# Handplane Performance Tuning



## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

*Sharpening Blades / Irons*

I have been fortunate enough to assemble and use an array of handplanes - Stanley Bailey bench, block, and specific use planes, oriental woodies of various sizes, Lee Valley Veritas bevel up and scraper planes, and some other assorted types. It took a while, as in 4-5 years of using, fettling, trying various methods of things and different plane designs to form up some conclusions from my experiences. I thought I would pass along these experiences, primarily with the lesser experienced in mind, to help them make better value decisions while getting started. You do not have to have premium planes or blades to get very good results. Pay a visit to Paul Sellers' website and take in his 40+ years of hand plane use.

I use hand planes to flatten glued up panels (i.e. table tops, cabinet sides, shelves), joint boards, clean up machined surfaces, square up ends on a shooting board, and prep surfaces for finishing instead of sandpaper. I use power tools for the heavy work - table saw, planer, router, circular saw, etc. Hand planes produce a flat surface sanding cannot achieve, and my power tools can't achieve the squareness of a shooting board. As such, I won't be discussing jack or scrub planes - that's too much manual labor for me and setting those planes up is easier. Blades don't have to be as sharp and soles don't have to be as flat. Put some camber on the blade if you want, a little or a lot, and go shave some wood.

The most significant aspects of getting a hand plane to perform, more or less in order:
(Stanley bench plane focused, but pertinent to bevel up, block, and most other hand planes)

Iron Sharpness
Sole Flatness
Chip Breaker Flatness/Bevel Angle
Frog Seating
Cap Iron Seating
Rust Prevention

I plan to do a blog entry for each.

*Why a Sharp Iron?*

More significant than a thicker iron or chip breaker is a sharp iron. Once I used a plane with a truly razor sharp iron, everything else became secondary. All of the hubbub about thicker replacement irons and chip breakers became marketing noise. The standard iron and chip breaker perform just as well as the Veritas replacements in my #7 for quite a while. Yes, the A2 Veritas iron holds its edge longer, and the thicker parts allow me to get results with a bit duller blade. But, I get excellent results in all my Stanley Bailey and block planes with standard irons and chip breakers.

I experienced the chattering, skipping, and difficulty in getting consistent "fluffy" shavings that many new users do, and then I figured out how to get truly sharp edges - an "aha!" moment.

*How To Get It Sharp*

The majority of this blog post relates to the honing part of sharpening, Because that's where "sharp" is created. A small entry at the end discusses grinding primary bevels. This method is the same as advocated by Lie Nielsen, but uses different jigs and lapping film vs waterstones. The short jigs require the wheel to roll on the abrasive media and contaminate the next finer abrasives, and waterstones require flattening - that's why I don't use them.

There appears to be universal agreement as to what constitutes sharpness - from Ron Hock:

"A sharp edge only exists where two planes (i.e., the back and the bevel of a plane iron or chisel, or the two bevels of a knife) meet with zero radius. "

There does exist, however, significant discussion about how to get there. One of the main areas of discussion is free hand vs. jig use. I was never able to achieve a razor sharp edge (plane or knife) free hand. I'm sure part of that is learning the skill. However, referring to the accepted definition of a sharp edge, it is impossible to get as close to a zero radius free hand vs a jig. One may get close enough for their personal taste/use, and it will be quicker than using a jig. But, the free hand radius will not be as small, and will likely contain several edge lines along the length of the edge, and will therefore not hold a usable level of sharpness for as long. So, over a period of use, the extra time to use a jig is paid back through extended edge life.

Also, the smoother the edge is the longer it will last. The higher the grit of the abrading material (sandpaper, oil or water stone, film, etc.), the deeper the scratching in the edge, creating a serrated edge like a knife. The more serrated an edge is, the quicker micro fractures of the steel occur and the edge wears down more quickly. Many support the use of stropping edges on leather with one of many compounds. While stropping will produce a sharp edge (I can shave hair and cut paper with it!), I am not aware of any of the compounds having grit as small as the 0.3um film I use. The larger the grit, the more of a serrated edge and the faster the edge wears down. Stropping is typically done freehand, and it is impossible to hold an angle as well as a jig. Wet sharpeners, such as Tormek, Grizzly, Sheppach, at least hold a constant angle, however the stone, even dressed to fine, leaves relatively large scratches, which result in sharp, serrated edges that break down faster. If you can find actual submicron compound, and use it on a fresh leather wheel of a wet sharpener, on a blade that has been honed down to 5um or less, then you might be in business.

Another issue with stropping - what happens to the metal particles that are worn away? The wire edge that may be broken off on the strop? There is no way to clean the metal particles off the strop. They embed in the leather (or mdf or other soft substrate) to continue to scratch up that edge and add serrations to it.

This is one area where I kind of disagree with Paul Sellers - leather stropping is a mainstay of his honing process. I think I understand Paul's perspective - simple, economical methods that will work that most anyone can do. I think this method is about as economical and produces superior, longer lasting edges.

This method is a bit more involved, perhaps not as easy to fully understand, and will probably take a few minutes longer per edge sharpened vs Paul's method. It takes me ~ 8-10 minutes/edge (not counting creating a primary bevel if needed). Choose any method you wish, as there are many that will produce a sharp edge, and last for a while at least. I chose this method because the proof of how and why it is the best method for the sharpest, longest lasting edges exists, and it is not that expensive (<$100 for everything). This method sounds more difficult than it is. It's no different than any other jig or fixture you make for your shop.

But my edges look like a mirror! We are talking about very small scratches not visible with anything less than maybe 50x magnification, perhaps more. I encourage you to look at Brent Beach's webpages (http://www3.telus.net/BrentBeach/) where you can see edges at 200x mag.

*Method*

For most of the following, I credit Brent Beach for getting me started on the path to an economical, sure fire method to get razor sharp edges repeatedly. I've made a few changes in the method, as well you may also, but the concept is the same. An example: Brent uses baby oil to lube and wash away particles. After trying many fluids, I have settled on water with some dish soap and a little water emulsion grinding coolant to prevent rust. Window cleaner works well also.

It's the scary sharp method with a couple of important aspects:

1) Plastic backed abrasives vs paper backed,
2) Micro Bevels Front & Back.

