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I thought about attending, but once you've seen the MAHG (Mother of All Honing Guides) everything else pales in comparison

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Wait, I thought the drive-by gloat was the picture of me and that guy with the plaid shirt and beard?

[jgourlay]

This is what happens when an American decides that..."I am going to solve this problem once and for all!"

[Philip1231]

Well put!

[rwe2156]

Totally unnecessary. 

The best guides you have are the proprioceptors in your arm muscles and joints!!  

[Steve Friedman]

Wait, I thought the drive-by gloat was the picture of me and that guy with the plaid shirt and beard?

I missed that.  Blinded by the bling and the clean bench.

[AHill]

No doubt, a very nice guide.  Does the frame for the guide really need to be that thick?  Seems like you could shave some weight off fairly easily with thinner stock.  Also, I noticed the Ray Iles chisel handle is right up against the guide.  Does the guide register the angle from the back of the blade/chisel or the bevel side?

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Totally unnecessary. 

The best guides you have are the proprioceptors in your arm muscles and joints!!  

I guess that explains why I'm not a professional baseball player.  Just didn't train my proprioceptors correctly.  Seriously, though, all bodies aren't created equal.  I find I get better results with a guide.  Same goes for sharpening my turning tools. As a hobbyist with limited time in the shop, I don't have time to practice, practice, practice.