# OUCH thats sharp!! My first Plane



## Grubgrub (Mar 7, 2011)

Well I got my new Stanley #4 in the mail yesterday :thumbsup: I'm way excited to use it. 

I know that keeping my plane sharp is very important. So I'm interested in everyones opinions on how you sharpen your tools (planes, chisels, drill bits, router bits).

I'm planing on getting a nice flat piece of glass to stick some wet 600-800grit sand paper for shaping, then finishing with a wet stone 1000-4000g. 

As a kid I was always taught to push the blade to sharpen but every were I look online I see people pulling the blade and side to side strokes then chasing the bur.

What is your opinion?


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## cjward (Feb 15, 2011)

That's the way I would do it. Also add some oil to your stone, this will carry the fine steel cuttings and prevent then from becoming embedded in the pores of the stone and glazing the surface. I generally use a back and forth motion when sharpening until I am about finished then just forward. Don't forget to make sure the back is flat. If you get some nicks in the blade after much use, u can knock them off by grinding with the appropiate angle on a cutoff saw blade. Hope this helps


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Check out Rob's video, he'll change the way you think about sharpening. His work is absolutely amazing, btw.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

cjward said:


> That's the way I would do it. Also add some oil to your stone, this will carry the fine steel cuttings and prevent then from becoming embedded in the pores of the stone and glazing the surface. I generally use a back and forth motion when sharpening until I am about finished then just forward. Don't forget to make sure the back is flat. If you get some nicks in the blade after much use, u can knock them off by grinding with the appropiate angle on a cutoff saw blade. Hope this helps


+1... if it's an older plane I'm rebuilding a start with a belt sander to establish my bevel and to flaten the back, then move to a makita wet grinder, then to 500 then 800 on glass... And I too go forward and back til my last 10 or so passes where I only go forward. I also alternate front to back the last few passes to eleminate bur. I skip the stone and move to the old leather belt I use to strop it... Just my method...

~tom


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

firemedic said:


> +1... if it's an older plane I'm rebuilding a start with a belt sander to establish my bevel and to flaten the back, then move to a makita wet grinder, then to 500 then 800 on glass... And I too go forward and back til my last 10 or so passes where I only go forward. I also alternate front to back the last few passes to eleminate bur. I skip the stone and move to the old leather belt I use to strop it... Just my method...
> 
> ~tom



Yes, that's always been the way I do it.

I don't do the wet grinder, all by hand.


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## Grubgrub (Mar 7, 2011)

firemedic said:


> I skip the stone and move to the old leather belt I use to strop it... Just my method...
> 
> ~tom


Thats a first I've heard of using the leather belt. Are toughs hard to find or is it just a compound you put on a leather strap?


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Grubgrub said:


> Thats a first I've heard of using the leather belt. Are toughs hard to find or is it just a compound you put on a leather strap?


Lol.. Honestly when I was just a kid and got my first plane I didn't have money to spend so I did everything on the cheap... It's the same belt that sacraficed in the name of wood working close to 15 yrs ago 

if it ain't broke, don't fix it right?

~tom


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## Brink (Nov 22, 2010)

Everyone has their own technique, that's cool 

BTW, I strop with a piece of maple that occasionally gets a smear of polishing compound on it. I've heard of people using cork.


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

Hollow grind on an ancient two spd Stanley 8" grinder(Baldor),set on slow.

Then litely hone a bevel to connect the two points on hollow grind.One at the tip is most important,use the other side of "hollow" more as a honing guide.On an Arkansas stone,very fine.

Back get litely slicked on a 1200 Diamond stone,new and flat.

Carefully buffed to a mirrors edge on red rouge charged,10" buffing wheel.

And that just took longer to write than actually doin it...haha.BW


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