The plastic backed "lapping film" lasts far longer than paper - probably 15 to 20x or more. My experience is that you may get a couple of blades sharpened before having to change the sheet of sandpaper - I can sharpen 15 to 20 or more edges before switching with lapping film. The grit is adhered to the film much more strongly for the film vs sandpaper. But - sandpaper is acceptable to try out this method. It is difficult to find sandpaper with fine enough grit for final polishing. P2500 has 8.4 um grit, 10x above what the final polishing needs to be accomplished with. Any abrasive - waterstones, oilstones, etc. can be used. A challenge with these is getting the jig at the same relative height of each different grit stone, since stones can wear at different rates, and the relative height is very important to create micro bevels. Cost of stones at the very fine end starts getting prohibitive as well. Any mix of abrasives can be used, it just gets difficult to ensure surfaces are at the correct level relative to one another. In his video "The Perfect Edge", Ron Hock uses lapping film to demonstrate sharpening techniques, and advocates the use of them for beginners as a less expensive method to get started.

I currently use 3M brand lapping film coated with aluminum oxide - 266×30um, 12um, 3um, and 268×0.3 um. The lapping film is PSA backed, and mounted to ¼" thick glass from a local window store. Using a little soapy water, just like window tint film, makes installation (air bubbles) easier. The glass is glued to a piece of masonite, as can be seen in the picture below. I use simple shop made jigs of different lengths and angles (30°) depending on the blade:

















*Micro Bevels*

Micro bevels are simply very narrow bevels across the width of the blade. Their sole purpose is to reduce the amount of surface area which needs to be honed to a smoother finish, reducing the amount of steel removed, honing strokes, time required, and abrasive wear.. Both sides of the blade must be honed, the bevel side and the flat side. See Fig 1 - micro bevel sizes exaggerated. I typically have a primary bevel and 3 micro bevels on the bevel side made in 0.75° to 1° increments. A micro bevel is created with 25um, then a shim is added uner the jig and a micro bevel is made with 12um, then the shim is exchanged for a thicker one and another micro bevel is made with 3um. I then use the same shim and polish further with 0.3um. I use one micro bevel on the back side. This is conceptually the same as the "Charlesworth ruler trick". Wooden (or any material) shims of varying thickness, topped with sandpaper to hold the bottom of the jig, are used to get the degree increments for the micro bevels. My shims for the 2.7" tall jig are 0.085" & 0.160", and for the 3-1/2" tall jig are 0.105" and 0.210". The geometry Law of Sines can be used to calculate shim thicknesses and blade projection for various desired angles. This gets a bit tedious with the math and I may make a separate entry for it. The blade projection can be repeated by using a board with blocks attached at the required distances, or a digital angle gauge can be used. the jigs use 8×32 hanging bolts - machine screw threads on one end, wood screw threads on the other end, and round brass "nuts" from Lowe's.

Fig 1









I typically create a primary bevel that is ~5° less than the finished bevel angle desired, for both bevel up or bevel down blades. I use a 25um DMT Duosharp to complete the primary bevel, and make a few passes on it first when resharpening to remove enough material to ensure I get any nicks out of the edge. Also, I use a piece of leather to break the wire edge formed by grinding, and an Arkansas stone flat on the back to initially smooth the edge. Generally at least part of the wire edge will bend over to the primary bevel side and will need to be removed. For the first couple of strokes on the first micro bevel, pull the blade toward you vs pushing. This will ensure any wire edge is broken off and not cut into the lapping film. Do the same on the back of the blade.

Initially you will probably cut the film a few times - I certainly did. I haven't cut a piece of film in a long time. You learn how to handle the blades and not slice the film. It is my long term solution rather than fussing with the mess of water stones and the unending hassle of keeping them flat.



















*Back Bevel* - I use small pieces of glass with lapping paper adhered. The shim is hi tech - a piece of plastic milk jug plastic about 0.016" thick attached to the back of the blade with masking tape. Each blade is marked with a line etched with a carbide awl at 1-1/2" from the edge. There is nothing magical about the shim thickness or distance. This arrangement gave me enough of an angle and was located far enough away from the jig holding the blade to be able to work the back bevel. I place the glass at the edge of a table, flip the blade/jig over so the top of the jig hangs off the table, and work the blade side to side and some front to back. I will use the 25um and 12um film some, but primarily the 3um and 0.3um do the polishing.



































*Blade Camber*

I "bevel" the blade corners to prevent "plane tracks". The bottom of the jigs is cut at an angle and the jig is held against the flat on each side to create the bevel (exaggerated in drawing) . Smoother blades get side bevels and a little pressure on the top of each side of the blade to create a very slight camber across the blade.

















*Primary Bevel Grinding*

How the primary bevel is generated isn't that important as long as the angle is correct, and the edge is square to the blade sides. A grit of ~60um, P220, is sufficient. Going finer requires a little less work in creating the 1st micro bevel. Belt sanders, bench grinders, wet sharpeners, water stones, sandpaper/lapping film all work. For manual work, an extra coarse/coarse diamond bench stone is my preference - they cut fast and don't need flattening. Notice oil stones are not included. They just cut too slow for the major material removal required here. Wet sharpeners like Tormek, Grizzly, and Sheppac work (I currently use a 10" Grizzly), but only with O1 steel. A2, PM-V11, and HSS blades cut very slow and require frequent dressing with a diamond wheel dresser to keep the cutting rate up. If I were starting from scratch I'd probably go with an 8" bench grinder with friable wheels and a Tormek BGM-100 allowing use of Tormek accessories, or a belt sander with a good shop made jig. But, the Grizzly with Tormek accessories works great for my lathe tools so I'm sticking with it. Here is my review of the Tormek accessories.


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## smitty22 (May 1, 2010)

OSU55 said:


> *Sharpening Blades / Irons*
> 
> I have been fortunate enough to assemble and use an array of handplanes - Stanley Bailey bench, block, and specific use planes, oriental woodies of various sizes, Lee Valley Veritas bevel up and scraper planes, and some other assorted types. It took a while, as in 4-5 years of using, fettling, trying various methods of things and different plane designs to form up some conclusions from my experiences. I thought I would pass along these experiences, primarily with the lesser experienced in mind, to help them make better value decisions while getting started. You do not have to have premium planes or blades to get very good results. Pay a visit to Paul Sellers' website and take in his 40+ years of hand plane use.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info, should prove very useful as I refurbish 5 or 6 old hand planes! 
First I've heard of lapping film, so will locate that to try as well.

