When to sharpen

[mr grimsdale]

Handy tip No 69.
You are beavering away with your plane or chisel and you wonder if the tool is OK and ask yourself is it time to sharpen.
The answer is yes it's time to sharpen.
It's like sailing - when you ask if it's time to reef the sails, the answer is usually yes - or yes but you should have done it earlier (sometimes yes but it's too ******* late :shock: ).
Even if you sharpen too soon this is OK you have a better edge and a bit more sharpening practice behind you. In the long term with experience you will judge it better.
Do beavers sharpen their teeth? See next episode.

 

[Jake]

the answer is usually yes - or yes but you should have done it earlier (sometimes yes but it's too ******* late :shock: )

Have you ever thought about trying A2?

 

[wizer]

Thanks for this. How do I wipe my pineapple?

 

[studders]

How do I wipe my pineapple?

:shock:

Dare I ask what 'arrangements' you had in place previously?

On second thoughts...

 

[Jake]

Thanks for this. How do I wipe my pineapple?

Always a bit too late by the sounds of it.

Edit: sorry, I have realised that might sound sarcastic and that as it's Wizer he might actually be seriously asking that question.

 

[Peter T]

Handy tip no. 70.

Ignore any threads originated by Mr. Grimsdale!

 

[lurker]

Now ang on!

Its a very valid point for newbies

I'd been trying to use planes for years & never got on with them

Then I started on the uphill task of learning to sharpen properly, then one evening Bean came round with a properly sharpened new toy.
Talk about a revelation!
The bluddy thing went though the wood on its own, I just had to steer it!

Then I reached "shaving hairs on my arm" level.

It is truely a skill (that I guess apprentices hit after about 9 months) to know (feel) you are forcing the plane because the edge is going.

I know this sounds a bit vain but I feel good (& proud) in my (fairly new found)skill using a plane.

It come down to two things knowing how to sharpen & knowing when to sharpen.

 

[Karl]

Its a very valid point for newbies

........

It come down to two things knowing how to sharpen & knowing when to sharpen.

Very true.

I used to find myself cursing a plane, or the wood, or something else, when in reality a quick hone of the blade solved any problems I was having and the work went quicker.

It's amazing how quickly blades can need honing in order to keep them working in tip-top condition - A2 or not. (Yes, I have experience of both and no preference for either).

Cheers

Karl

 

[wizer]

Lurker and Grimsdale sitting in a tree....

 

[lurker]

Thanks for this. How do I wipe my pineapple?

For a girly like you its front to back isn't it

 

[studders]

Of course it's all very well knowing when to sharpen, tis another discipline to actually stop working and do so.

 

[lurker]

Of course it's all very well knowing when to sharpen, tis another discipline to actually stop working and do so.

It comes down to THREE things............. :wink:

 

[mr grimsdale]

Thanks for this. How do I wipe my pineapple?

Handy tip No. 70
If you find yourself wondering if you should have wiped your buttocks, the answer is probably yes.
Do you find this a problem normally? A mirror on a stick? (so I'm told)

 

[SBJ]

Thanks for this. How do I wipe my pineapple?

Do you have an inbuilt reaction to behave like an silly person whenever Mr Grim posts? It seems like it to me.

Just to add something positive, freehand sharpening is well worth pursuing as a skill and not as hard as some would have you believe. Also, don't forget a quick swipe with a candle on the sole of a plane.

 

[bugbear]

Just to add something positive, freehand sharpening is well worth pursuing as a skill and not as hard as some would have you believe. Also, don't forget a quick swipe with a candle on the sole of a plane.

Just to offer another opinion, I get better edges, quicker, and more reliably with a cheap, simple jig.

BugBear

 

[Racers]

Hi,

I would also recomend a jig. mostly for A2 because you can then think about something else, while you spend the rest of the day pushing it back and forwards, must get an O1 blabe for my LN 601/2.


Pete

 

[Smudger]

I sharpen my plane irons on Tom's tongue

:lol:

 

[PeterBassett]

I too use a jig, Veritas No 2. It's just far easier and I actually know what sharp is now.

The only issue I have is that my no 7 blade doesn't seem to sit automatically at right angles in it. It needs a very slight tweak.

A separate tip would be, if you think your waterstones aren't flat, they definitely are not flat.

Pete

 

[mr grimsdale]

... you spend the rest of the day pushing it back and forwards, ....

:lol:
Jigs are brilliant except they don't half slow things down and make sharpening more difficult.
You could try my freehand jig shown here - scroll down perhaps. Aka the Grimtech Laboratories MKII jig.
I made it to reface a badly pitted blade but it is so effective I've been sharpening (hone & grind) with it ever since.
Yesterday I ground, shaped and honed a new 25/30º (rounded) bevel on totally knackered blade on a Stanley 7 (recent purchase). It took about 10 minutes and it is now sharp as pineapple. If it had been square ended with no bevel at all I reckon 15 minutes would do it. It really does work very well.
Freehand (esp with a little handle jig thing) is very fast because you can put all your effort into it with no jig fiddling and finger cramps.

 

[jlawrence]

Sharpening is something that one day will just click - I'm convinced.
I can sharpen stuff so that it'll shave hairs no problem - keeping everything square is quite another matter though.
Veritas MK2 jig is on way (hopefully) so I can see if that'll help make things just a tad more square.