# Sharpening my tools!



## Splinters_will_occur (Jul 31, 2011)

I know this must be quite a common and simple topic but I.am in need of some assistance. I'm looking to sharpen my own tools instead of taking them somewhere. So that being said! I have been looking into whetstones and I honestly don't have the first clue. 

I thought I would understand this a bit more that way as I practice with my planes and chisels I can keep them Sharp! Thanks in advance.


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## H. A. S. (Sep 23, 2010)

Do a lot of reading, keep it simple. "Search", and Youtube is your friend.


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## Splinters_will_occur (Jul 31, 2011)

Heh, I know. I thought I may get a bit more direction via this route though.


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## ChiknNutz (Apr 22, 2011)

I've always liked to sharpen my own tools. After using whetstones for several years, I picked up a Lansky several years ago to get a really nice edge on my knives. Along a similar line, I found that there are jigs to help keep a consistent angle for chisels and the like. I recently picked up the Veritas MK II and am so far very pleased with it. I use it with sandpaper, rather than stones as the sandpaper is inexpensive and can be easily replaced as it wears out.
Here are a couple videos on the subject.
http://www.howcast.com/videos/1898-How-To-Quickly-Sharpen-Your-Hand-Tools
http://www.woodsmith.com/magazine/extras/165/sandpaper-sharpening/


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

A good place to start would be what are you looking to sharpen... There is a whole lot of different tools with an edge they all require a different method.

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## Splinters_will_occur (Jul 31, 2011)

Well all I have right now in my arsenal would be a rip saw, dovetail saw, coping saw, chisels, and a hand plane. 

I'm mainly wondering about the methods for the handplane and chisels.


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## jaxonquad (Jan 26, 2011)

The number one rule (my opinion) to sharpening, anything, using any method ...work with a purpose....IOW pay attention to what you are doing, and you will get good results.


As for techniques or equipment, I use whetstones, or sandpaper. Prefer pulling over pushing ...blah blah ....

Saws are a completely different story!


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

...

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## Splinters_will_occur (Jul 31, 2011)

Why the .... ???


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## Splinters_will_occur (Jul 31, 2011)

Oooooo.... I see! Thats a pretty sweet set up. Sorry my phone didnt see that image.


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

Rockler sells a starter set similar to that with the glass, sandpaper and jig. I have it and it works pretty well. 

Also, I just saw that Christopher Schwartz came out with "The Last Word on Sharpening" DVD. Haven't checked it out yet. 
http://www.shopwoodworking.com/product/last-word-on-sharpening-w5879/


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

I use the set up like Tom does and finish up with a hard felt wheel with polishing compound, then polishing compound on a piece of hard leather glued to a flat wooden paddle and last I polish with leather on a paddle using toothpaste. (Toothpaste is about a 8,000 grit) If I get cut with one of my knives I don't feel it or most times don't know it til I see blood. (most of my knives are used for wood carving)

My test for sharpness is to cut across the end grain of cherry or oak, if sharp the knife will glide through easily and leave a glossy look.


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## byrd (Nov 17, 2010)

To get started I think the glass and sandpaper is going to be your cheapest route. You will need to practice a lot and your hands will get sore, you may want to take breaks while you are sharpening so you don't get burned out and turned off by it. When you get it down you will have a very firm hand shake. I have never used the angle jigs, but I can see were they would help. I think I get as much enjoyment from sharpening a fine plane iron as much as I do working the wood sometimes. As stated above, cutting across the edge of a board is a lot better test than shaving your arm hair off. The old WW I learned from said if he wanted to shave he would buy a razor, even though his stuff was always razor sharp.


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

Last fall I started buying and fixing old hand-planes, though I'm no-where near the addict some others here are (yet).

I went with a sheet of glass, a stack of sheets of sand-paper, and an angle jig. I have a couple of plane irons that were too badly chipped to clean up that way, and I used a shop-made angle jig (a piece of 2x4 cut to the angle I wanted), a sanding disk, and my drill press to re-shape them. The advantage there is that it's easy to make short contacts without changing the angle. I hate working with grinding wheels, so the sanding disk (around 60 grit, and getting the grooves out of the blade does take some effort later!) is an easy solution. Just use short taps of the drill press, though, to avoid too much heat build up.

All my planes cut nicely now, and it's not that much work. It's just time consuming.


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## Visions (Jun 16, 2011)

Get yourself either a nice piece of flat tempered glass or a granite surface plate (Grizzly sells them cheap, as does Woodcraft), get a can of spray adhesive, and then either grab some honing film (basically special sandpaper for sharpening, Woodcraft and others sell it) or get some wet/dry paper in 320-400-600-1000-1500-2000-2500 grit, and finally, get yourself that cheap $10 honing guide from Woodcraft or from Ebay, make a stop block at the dimensions specified in the paperwork with the honing guide, and get to work sharpening! 

Richard Kell also makes some very, very nice honing guides, probably the best money can buy. I have his #2 guide, and it's as fine a tool as could possibly be made to guide a blade over a stone. Well worth the money!
http://www.richardkell.co.uk/honingECom.htm


If you ever want to spend some money, buy a WorkSharp 3000 and don't look back, regardless of what anyone tells you. They are the best deal going right now for sharpening plane irons, chisels, and carving chisels. Granted you will still want to strop carving chisels, but that's another story for another day. 
The WS3000 will put a razor edge on anything, end of story. 
And no, the WS2000 is NOT just as good. It's not bad, but it has a higher speed and isn't as well suited to fine woodworking tools. 

Or, if you want something that's a bit of a pain in the ass, but will put a serious edge on anything and do planer knives as well, Grizzly makes both an 8" and a 10" Tormek knock off, and they work VERY well, but are more of a pain than the WS3000. I have the 8" version myself, and it does work very well, the WS3000 is just a bit easier and faster and doesn't require water. But, I only paid $80 for the Grizzly. It is a good way to go if you want a powered grinder, but don't want to lay out the cash for the WS3000. It comes with a guide for flat blades too.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/8-Grinder-Sharpener/T10097

And lastly, Rockler sells a nice sharpening starter kit with waterstones, and that too is a nice way to go. I have the kit, and it's worth the price. And as has been mentioned, they sell a kit with glass and sandpaper as well.

Good luck and happy sharpening! Any questions on what I recommended, just hit me with an email, I'm happy to help!
Wayne


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## calwilliams63 (Dec 17, 2008)

You might want to check out Rob Cosman's method of sharpening. Simple and fast with amazing results! I use to hate sharpening my chisels and planes but now it literally takes me only minutes to do. Makes using hand tools much more enjoyable knowing it's not going to take you all day to re-sharpen them.


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