Dale


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

OSU55 said:


> *Sharpening Blades / Irons*
> 
> I have been fortunate enough to assemble and use an array of handplanes - Stanley Bailey bench, block, and specific use planes, oriental woodies of various sizes, Lee Valley Veritas bevel up and scraper planes, and some other assorted types. It took a while, as in 4-5 years of using, fettling, trying various methods of things and different plane designs to form up some conclusions from my experiences. I thought I would pass along these experiences, primarily with the lesser experienced in mind, to help them make better value decisions while getting started. You do not have to have premium planes or blades to get very good results. Pay a visit to Paul Sellers' website and take in his 40+ years of hand plane use.
> 
> ...


I just started using the abrasive film from toolsforworkingwood. I bought the five grit sample pack. ($14) and I'm really impressed.
This is my sharpening setup.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

OSU55 said:


> *Sharpening Blades / Irons*
> 
> I have been fortunate enough to assemble and use an array of handplanes - Stanley Bailey bench, block, and specific use planes, oriental woodies of various sizes, Lee Valley Veritas bevel up and scraper planes, and some other assorted types. It took a while, as in 4-5 years of using, fettling, trying various methods of things and different plane designs to form up some conclusions from my experiences. I thought I would pass along these experiences, primarily with the lesser experienced in mind, to help them make better value decisions while getting started. You do not have to have premium planes or blades to get very good results. Pay a visit to Paul Sellers' website and take in his 40+ years of hand plane use.
> 
> ...


I've always been an advocate of whatever works for you. I would disagree with much of your technique. Not saying it wouldn't work, I just don't see it as the best approach. But that's what great about this, there are many ways to get to the same point. I hope yours helps somebody that can't get there with mine or theirs.


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## Sanderguy777 (Feb 9, 2015)

OSU55 said:


> *Sharpening Blades / Irons*
> 
> I have been fortunate enough to assemble and use an array of handplanes - Stanley Bailey bench, block, and specific use planes, oriental woodies of various sizes, Lee Valley Veritas bevel up and scraper planes, and some other assorted types. It took a while, as in 4-5 years of using, fettling, trying various methods of things and different plane designs to form up some conclusions from my experiences. I thought I would pass along these experiences, primarily with the lesser experienced in mind, to help them make better value decisions while getting started. You do not have to have premium planes or blades to get very good results. Pay a visit to Paul Sellers' website and take in his 40+ years of hand plane use.
> 
> ...


*Don* What is your method?

I bought some of your planes about 7 months ago. I love them. I am looking for a cheap super sharp method of sharpening, what do you recommend? (I am thinking about an old, used Tormek as I have heard that they are super reliable and last forever.)


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

OSU55 said:


> *Sharpening Blades / Irons*
> 
> I have been fortunate enough to assemble and use an array of handplanes - Stanley Bailey bench, block, and specific use planes, oriental woodies of various sizes, Lee Valley Veritas bevel up and scraper planes, and some other assorted types. It took a while, as in 4-5 years of using, fettling, trying various methods of things and different plane designs to form up some conclusions from my experiences. I thought I would pass along these experiences, primarily with the lesser experienced in mind, to help them make better value decisions while getting started. You do not have to have premium planes or blades to get very good results. Pay a visit to Paul Sellers' website and take in his 40+ years of hand plane use.
> 
> ...


I have always had a benchtop grinder. I have an 8" aluminum oxide wheel in it. I hollow grind to 25 degrees. I then go straight to a hard Arkansas oil stone. I like to free hand. with the hollow, you can "feel" the flat (but if you need to start with the jig, it will work as well)

Sharpen it until its even across. You can see the line.

The back should be flat (if you bought one from me tuned up, its already flat) for 1/8-1/4" on the edge.

Pull the burr with a strop from the back. Keep it flat.

Hit a couple strokes again on the stone.

You can resharpen until the hollow is gone and beyond.

A tormek will work, its just a different process. What I don't care about is its a specialty tool, but if I could find one cheap enough, I'd buy it too.


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## Sanderguy777 (Feb 9, 2015)

OSU55 said:


> *Sharpening Blades / Irons*
> 
> I have been fortunate enough to assemble and use an array of handplanes - Stanley Bailey bench, block, and specific use planes, oriental woodies of various sizes, Lee Valley Veritas bevel up and scraper planes, and some other assorted types. It took a while, as in 4-5 years of using, fettling, trying various methods of things and different plane designs to form up some conclusions from my experiences. I thought I would pass along these experiences, primarily with the lesser experienced in mind, to help them make better value decisions while getting started. You do not have to have premium planes or blades to get very good results. Pay a visit to Paul Sellers' website and take in his 40+ years of hand plane use.
> 
> ...


Thanks. I made a strop the other day, now I need to get some more honing compound…..


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

OSU55 said:


> *Sharpening Blades / Irons*
> 
> I have been fortunate enough to assemble and use an array of handplanes - Stanley Bailey bench, block, and specific use planes, oriental woodies of various sizes, Lee Valley Veritas bevel up and scraper planes, and some other assorted types. It took a while, as in 4-5 years of using, fettling, trying various methods of things and different plane designs to form up some conclusions from my experiences. I thought I would pass along these experiences, primarily with the lesser experienced in mind, to help them make better value decisions while getting started. You do not have to have premium planes or blades to get very good results. Pay a visit to Paul Sellers' website and take in his 40+ years of hand plane use.
> 
> ...





> Thanks. I made a strop the other day, now I need to get some more honing compound…..
> 
> - Sanderguy777


I don't use honing compound. The leather will work fine for just pulling the burr. Try it both ways and see what works best for you.


