I’ve received messages asking for help on how to get a perfect razor edge on hand planes. It seems many have less than perfect results using planes. Ask a hundred “experts” how to sharpen and you’ll likely get a hundred different answers. For some reason egos flourish in this area. Some craftsmen seem to guard the mystery of getting a perfect edge as if they’ve been bound to oath by past masters from the old country to keep these secrets from being divulged.
Imagine one continuous shaving ten feet long curling off your block plane the full length of your longboard stringer (or shorter if you prefer) that’s so uniformly perfect and thin you can read newsprint through it. Imagine testing a newly sharpened plane blade by running it dry up your forearm to find the only difference between it and the finest shaving razor is the razor gets clogged with hairs, while the plane blade leaves a path of smooth skin behind a mirror polished blade piled with hairs. I use a relatively simple, inexpensive, and quick method for obtaining consistent results like this without the use of expensive grinders, stones, and oils.
** NO HYPE: **
Many shaping masters have their own recipe for perfect edges and I don’t pretend to have THE one and only answer, but as a furniture maker for over 30 years who has also crafted a few multi-stringer balsa surfboards, I’ve tried most every method ever divulged over the years in search of the perfect edge. I’ve found that it actually takes a sharper edge to get a clean crisp edge on some soft fibered woods (especially end grain) than it does on very hard and dense woods. I’ll convey a simple, proven and effective method, I use for sharpening small planes like the block plane so that you can achieve the kind of results mentioned above. I feel this sharpening method is especially perfect for the surfboard shaper who isn’t necessarily interested in mysterious secrets with all the associated science, theory, and hype. If you feel you have sharpening mastered you can click on to the next post, but if you feel you might use a little help, hopefully the following will help you get amazing results. . I’ll warn you again this is long, but after deciding whether or not to post this, I felt it had to be detailed or not at all.
** MY SECRET: **
Over the years I’ve collected a vast collection of sharpening equipment, including exotic oil, water, and ceramic stones, jigs, abrasives, diamond lap plates, grinders, and more. My secret is that I now seldom use any of it to sharpen most of my plane blades and chisels. About sixteen years ago I was fortunate to spend two weeks with a European master craftsman, now passed away, who revealed his sharpening secret…SANDPAPER! Stay with me, this is good stuff.
If anyone else had told me back then that I could sharpen my fine cherished tools with sandpaper, I would have laughed in their face. However, one of the worlds most respected craftsmen and teachers did the laughing the day he watched a few of us go into shock once we saw the results. Most professionals who use this method seem reluctant to admit it because it’s not as romantic as performing complicated rituals using sharpening stones and honing oils. I’ve noticed many in recent years have begun to sharpen tools with new advanced abrasive papers. I understand renowned furniture maker, Michael Dunbar, teaches a version of this method he calls “scary sharp” to 600+ students annually at his Windsor Institute furniture school in New England. Some of the pros on Swaylocks are probably familiar with this sharpening method.
There are huge advantages to this method over stones. You use no oils, no water, and there’s no mess to clean up. The items needed for this method cost a fraction of the price of stones and grinders. Many have heard of this method or read summarized explanations, but have either found poor results or never understood it enough to give it an honest try. The actual process of taking a plane blade from near useless to incredibly sharp and polished is far quicker and easier than writing this. With a little practice the results will astound you.
** THE RIGHT PLANE: **
Most bargain planes don’t use steel that has been tempered to hold an edge. Experience has taught me the most expensive tool you can buy is the cheap one that you have to throw away to replace with the one you should have “invested” in first. The block plane was not found in the tool cabinet of the typical early craftsman, because it was originally designed for meat cutters to true up the end grain tops of butcher blocks, thus called a block plane. It is however, perfect for small work. If you’re only going to own one block plane, I suggest a Stanley “No. 9 ½” or Record No. 09 ½ with adjustable mouth. The Record has a longer lever cap and is a slight step up in quality. There are more expensive planes, but if you are a surfboard shaper, primarily planing softwood stringers, you don’t need them. I’m often asked, so I’ll tell you my favorite block plane is made by Lie Nielsen Company (seen in my website in the skegs section of “wave rider collection”). Its drawback is the fact it’s priced about four times the Stanley at $150.
** SERIES OF POSTS: **
I’ll do this in a series of five consecutive numbered posts with attached photos (taken by my wife), similar to the way Bert Burger explained his methods for making wood fins a few months back. I’ll attempt to keep it basic while still trying to be as detailed as possible to get the point across. If possible, perhaps you can allow me to post all five before your next post. I’ll check in and answer any questions you may have in following posts and you guys that may already use a version of this sharpening method can jump in also.
[img_assist|nid=1050044|title=Balsa shaving containing redwood stringer|desc=Balsa shaving containing redwood stringer. Unlike harder woods, the spongy fibers of soft woods are easily crushed by a tool’s edge, so it actually requires a sharper blade to achieve a shaving like this.|link=none|align=none|width=504|height=378]
[img_assist|nid=1050045|title=Polished planer blades|desc=Blades are so polished it is difficult to see the actual outline of the blade due to the reflection. Beginning with a rough and tarnished blade, this was achieved in less than ten minutes.|link=none|align=none|width=321|height=454]
[img_assist|nid=1050047|title=Planer blades so sharp you can shave with them|desc=The surgeons at the hospital where my wife works say my blades are sharper than their surgery knives – “very hairy sharp”.|link=none|align=none|width=378|height=356]