Dished Sharpening Stone and Chip Breaker questions

FC – the chip breaker needs to sit flat onto the iron. When you put the assembly up to a light you should not see any light between the breaker and the back of the blade. If there is light then you need to “sharpen” the chip breaker. If the breaker is not properly set you will have issues with chips clogging up the plane and that is frustrating.

I been trying in the last week or so flattening my stones on wet/dry sandpaper placed on a granite slap. It’s worked quite well for me.

-- Betsy - GO BUCKS!

Betsy is right. It is important to have an assortment of wet/dry sandpaper that you can place on a flat surface. I use a thick plate of glass. It’s tough to find the paper that you need at the “big box”, so I order it on-line from Highland Woodworking.

I purchased an inexpensive Kamal #4 plane and went through the tuning process. Fortunately the sole was pretty flat, so I did not have to apply it to the wet/dry paper. The iron however needed work. First of all, the back of the iron must be flat where the chip breaker contacts it. I spent about two hours flattening the iron from the edge back about one inch. You don’t need to flatten the whole iron. I progressed from 220, to 400, then 800, then 1200 grit until it was perfectly flat and highly polished. I then used a Veritas MKII honing guide on 220 paper to start the sharpening process and finished the honing on water stones until the edge would literally shave hairs on the back of my hand. The chip breaker required just a little bit of smoothing. This was quick and easy, but you need to be aware of the angle required so that it contacts the iron without even the slighest gaps. Now this hand plane can serve up long thin transulent curls of wood.

-- "Heaven is North of the Bridge"

I just got done lapping some new chisels on sandpaper. You can usually get it at an auto paint/refinishing supply store.

-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net

Ther are many methods for sharpening. All of those above are good ones. They can range from sandpaper on glass (Scary Sharp) to the Shapton Professional Stones. Also with various costs associated with them. All of the systems require that your abrasive surface be and remain flat. Using one stone to flatten another is one way to accomplish the flatness needed. Another is with glass or a granite surface plate. You are creating a reference face for your edges. Sharpness is the intersection of two polished planes (remember your geometry?) The finer the polish on each plane the finer the edge. To explore this further purchase an inexpensive 5x or 10x jewelers loop. you’ll be able to see the intersection of thes two planes. The smaller the “sawtooth” the sharper the edge.

The more “advanced” (read expensive) your system the “flatter” you referencing surface. the Shapton system creates stones that are flat to 3 microns. But at a price. This is overkill for all but the more obsessed of us. See my projects for a “Srtone Pond” to hold your stones. It looks nice and it’s useful.

-- Phil, Near San Diego, CA

Thanks for all of the advice. I have been using the Scary Sharp system for some time. I have had good success after a bit of practice hold the bevel properly. Luckily I practiced with and old junky Stanley chisel. The poor thing was in such bad shape, and now it has a back bevel from hell. I have been working it out during my grinding session but it is really gonna take some work to be the back flat.

I will try some 220 grit Wet/Dry paper to flatten the stone, but I will start with my higher grits (I have a hodge podge of systems as I have been learning) and work down to this puppy. Thanks for the help.

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

Well 3 sheets of 220 grit wet dry sand paper and it is still dished. To me I have barely made a dent. Ant clues as to what I am doing wrong.

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

How coarse is you crystalon stone? – any chance it’s coarser than what you’re trying to flatten it with? I think it may be in the 100-150 range…

That’s my gut.

You may need to flatten it with an equivalent or even coarser abrasive…

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

Keep going, you just didn’t realize just HOW deep the dish in your stone was. I use a Norton 220 grit diamond stone to true all of my stones too. Use plenty of water to remove the slurry and keep stroking!

always,
J.C.

-- "Imagination is more important than knowledge" -- Albert Einstein