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## paulm12 (Oct 31, 2014)

OSU55 said:


> *Sharpening Blades / Irons*
> 
> I have been fortunate enough to assemble and use an array of handplanes - Stanley Bailey bench, block, and specific use planes, oriental woodies of various sizes, Lee Valley Veritas bevel up and scraper planes, and some other assorted types. It took a while, as in 4-5 years of using, fettling, trying various methods of things and different plane designs to form up some conclusions from my experiences. I thought I would pass along these experiences, primarily with the lesser experienced in mind, to help them make better value decisions while getting started. You do not have to have premium planes or blades to get very good results. Pay a visit to Paul Sellers' website and take in his 40+ years of hand plane use.
> 
> ...


very informative, thanks


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## KnotPatron (Mar 9, 2015)

OSU55 said:


> *Sharpening Blades / Irons*
> 
> I have been fortunate enough to assemble and use an array of handplanes - Stanley Bailey bench, block, and specific use planes, oriental woodies of various sizes, Lee Valley Veritas bevel up and scraper planes, and some other assorted types. It took a while, as in 4-5 years of using, fettling, trying various methods of things and different plane designs to form up some conclusions from my experiences. I thought I would pass along these experiences, primarily with the lesser experienced in mind, to help them make better value decisions while getting started. You do not have to have premium planes or blades to get very good results. Pay a visit to Paul Sellers' website and take in his 40+ years of hand plane use.
> 
> ...


This is wonderful information.
Now.. If only I could interpret it correctly. 
Thanks
K.


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## KnotPatron (Mar 9, 2015)

OSU55 said:


> *Sharpening Blades / Irons*
> 
> I have been fortunate enough to assemble and use an array of handplanes - Stanley Bailey bench, block, and specific use planes, oriental woodies of various sizes, Lee Valley Veritas bevel up and scraper planes, and some other assorted types. It took a while, as in 4-5 years of using, fettling, trying various methods of things and different plane designs to form up some conclusions from my experiences. I thought I would pass along these experiences, primarily with the lesser experienced in mind, to help them make better value decisions while getting started. You do not have to have premium planes or blades to get very good results. Pay a visit to Paul Sellers' website and take in his 40+ years of hand plane use.
> 
> ...


Repost… sorry


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## QuestionableAbility (Mar 28, 2015)

OSU55 said:


> *Sharpening Blades / Irons*
> 
> I have been fortunate enough to assemble and use an array of handplanes - Stanley Bailey bench, block, and specific use planes, oriental woodies of various sizes, Lee Valley Veritas bevel up and scraper planes, and some other assorted types. It took a while, as in 4-5 years of using, fettling, trying various methods of things and different plane designs to form up some conclusions from my experiences. I thought I would pass along these experiences, primarily with the lesser experienced in mind, to help them make better value decisions while getting started. You do not have to have premium planes or blades to get very good results. Pay a visit to Paul Sellers' website and take in his 40+ years of hand plane use.
> 
> ...


CBN wheels on a grinder are good for getting a primary bevel shaped on a tool. They are expensive, but prevent heat build up in the tool.


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

*Sole Flatness*

*Why Sole Flatness?*
Convex (bulging out) and concave (hollowed out) soles will cause uneven cut depths and skipping and chattering. For a convex shape, the plane rocks front to back and/or side to side. A concave shape will cause heavier cuts at the start and end of a surface, and possibly no cut in the middle. Different amounts of downward hand pressure can affect each stroke causing more confusion. Even with a very flat sole varying downward pressure will affect the cut. Reduce the variables as much as possible. A smoother should be FLAT - ideally within 0.0005"; a jointer within 0.002-0.003"; a jack within ~0.005". The flatter the better. Not the entire surface but the areas hilited in the picture:










You can see the faint remnants of magic marker used to measure progress.

*How To Get Sole Flatness*

Check the sole with a straight edge with a light behind it. I use the ruler from a carpenter's square, but anything perfectly straight works - the thinner the better. Also, mark the sole with a magic marker and stroke the plane on sandpaper on a flat surface without much downforce. I use plate glass glued to masonite fiber board that is 22" long x 9" wide - 2 sheets of sandpaper just fit. Tables for saws and jointers work, I just don't like having to remove the sandpaper and clean up the table to use the machine. I leave paper attached to the glass for various lapping activities. A light spray of aerosol adhesive at each end of the sandpaper holds it to the glass. I have found a resin coated type sandpaper is best - similar to sanding belts and just as effective.

The primary concern is flatness, not smoothness or surface finish. If you want to polish the sole to a mirror shine, it won't hurt anything, but I don't find it helps. After planing a few boards the sole gets scratched up anyway. I start with 50-60 grit paper, and maybe work up to 120. Anything beyond that looks better, but doesn't help friction after the sole is waxed. I use furniture paste wax with no silicone. During use I use a crayon, paraffin, or a candle to wax the sole. Some use feeler gauges to check flatness. I find that if the magic marker is getting removed fairly evenly by the sandpaper (see pic above), a 0.0005" feeler gauge won't fit.

It is important to clamp, or wedge, the blade in place just as it will be in use, but retracted from contact (~0.020" or so) with the sandpaper. All handles should be in place and tight. The points of contact with the plane body do create stress and cause the sole to move. I find holding the tote to push and pull, and using my other hand to apply downward pressure in different spots, depending on where the high spots are, works best. I will apply significant downward pressure initially if quite a bit needs to come off, and let up on the pressure as the sole starts to flatten out. Check the sole often with the straight edge so you know you are addressing the correct area. I'll finish the flattening (and all smoothing/polishing steps) applying light downward pressure, just like planing. I use a shop vac with a brush tip to vacuum the iron dust and loose abrasive particles every few minutes. I have had to spend several hours to get a flat sole, but that was because I didn't use aggressive enough grit to start. I will usually mark the sole and make a few passes at 120, then decide how aggressive of a grit will be needed.

The edges of the plane sole need to be rounded or tapered a bit (front, back, each side) so the sole doesn't hit a sharp edge in the wood and stop (such as the misalignment of board edges in a panel glue up) and the sides can glide over sharp edges when skewing the plane. If the sole has fairly sharp corners, I'll use a file to break the edge and round it over to about 30°. Starting with 120 paper, I hold the plane at different angles over to about 30° as I stroke it on the paper, and sand the ends by hand. It is not a lot of material removal.

