Chisel Sharpening - Help!

[Ron Nossaman]

>Hi Shoprats! It's bridge notching time for me. I have two of David MAZZAGLIA
>wonderful bridge notching chisels, but am a dunce when it comes to
>sharpening them. What are the methods/equipment used by you folks to sharpen
>them. I found the Tormek SuperGrind on the web, but it's a tad pricey. I
>worry about maintaining proper bevel angles, etc. What about Japanese
>waterstones. I'm at a total loss. Help!
>
>Terry Farrell

I use diamond grit "stones", which are 2" x 6" steel plates with diamond
grit fused to one side. I use a medium grit for sharpening and touch up,
and the course for reshaping between grindings. I like them for two
reasons: they cut fast, and stay flat (with no maintenance) like nothing
else I've found, and I've always liked tools that perform well without
pampering. There's no such thing as a proper bevel angle either. I don't
use a fine grit, or buffer, to polish the finished edge because I prefer a
little "tooth" on a sharpened edge. With maple especially, I get a better
starting bite without skating on the surface, and better overall control
with a shallow paring cut. Whatever you use, touch up the edge often as you
work, rather than fight a dulling edge. Your mileage may vary. Each chisel
operator out there has his/her own preference of bevel contour, angle and
edge, arrived at by trial and error as it fits their individual style(s).
That's not even getting into the length, width, and type of chisel(s) these
bevels are ground on. It's like running a tuning hammer. There are a lot of
ways to do it and get the job done, and it takes some experimentation to
find what's comfortable for you. You probably won't even be able to borrow
another shop rat's notching system to try out. We tend to be very
protective of our babies because of the time required to re-contour,
sharpen, and re-train the chisels when they return. Just keep throwing time
and money into it until something works out to your satisfaction. Big help
huh? 

Ron N