Problem cutting miters on my shooting board

[Cameron Wood]

Darn, I though I might win that one...

[Jim Koepke]

Would these premium planes need the ruler trick to get them functional?

It seems to me one of those shortcuts that you get stuck with once you start using them.

Is there any plane in need of the ruler trick to work well?

Getting stuck with a shortcut to save a little time can take a lot more time to undo when it loses its effect.

Secondary bevels are no longer secondary when they become the major part of the bevel. One of my chisels came with a hollow grind that didn't need serious work to be made useable. This chisel has been one of my go to chisels for well over a decade. It has only recently become a mostly flat bevel and will likely stay that way.

Oops, straying a bit…

The only "bevel" on any back of my blades is by accident or wear.

As always,

YMMV.png

If it works for you then so it goes.

jtk

[Derek Cohen]

I do not use the Ruler Trick, but did so for a while about 20 or so years ago. In my opinion, if done correctly, it would not affect shooting and is not the cause of any issues. We are talking 1/3 of a degree here! That would not affect anything regarding performance. I stopped using it as it complicated sharpening.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

I do not use the Ruler Trick, but did so for a while about 20 or so years ago. In my opinion, if done correctly, it would not affect shooting and is not the cause of any issues. We are talking 1/3 of a degree here! That would not affect anything regarding performance. I stopped using it as it complicated sharpening.

Regards from Perth

Derek

To me it seems the problem with the ruler trick is its imprecision. People have different widths of stones and rulers. I'm not even sure about the correct way to do the movement of the blade. It seems side to side would be best to produce a flat bevel. If the blade were moved forward and back, it could make a convex bevel and a bit steeper. In an extreme case, honing back and forth with the length of the blade, on a 1/16" thick ruler using a narrow stone might be a problem.

Clearly I may not understand the proper steps involved with performing the ruler trick. For me it is simpler to not use it.

jtk

[mike stenson]

Impreceision. Well, if we're sharpening by hand, that's the nature of things. I agree with Derek, it's not going to bethe cause of issues. It's just another step.