I have used large granite inspection tables at work to flatten soles, and find they do not work any better than the glass/masonite setup. The glass does need to be supported on a fairly flat surface for the entire length, such as a workbench. It will bend if not supported. The 22" length will handle up to a #5 length. Longer planes like a #7 or #8 will need a longer surface. You do not want each end extending off the sandpaper more than an inch or so as you stroke it through, as it will cause a concave surface.


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## paulm12 (Oct 31, 2014)

OSU55 said:


> *Sole Flatness*
> 
> *Why Sole Flatness?*
> Convex (bulging out) and concave (hollowed out) soles will cause uneven cut depths and skipping and chattering. For a convex shape, the plane rocks front to back and/or side to side. A concave shape will cause heavier cuts at the start and end of a surface, and possibly no cut in the middle. Different amounts of downward hand pressure can affect each stroke causing more confusion. Even with a very flat sole varying downward pressure will affect the cut. Reduce the variables as much as possible. A smoother should be FLAT - ideally within 0.0005"; a jointer within 0.002-0.003"; a jack within ~0.005". The flatter the better. Not the entire surface but the areas hilited in the picture:
> ...


I am beginning woodworker, with a new interest in hand planes. (Note that this scares me after seeing the hand plane fanatics on this site !!!) I have seen on several sites that I should have the iron and cap lever installed when flattening the sole. This is apparently to ensure that the lever does not distort the plane casting. But can this really happen? A hand tight spring lever, centered in the frog body, somehow warping a heavy iron casting (with 1" high sidewalls)? I just don't see it. Is this just myth? I found it much easier to start cleaning the sole without the frog and handles installed. Thanks


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

OSU55 said:


> *Sole Flatness*
> 
> *Why Sole Flatness?*
> Convex (bulging out) and concave (hollowed out) soles will cause uneven cut depths and skipping and chattering. For a convex shape, the plane rocks front to back and/or side to side. A concave shape will cause heavier cuts at the start and end of a surface, and possibly no cut in the middle. Different amounts of downward hand pressure can affect each stroke causing more confusion. Even with a very flat sole varying downward pressure will affect the cut. Reduce the variables as much as possible. A smoother should be FLAT - ideally within 0.0005"; a jointer within 0.002-0.003"; a jack within ~0.005". The flatter the better. Not the entire surface but the areas hilited in the picture:
> ...


Well, it's not myth, it is fact, but it is a matter of degree. Typically the sole flattening process is as I describe above, using human power to do the flattening. Why not get the sole flat as possible in the shape it will be used to cut wood (frog and blade in place)? I have experimented some with it, and we are only talking 0.001" or 2, which is really only relevant for smoothing and maybe jointing, but since it takes no more time or effort, why not clamp things up and get the sole dead flat?

What method are you using that makes it easier to not have everything installed? I surface ground a #7 using a very accurate oscillating bed tooling grinder. The plane bed was stripped since there wasn't a good way to fixture otherwise.. Due to the flexing of the long plane bed it was still out by a couple of thousandths, and when I mounted everything, it twisted the bed differently and created high spots in different areas.


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## paulm12 (Oct 31, 2014)

OSU55 said:


> *Sole Flatness*
> 
> *Why Sole Flatness?*
> Convex (bulging out) and concave (hollowed out) soles will cause uneven cut depths and skipping and chattering. For a convex shape, the plane rocks front to back and/or side to side. A concave shape will cause heavier cuts at the start and end of a surface, and possibly no cut in the middle. Different amounts of downward hand pressure can affect each stroke causing more confusion. Even with a very flat sole varying downward pressure will affect the cut. Reduce the variables as much as possible. A smoother should be FLAT - ideally within 0.0005"; a jointer within 0.002-0.003"; a jack within ~0.005". The flatter the better. Not the entire surface but the areas hilited in the picture:
> ...


Thanks for reply. I am flattening on wet/dry sandpaper on a marble base. I started with only the bare casting at 80 grit (there was alot of pitting, is an old plane that I am using to learn with). Once I got up to 220 grit I re-assembled the plane as you described, and finished removing any scratch marks. I just find it easier to apply consistent downward pressure on the bare casting, that is all.

I don't yet have the tools to measure the few thousandths that the plane sole could warp when preparing. I am just wondering from a mechanical point of view how that casting can warp with only the spring pressure from the cap lever? Note that I could see this on a small block plane, just not on a large bench plane.

Anyways, thanks much for your inputs. By the way, I was able to finally use the plane today, and spent 30 minutes shaving down some 2×4s. I hope I am not hooked.


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

OSU55 said:


> *Sole Flatness*
> 
> *Why Sole Flatness?*
> Convex (bulging out) and concave (hollowed out) soles will cause uneven cut depths and skipping and chattering. For a convex shape, the plane rocks front to back and/or side to side. A concave shape will cause heavier cuts at the start and end of a surface, and possibly no cut in the middle. Different amounts of downward hand pressure can affect each stroke causing more confusion. Even with a very flat sole varying downward pressure will affect the cut. Reduce the variables as much as possible. A smoother should be FLAT - ideally within 0.0005"; a jointer within 0.002-0.003"; a jack within ~0.005". The flatter the better. Not the entire surface but the areas hilited in the picture:
> ...


With everything in place, if you marked up the sole with ink and went back to your 220gr, you maight see that the surface did change some. Not an issue unless down the road you have trouble getting thin smoother shavings or jointing an edge very straight.

Just like any of the other bad habits, just keep doin' it long enough…................


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## paulm12 (Oct 31, 2014)

OSU55 said:


> *Sole Flatness*
> 
> *Why Sole Flatness?*
> Convex (bulging out) and concave (hollowed out) soles will cause uneven cut depths and skipping and chattering. For a convex shape, the plane rocks front to back and/or side to side. A concave shape will cause heavier cuts at the start and end of a surface, and possibly no cut in the middle. Different amounts of downward hand pressure can affect each stroke causing more confusion. Even with a very flat sole varying downward pressure will affect the cut. Reduce the variables as much as possible. A smoother should be FLAT - ideally within 0.0005"; a jointer within 0.002-0.003"; a jack within ~0.005". The flatter the better. Not the entire surface but the areas hilited in the picture:
> ...


don't get me wrong, I will follow the best practice. Just still intrigued by the phenomenon. Need to see it tested.

