Blade sharpening, avoid getting nicked

[ED65]

My comments do assume doing fine work, or at least what I deem to be fine work

I would remove the pits myself virtually every time, because as I say above it would take me very little time and I enjoy the effort (like here, this took nothing like the marathon hour-plus lapping sessions we sometimes hear about).

But saying that, I had a revelation about leaving pits a couple of years ago. It's one I've been jumped on more than once for sharing (here and on one or other fora) but I was gratified to hear Mike Pekovich say the same thing a few months ago on the FW podcast 8) It's this: you can leave minor pits even in a smoother's iron if you don't have the energy to take them all out right away.

This is a most-users thing, since most aren't finish planing. The minuscule ridges left behind by minor pits intersecting the edge are taken off instantly by scraping, or the least amount of what passes for finish sanding these days.

I know how OCD we all are about this but in actual fact pits aren't the huge deal many make them out to be, up to and including Frank Klausz and others saying to rule out any plane if it has a pitted iron. I have a lot of time for Klausz, and one or two others who share the same view (Dunbarr?), but I think this is a ridiculously short-sighted viewpoint.

 

[Simon_M]

Rather than look at the blade and imagine the worst, what happens when you actually use it e.g. the effect on a planed edge? My guess is that with one extra pass of the blade it will all but eliminate any issues? If it was on a rebate plane it might be seen on the planed edge but that's not the case. Maybe not "aiming for perfection but accepting the best" - just have to see?

 

[D_W]

My comments do assume doing fine work, or at least what I deem to be fine work

I would remove the pits myself virtually every time, because as I say above it would take me very little time and I enjoy the effort (like here, this took nothing like the marathon hour-plus lapping sessions we sometimes hear about).

But saying that, I had a revelation about leaving pits a couple of years ago. It's one I've been jumped on more than once for sharing (here and on one or other fora) but I was gratified to hear Mike Pekovich say the same thing a few months ago on the FW podcast 8) It's this: you can leave minor pits even in a smoother's iron if you don't have the energy to take them all out right away.

This is a most-users thing, since most aren't finish planing. The minuscule ridges left behind by minor pits intersecting the edge are taken off instantly by scraping, or the least amount of what passes for finish sanding these days.

I know how OCD we all are about this but in actual fact pits aren't the huge deal many make them out to be, up to and including Frank Klausz and others saying to rule out any plane if it has a pitted iron. I have a lot of time for Klausz, and one or two others who share the same view (Dunbarr?), but I think this is a ridiculously short-sighted viewpoint.

Yes, scraping and sanding will get rid of the ridges. If they have some height, they can be persistent with those, at least to the point of being a nuisance, though.

I've also used planes that "split the shavings" until getting a chance to get the iron cleaned up or replaced. That iron will have them long term if it's not addressed, which is why I think it warrants more attention. I also generally don't fully polish the back of an iron at this point when I get something new until I've confirmed I'm going to use it for a while. It'll occur in regular use pretty quickly, as long as I can get to the wire or have a reason not to (there's not usually a good reason not to).

What testing irons allowed me to compare very directly, though, was how well a plane worked in a single function depending on the condition of the iron, the condition of the surface (beyond just lines - thinks like ripples that may prevent a good cut on the next pass or subsequent passes, creating more work). I don't think an iron needs to be blindingly sharp, but I also wouldn't view an iron like the one in this post as one to leave alone and just use indefinitely. It'll be a subtle labor thief. A uniform surface with a plane that stays in the cut without extra influence and that will show you a continuous shaving is something that will save effort. Sometimes it's hard to see that when using one in fits and starts.

 

[ED65]

What testing irons allowed me to compare very directly, though, was how well a plane worked in a single function depending on the condition of the iron, the condition of the surface (beyond just lines - thinks like ripples that may prevent a good cut on the next pass or subsequent passes, creating more work). I don't think an iron needs to be blindingly sharp, but I also wouldn't view an iron like the one in this post as one to leave alone and just use indefinitely. It'll be a subtle labor thief. A uniform surface with a plane that stays in the cut without extra influence and that will show you a continuous shaving is something that will save effort. Sometimes it's hard to see that when using one in fits and starts.

I accept all of that, but I genuinely struggle to imagine how three small nicks (they're wide, but probably shallower than they look) would significantly impact on performance. Or to put it more directly, be noticeable. Given a blindingly sharp iron versus one that's approaching the point where it really has to be sharpened is a subtle enough difference in many cases.

 

[Ttrees]

Surely that depends on what the characteristics is of the timber your planing.
I doubt anyone here actually uses a plane iron with a chipped edge, and don't understand why one wouldn't do a bit more work to get a reasonable amount of a flat area, and just grind the edge when you get to those deeper pits

 

[Jacob]

Surely that depends on what the characteristics is of the timber your planing.
I doubt anyone here actually uses a plane iron with a chipped edge, .....

Certainly have!
May well cut OK except for the little ridges which get taken off last thing.
If it doesn't cut OK then yes resharpen.
If you don't have a choice you work with what you've got and at the end of the day most likely nobody can tell the difference.