# A very straight forward sharpening video



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

This one is for plane blades, standard and low angle:


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

Interesting video, but I question whether it is the best way to sharpen plane blades. It all depends on what you mean by "best."

What bothers me is the way he uses a saw blade or other thin piece to put a micro-bevel on the back of the plane blade. If you follow the author's approach, it will be prohibitively difficult to flatten the back of the blade in the future. The author rightly points out that it does not matter, because you do not use most of the blade anyway. This is the approach you might follow if you want expediency. You get to use the blade quickly, focusing on the project. 

I feel differently about it. What the author does might not be the best approach for the long term. 

It takes a lot of work to flatten a plane blade, but once it is done, you should not have to go through it again in your lifetime. If the plane blade gets dull or nicked, you may have to re-create the bevel, but you already know that the back is flat. The back may require a touch-up every few years, but it should not require much effort, if any at all.

I just spent many hours on a 1 inch chisel, because its previous owner did not properly flatten the back. The back has a sort-of unintentional micro-bevel, which is taking a lot of work to remove, because you must take down the metal behind it until the back is flat. Once done, it is done. For life, I hope. 

The author points out that plane blades are different than chisels, and he is right. They are used differently. It doesn't matter, because I feel that he has "ruined" the blade for someone like me who wants a flat back. That was a really nice new blade that started out flat or nearly flat. Why mess it up forever? 

If you like and follow the author's approach, who am I to argue? His method works, and works well. That said, think hard about the long term consequences to your nice plane blades before you put micro bevels on the _backs_. It is easy to follow the author's approach, but not easy to go back. That's my objection, and that's my 2c worth. 

Additional Notes You Can Safely Ignore:

* I do not object to using micro-bevels on the bevel side of the blade, which is much easier to correct if needed, up to grinding a new bevel if required. 

* I highly recommend the Veritas Deluxe Honing Guide Set that he uses in the video. The Veritas Deluxe Honing Guide Set has special adjustments for creating a micro-bevel on the bevel-side, which the author never mentions. Perhaps it is because he can't use it to put the micro-bevel on the back. Could there be a reason that Veritas did not provide a way to do it?

* The Veritas set also includes a camber roller, but perhaps the author wants less of a camber. 

http://www.veritastools.com/Products/Page.aspx?p=144


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