Thanks again.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

OSU55 said:


> *Sole Flatness*
> 
> *Why Sole Flatness?*
> Convex (bulging out) and concave (hollowed out) soles will cause uneven cut depths and skipping and chattering. For a convex shape, the plane rocks front to back and/or side to side. A concave shape will cause heavier cuts at the start and end of a surface, and possibly no cut in the middle. Different amounts of downward hand pressure can affect each stroke causing more confusion. Even with a very flat sole varying downward pressure will affect the cut. Reduce the variables as much as possible. A smoother should be FLAT - ideally within 0.0005"; a jointer within 0.002-0.003"; a jack within ~0.005". The flatter the better. Not the entire surface but the areas hilited in the picture:
> ...


there are differences of opinions about the importance of having the plane together when flattening. Hell, there are even differences of opinions as to whether the sole even needs to be flattened. The bottom line is how the plane works.

As Osu55 stated, not an issue unless it doesn't work as expected.


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## benchbuilder (Sep 10, 2011)

OSU55 said:


> *Sole Flatness*
> 
> *Why Sole Flatness?*
> Convex (bulging out) and concave (hollowed out) soles will cause uneven cut depths and skipping and chattering. For a convex shape, the plane rocks front to back and/or side to side. A concave shape will cause heavier cuts at the start and end of a surface, and possibly no cut in the middle. Different amounts of downward hand pressure can affect each stroke causing more confusion. Even with a very flat sole varying downward pressure will affect the cut. Reduce the variables as much as possible. A smoother should be FLAT - ideally within 0.0005"; a jointer within 0.002-0.003"; a jack within ~0.005". The flatter the better. Not the entire surface but the areas hilited in the picture:
> ...


If its not broke dont fix it!!


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

*Chip Breakers & Cap Irons*

Cap iron or chip breaker, blade or iron - Some folks write treatises about which term is "correct". I use the one that comes to mind, they mean the same thing.

*Chip Breaker Function*

The chip breaker adds mass to the blade and adds stiffness to the blade, and with the lever cap pushing down, seats breaker & blade flat on the frog, creating more blade stiffness (cap iron). A very important, but lesser known, function of the chip breaker is to create a force down the wood fibers as they curl up from the cutting edge, down into the wood before the edge cuts it, reducing tear out. A steep bevel, 0.020"-0.030" tall, at an angle of 70°-80° to the blade, will achieve this. Typically chip breakers will have a bevel of 30°-45°, which does not turn the chip abruptly enough to create sufficient force down the fiber to prevent tear out. This doesn't make a standard 45° bevel down plane equal to a high angle smoother, but it is a definite performance improvement. Always remember a sharp blade is the first step to reducing tear out.

Another method of tear out reduction is to put a relatively high angle bevel (10°-20°) for the blade back bevel (on top of the blade). This works very well, but I find it a real pain to create and maintain that type of back bevel due to the difficulty of honing off the wire edges.

The chip breaker needs to seat to the blade along a single line at the tip of the breaker to prevent chips from getting under the breaker. Also, the lever cap should contact the chip breaker across the entire width so that clamping force is equal. The chip breaker also "carries" the blade, allowing depth of cut adjustments.
.









.
.
.
*Get The Most From The Chip Breaker*

If you have not looked at the research done on cap irons by Kawai and Kato please do. Here is a link to their video (translated) 



 , and a link to a good explanation with pictures and diagrams by David Weaver: http://www.woodcentral.com/articles/test/articles_935.shtml I put a 70°-80° bevel on the front of the chip breaker. Aftermarket chip breakers can benefit from this as well as thinner factory Stanley or other brands.

I observed far more effect in tear out reduction from a steep chip breaker bevel than a tight plane mouth. In the video, notice Kawai and Kato did not have anything holding the wood fibers down ahead of the blade. Closing up the mouth just frustrated me with clogging. With a steep breaker bevel, the frog will have to be moved back to open up the mouth more than the standard "about chip thickness". Something else to help clogging is to file an angle at the top front of the mouth - see Dwg 1 below. I use a small file from below, angled as far forward as possible without hitting the stiffening beam running across the plane body. I file down about 1/2 the casting thickness.

The chip breaker set distance from the blade edge is important. I set the chip breaker from ~0.005" to ~0.100", depending on the cut depth and wood grain. For more of a jack plane cut, it's far back. For very fine smoothing in tough grain, it is set as close as possible, 0.004-0.005", and depth is 0.001" - tissue thin. Typically softwoods do not require as close of a setting as hardwoods. Because of the force generated by turning the chip so sharply, more force is required to push the plane. For very fine smoothing (0.001") it's not really noticeable, but once you get to 0.004"-0.005" thick shavings it is very noticeable.

Shavings generated with this set up vary depending on breaker set distance and depth of cut. They can be fairly straight, wavy or wrinkly, or accordion. Straight is best as long as it controls tear out. Keep moving the breaker closer to the edge to prevent tear out. The shavings will start to get wrinkly and wavy, and eventually take on an accordion look as the breaker is moved closer. The change in the chip is caused by the chip having to change direction more and more abruptly, increasing the force through the shaving. The accordion look is caused by total failure of the wood fibers. This is the same look shavings from my 63° high angle smoother have. Get a piece of wood with changing amounts grain angle and test different settings planing against the grain.

Dwg 1 below shows the various features discussed.
.
*Dwg 1*
.








. Illustration by Ellis Walentine
.
.
.
Below is a pic of the setup I use to create the high bevel on the chip breaker. Make sure front of the breaker above the new bevel is smooth and burr free. Some light sanding after creating the bevel can take care of issues.
.








.
.
The bottom surface of the breaker that contacts the blade needs to be flattened at an angle that will create line contact with the iron and prevent chips being driven under the breaker ("negative rake"). It only takes the slightest angle. Mine are about 5°. Remember that the breaker gets pushed down and flattened out on the blade, using up some of the angle. Here is a pic:
.








.
.
The bottom of the lever cap that contacts the chip breaker needs to be flat where the chip breaker contacts. The top of the chip breaker needs to be flat across its width where the lever cap contacts. A lot of the thin Stanley style chip breakers are not flat after stamping, and uneven pressure will be applied to the blade possibly allowing chips underneath even if the bottom of the chip breaker contacting the blade is flat. Also, poor mating of the lever cap to the CB can allow the blade to vibrate (light cuts). The surface does not have to be perfectly flat or smooth - a straight file and hand sanding works.
.


