Paul2":fct66vwu said:
Hi,
One thing i forgot to ask about was the sharpening stone. The one i was given has two sides, one is black and the other side is green. Which side do i use to hone the blade?
The green side feels the smoothest (just) so i have got a feeling that this is the side i use but i am not really sure.
If this is the case would i then use the black side for putting a edge back on the bevel if it got chipped for instance?
The trouble is i was given alot of tools by one of my neighbors who husband has just past on and although quite a few of the things were new there was no instructions with any of them.
Among the tools was also a diamond wetstone about 6 inches long. I know that you can sharpen router bits etc with these but can you sharpen planer blades too?
Once again thank you all for your advice.
Paul2
This from the guy who thinks he asks dumb questions...
Damn near nailed it Paul.... rough side is for fast material removal... smooth side is for putting the edge on....
Couple of pointers...
Firstly... you gotta make sure both surfaces of the stone are nice and flat. I've madea crude jig to do this... old piece of kitchen worktop with some sanding belts cut open and glued down to it. I get by with 3 grades... To flatten the stone, I'd rub it over the 120 grit belt till I've evened out the high spots; check it every couple of strokes, it doesn't take too long.
BTW, this same jig is perfect for flattening the soles of the Stanley and Record planes I bought.
Next step is to flatten the back of the blade in question....... needs to see both sides of the stone... rough side first... and polished till you've removed any hollows... you should only ever need to do this once...
Try to adjust your action and the angle you hold the blade to even out the wear right across the stone, fully edge to edge... side to side...
Next bit is to work on the bevel... to do this accurately, you'd be foolish NOT to use a honing guide... a tool to hold the blade at a precicely set angle, and maintain that angle so all you need focus on is your action. Personally I swear by the Veritas guide; expensive, but worth it's weight in gold. Set the blade at 25 degrees, oil the stone and start to sharpen. Working with the guide takes a little getting used to; it's all too easy to fall off either end if you get a bit too enthusiastic.. just mind you don't dig the tip into the stone and gouge it or it'll need flattening again. Check frequently.. when the bevel looks fresh all the way to the tip, side to side, flip over the stone and start to polish it. With a general purpose stone you won't get it shiney, the fine side's just too course, but it'll produce an acceptable edge for now. Again, check periodically. When you're happy, remove the blade from the guide and give the back a couple of light strokes to remove he wire edge from the tip. Back to the jig and reset the angle to something suitable for honing. Personally I've found 30 degrees works fine for me... most of the time...
Honing is going to put the cutting edge into your blade. On a newly sharpened bevel, honing shouldn't take more than a minute to get an acceptable edge. Once again, give the back a couple of strokes to remove the wire edge and you're good to go. Wipe the blade and guide clean, pack the stone away and have AT it....