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## cabmaker (Sep 16, 2010)

OSU55 said:


> *Chip Breakers & Cap Irons*
> 
> Cap iron or chip breaker, blade or iron - Some folks write treatises about which term is "correct". I use the one that comes to mind, they mean the same thing.
> 
> ...


You have a lot of information there my friend, but I can tell you we're never a professional joiner !

Three things I have observed since I first discovered woodworking forums on line (about five years ago)
1) cap IIrons are routinely called chip breakers (what's that about?)
2) grooves,gains and plows often referred to as dados , c'mon now
3) many actually call a cabinet component a gable,LOL

I think if your intention is to truly provide valuable information you may want to start with proper terminology
I see that as a little ironic, what with traveling that purist path using hand planes and all but not knowing the parts?!

enjoy Jb


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## Texcaster (Oct 26, 2013)

OSU55 said:


> *Chip Breakers & Cap Irons*
> 
> Cap iron or chip breaker, blade or iron - Some folks write treatises about which term is "correct". I use the one that comes to mind, they mean the same thing.
> 
> ...


Depends where you are from…end gables is end gables, internal gables is internal gables. Things are different other places. I have noticed everything seems to get called dado on this site.


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

OSU55 said:


> *Chip Breakers & Cap Irons*
> 
> Cap iron or chip breaker, blade or iron - Some folks write treatises about which term is "correct". I use the one that comes to mind, they mean the same thing.
> 
> ...


Appears I've found two of the village idiots that exist in this community


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## cj5 (Feb 17, 2015)

OSU55 said:


> *Chip Breakers & Cap Irons*
> 
> Cap iron or chip breaker, blade or iron - Some folks write treatises about which term is "correct". I use the one that comes to mind, they mean the same thing.
> 
> ...


Nitpicking aside, I enjoyed your article. Thank you.


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

OSU55 said:


> *Chip Breakers & Cap Irons*
> 
> Cap iron or chip breaker, blade or iron - Some folks write treatises about which term is "correct". I use the one that comes to mind, they mean the same thing.
> 
> ...


If it's something of substance I don't mind at all - I'm always open to other thoughts & ideas.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

OSU55 said:


> *Chip Breakers & Cap Irons*
> 
> Cap iron or chip breaker, blade or iron - Some folks write treatises about which term is "correct". I use the one that comes to mind, they mean the same thing.
> 
> ...


Shavings were getting caught between the chip breaker and blade and I worked the chip breaker on the Atoma stone
and got it to work but then messed it up so I checked out OSU55s' fine blog and fixed it. So….......

Thank you OSU55 .!!!

To get to the 5 degrees I used painters masking tape reassembled everything and now I'm making shavings instead of removing debris from the blade and chip breaker. 2 cool


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## fivecodys (Dec 2, 2013)

OSU55 said:


> *Chip Breakers & Cap Irons*
> 
> Cap iron or chip breaker, blade or iron - Some folks write treatises about which term is "correct". I use the one that comes to mind, they mean the same thing.
> 
> ...


I never would have thought of this on my own.
I'm getting ready to restore a couple of old Stanley Bailey No 5's. This is great information to have.
Thank you very much!


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## QuestionableAbility (Mar 28, 2015)

OSU55 said:


> *Chip Breakers & Cap Irons*
> 
> Cap iron or chip breaker, blade or iron - Some folks write treatises about which term is "correct". I use the one that comes to mind, they mean the same thing.
> 
> ...


Awesome video on the chipbreaker influence on a plane and preventing tearout.
This is the one mentioned in the writeup but with a current link.




Also, another web site with a lot of chipbreaker information is 
http://planetuning.infillplane.com/index.html


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

*Frog / Lever Cap*

The lever cap, chip breaker, blade, frog, and main casting all need to be held together well to act more or less as a single mass. Major sources of chatter are the frog not seated to the bed well, and the blade not seated on the frog well:
.
. • The blade needs to seat flat against the lower 1/3rd of the frog
. • The frog needs to seat well into the main bed
. • The chip breaker needs to seat well to the blade
. • The lever cap needs to seat well to the top of the chip breaker
.








.
*Frog*
.
It is not difficult to get the lower 1/3rd of the frog very flat, so strive for 90% contact. I use a file initially, stroking in all directions to create a flatter surface. I then use sandpaper on glass to flatten and smooth further. In the pictures below I've used red layout fluid to enhance contrast. Magic marker works well too.
.
Here is the blade seating area with just a few file passes. The center portion of the frog is high.








.
.
Blade seating area after file work. Notice the top of the seating are is untouched. Only the lower 1/3 needs to be flat. In this case, a good 90% of the whole surface is flat - it just worked out that way.








.
.
Blade seating area after a few passes on P120 sandpaper on glass. Picture is a bit fuzzy, but all is very flat and smooth now.









The better the frog seats into the plane bed the better to resist vibration and distortion when tightening everything up and in use. Below is a picture of the frog bottom at the start. I rubbed the frog on the plane bed support points. The small areas of contact show up faintly in the picture.








.
Here they are after a few minutes work with a file








.
.
To get the best frog seating, the frog should be lapped to the bed. I use automotive valve grinding compound, available for ~$4 at parts stores. Just place some on the pad areas and move the frog around over the areas. It only takes a few minutes to get the parts lapped together. All the pad surfaces were covered with layout fluid before lapping. The frog is upside down at the bottom of the picture.








.
.
*Lever Cap*
.
It's debatable how much flattening the seating area of the lever cap helps, but it certainly doesn't hurt and is quick and easy to do. If you have dressed the top and bottom of the chip breaker as described previously, and have issues with chips getting under the chip breaker or maybe some vibration, this is worth trying. Here is a cap with a few light file passes. You can see there's not much contact.








.
.
Here is the same cap after a few minutes work with a file and a few passes on P120 sandpaper.








.
.
If you follow the performance tuning tips presented through this blog, you will be able to get just about any old plane to work pretty well. Make sure nothing is cracked and no bolt holes are stripped. Thanks for taking the time to read this series, and good luck!


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

OSU55 said:


> *Frog / Lever Cap*
> 
> The lever cap, chip breaker, blade, frog, and main casting all need to be held together well to act more or less as a single mass. Major sources of chatter are the frog not seated to the bed well, and the blade not seated on the frog well:
> .
> ...


Great blog.


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## smitty22 (May 1, 2010)

OSU55 said:


> *Frog / Lever Cap*
> 
> The lever cap, chip breaker, blade, frog, and main casting all need to be held together well to act more or less as a single mass. Major sources of chatter are the frog not seated to the bed well, and the blade not seated on the frog well:
> .
> ...


Keep it coming, great information very clearly presented.
thanks!


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

*Schwarz On Honing - Guides vs Freehand*

The Church of 'Leave me Alone, Please'

By: Christopher Schwarz | May 1, 2014

During the last 17 years that I have been using a honing guide to sharpen, I've been approached (sometimes nearly assaulted) by people who want to teach me to sharpen freehand.

My response: "I sharpen freehand all the time."

They don't believe me, and so they spend an hour or so to show me how they hone their edges. Then they want me to try their technique and say: "That's fantastic! I'm throwing away my guide."

So far, that hasn't happened.

Some backstory: When I first learned to sharpen in 1993, instructor Lynn Sweet insisted we learn to do it freehand. He didn't even tell us that honing guides existed. Later, when I joined the magazine staff in 1996, I asked then-Associate Editor Jim Stuard to show me his sharpening regimen. It was freehand. And so that's how I learned how to do it.

After reading Leonard Lee's book "The Complete Guide to Sharpening" (Taunton Press), I decided to try an inexpensive Eclipse guide (what we now call the side-clamp honing guide). It gave me edges that were consistent, less-prone to error and (with apologies to the freehanders) faster.

And so during the last 10 years, I have taught both freehand sharpening and sharpening with a guide. I think it's useful to know both techniques. I like to use a side-clamp jig for edges that are straight or slightly curved. And I like to sharpen freehand for edges that are skewed, curved, V-shaped or weirder.

I've also spent a lot of time observing the sharpening routines and edges produced by freehanders, both professional and amateur. While they tell me they can produce a good edge from a completely dull edge in less than a minute, I have yet to see someone do this before my eyes and let me use their edge. Either it takes them five or six minutes, or the finished edge is sub-optimal compared to what I use.

But these are just my observations. I'm sure there are people out there who can do this; I just haven't encountered them yet.

So I'm going to ask you one last time: Please don't try to convert me, and I won't try to convert you. And why are we discussing something that is as enjoyable as taking out the garbage? Making tools dull is far more fun than making them sharp.

- Christopher Schwarz


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

OSU55 said:


> *Schwarz On Honing - Guides vs Freehand*
> 
> The Church of 'Leave me Alone, Please'
> 
> ...


All I can say to that is …..

Amen!


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

OSU55 said:


> *Schwarz On Honing - Guides vs Freehand*
> 
> The Church of 'Leave me Alone, Please'
> 
> ...


I agree, but it's not fair to copy his whole article. A link to it or reasonable size excerpts is better.


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## JulianLech (Jan 13, 2011)

OSU55 said:


> *Schwarz On Honing - Guides vs Freehand*
> 
> The Church of 'Leave me Alone, Please'
> 
> ...


Totally agree. I started out using a honing guide and later learned to hone by hand. Now I usually hone by hand because all I'm doing is refreshing the edge. But when a edge needs significant work, I use a guide. To each his own.


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## Fettler (Dec 6, 2012)

OSU55 said:


> *Schwarz On Honing - Guides vs Freehand*
> 
> The Church of 'Leave me Alone, Please'
> 
> ...


I originally started off with a honing guide as Jim Tolpin teaches at the Port Townsend school of working but since taking a handtool workshop from Rob Cosman I've converted to free hand (for most things). I've always thought it would be interesting to have a bake off of recognized woodworkers results of sharping (it's definitely something that's measurable). Hard to argue with science.

But as you said, sharpening is something tedious and whichever system is the least unpleasant is personal preference.


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

OSU55 said:


> *Schwarz On Honing - Guides vs Freehand*
> 
> The Church of 'Leave me Alone, Please'
> 
> ...


Well, I gave full and complete credit to the author for an article that is in the public domain (subscription not required), so I don't believe it's an issue. PM me if you have a problem. It's a short article that I thought folks might find interesting and otherwise might miss.

My personal position on sharpening: use a jig if at all possible. I agree with Schwarz that freehand can't provide as good an edge as jigs. Also, I don't debate the issue because science proves one is better than the other.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

OSU55 said:


> *Schwarz On Honing - Guides vs Freehand*
> 
> The Church of 'Leave me Alone, Please'
> 
> ...


It sure sounds like he trying to convert free handers to me.


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## camps764 (Dec 9, 2011)

OSU55 said:


> *Schwarz On Honing - Guides vs Freehand*
> 
> The Church of 'Leave me Alone, Please'
> 
> ...


I read this a while back on their site and totally agreed. It's weird to me that people do this. I was at the woodworking shop last year buying a honing guide. While I was standing in the aisle talking to the owner about which guide to buy - veritas vs. eclispse style - a random shopper walked up and said "real woodworker's sharpen freehand…" I chose to ignore him and continued my convo. There's an old saying about opinions that came to mind.


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## smitty22 (May 1, 2010)

OSU55 said:


> *Schwarz On Honing - Guides vs Freehand*
> 
> The Church of 'Leave me Alone, Please'
> 
> ...


Thanks again, hadn't seen that from Schwarz before, and enjoyed the read.

A comment fwiw, I'm just learning use of hand tools, just part way into Chapter 1 "sharpening", and so far the honing guide is producing best results for me for chisels and plane irons. Have tried, but results from free-handing have been inconsistent at best.

Dale


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## memilanuk (Apr 15, 2008)

OSU55 said:


> *Schwarz On Honing - Guides vs Freehand*
> 
> The Church of 'Leave me Alone, Please'
> 
> ...


Came across this today, after reading Schwarz's new book(let) 'Sharpen This'.

Sounds like he's still on the same track, the better part of a decade later. Definitely a worthwhile read.


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