Ruler Trick on a Bevel Up Smoother?

[Allan Froehlich]

Hello Creekers!

I am wondering if anyone has used the ruler trick when sharpening a bevel-up plane? I have 2 LV BU planes and I thought I would check here before possibly making a mistake that will take half a day to repair.

Thanks!

[Sam Takeuchi]

You can certainly do that. It won't affect negatively. LV blades come as flat as nearly perfect, so you don't need to use ruler trick to get it flat, but it does help removing wear from the back side of the blade. If you strop on leather, you can leave it flat, leather will take care of the back edge for you. If you don't strop, a little ruler trick wouldn't hurt.

[Don Dorn]

I'll put my flame suit on here, but I have dispensed with the ruler trick for a couple of reasons. First, I make a point to buy Hock, LN or LV blades and like Sam says - they come flat so all I do is polish them, therefore not necessary to do the ruler trick.

The second is that I find that making the effort up front to polish the back, I never have to worry about it again or spend any time on it. When it comes time to freshen the blade, I draw the secondary bevel back on a 1200 diamond stone a few times until the bur is present (usually 7 or 8), then do the same on the 8000 stone. I then turn it on the back and wipe the burr off and get back to work. Takes more time to get the stuff out and put it away by far. Actual sharpening is a minute or slightly less and it's returned to an edge that will wipe hair off your arm with no effort.

[Mark Roderick]

Don, that is my experience also. The time spent on the initial flattening and polishing of the back is well worth it over the life of the blade.

[Tri Hoang]

+1 on what Don said. I found that the quicker I can sharpen the blade, the more likely I'd sharpen one when needed in the middle of a project. For a BU plane, it takes about 2 minutes with the Shaptons (no pre-soak).

[Allan Froehlich]

I know that the back of the blade is very flat to begin with. I am simply interested in an alternative way to produce an extra sharp edge on my LV planes.

[John Coloccia]

If the back is flat, I agree that stropping is usually all that's needed. That's my experience, anyway. Since I sharpen very frequently, I usually just have a teeny tiny burr that needs to be polished off, and stropping handles that. If you go a long time between sharpening, you can end up with quite a large burr that you need to hone off. If that happens to me, I simply hone it very quickly, hone the bevel again, and then strop.

That's just what works for me.

I'll also mention that the only plane iron's I've had that have come dead flat are my Veritas, but I haven't used any of the aftermarket irons. Even my LNs needed a bit of work, and for those I just do the ruler trick. I'm much too impatient to take the time and flatten my irons.

[dan sherman]

Take a look at this page, it explains why the ruler trick is a good thing on plane blade in certain scenarios. I now use the ruler trick every time I sharpen a plane blade, and i can tell the difference.

http://www3.telus.net/BrentBeach/Sharpen/bevel%20up.html

[Jay Davidson]

IMHO, best way i've found to get a sharp iron (two sides approaching infinity) is to practice technique, hold a consistent angle, know what you're doing right and wrong; takes practice and analysis, kind of a scientific approach. As to a back-bevel, ask top knife makers, they will tell you a flat face and beveled edge (like an iron or chisel) is the sharpest and these are the guys that almost always do a double-bevel knife edge.

Toshi Odata and Garret Hack have excellent sections about sharpening in their wonderful books. Chris Schwartz has a new on out; I like what he says, something like: "spend more time understanding what you are doing, and less time actually working on the stone." Frustrating, but that's what single-malts are for.

[Derek Cohen]

I avoid the Ruler Trick like the plague! The RT was designed for blade backs that are old, pitted and too much effort to get flat. David Charlesworth was inspired in this regard. BUT for BU planes they are a big no-no if you sharpen and maintain blades as I do.

The thing is that I strop my BU blades as I work to maintain the edge as much as possible. You cannot strop the bevel face with the secondary bevel (I just do not have the hand- and eye skills of Superman to maintain the angle that is on the microbevel :) ). So all one is left with is the back of the blade, and it you add a microbevel there (in the form of the RT), then you cannot strop the back either.

Stropping may be on anything - leather, wood or a waterstone.

Stropping one side of the blade does help significantly. It is not as good as stropping both sides, but it will keep the blade going at least three times as long in the hard, abrasive woods I use.

The other thing that stropping the back does is minimise any possible incursion of a wear bevel.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tom Henderson2]

I avoid the Ruler Trick like the plague! The RT was designed for blade backs that are old, pitted and too much effort to get flat.

Derek

What basis do you have for saying this? I've seen David's DVD's, and read his books, and don't recall any suggestion that the RT is only intended for old blades.

-TH

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Tom

It started out that way. I have had many conversations (on forums) with David over the years, and on one occasion this is what he told me. It developed into more than the original intent.

What one must keep in mind that the RT works well (I used to use it years ago), but it suits users of honing guides on non-laminated blades. I emphasise that it is only those who either freehand blades or wish to strop blades who will become frustrated with this method. It is not for all, but it works well as a shortcut for many.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Leigh Betsch]

I've never met a ruler that needed sharpening.

[Paul Murphy]

Take a look at this page, it explains why the ruler trick is a good thing on plane blade in certain scenarios. I now use the ruler trick every time I sharpen a plane blade, and i can tell the difference.

http://www3.telus.net/BrentBeach/Sharpen/bevel%20up.html
That's an interesting read Dan, thanks for that. It sure gives me something to think about. The explanaition of wear bevel on both sides of the blade is great.

David Charlsworth makes a point of mentioning the "ruler trick" adds only about 1 degree of bevel to the back of the blade. As far as effective cutting angle goes, I can't see where 1 degree would be significant (I checked the math on this, and came up with 1.19 degrees).

[Randy Klein]

I don't use the ruler trick on BU planes, but I do use back bevels, which is the same thing. I use back bevels on all my irons, BU and BD. I made my own sharpening jig (similar to Brent's that was linked to earlier) that makes this extremely simple to do. I've never had sharper irons.

[lowell holmes]

I wouldn't presume to take exception, but here is a recent account of my using the ruler trick on a BU jack plane. (I have a smoother coming).
While working some contrary grain in some walnut, the only plane I had (including a 4 1/2 smoother) that would handle it was the BU jack with the 50 degree iron. I had sharpened the iron previously, and it had not been used that much. I do freehand sharpen most of the time.
Pushing the 50 degree iron requires more effort than the normal 38 degree iron I use. After a bit, I decided to sharpen the 50 degree iron.

The iron had been honed on the bevel and the back. I strop after honing. I haven't used the back bevel on any of the irons prior to this, but I did use the ruiler trick on the 50 degree iron and the force required to push the plane through the gnarly wood eased noticeably. My first shaving after this was continuous full width and paper thin.

I don't plan on back beveling the 25 or 38 degree irons.

[Randy Klein]

. I haven't used the back bevel on any of the irons prior to this, but I did use the ruiler trick on the 50 degree iron and the force required to push the plane through the gnarly wood eased noticeably. My first shaving after this was continuous full width and paper thin.


Only a guess, but I presume that the back bevel removed the wear bevel for the first time and this is what allowed the pushing force to be less. I say that because a back bevel on a BU iron shouldn't make the pushing force any less.

[lowell holmes]

The iron had only been used a time or two. It was sharp and had no apparent wear. After I sharpened the iron with the back bevel, the iron was noticeably sharper.
I don't deny the iron could have been less sharp as it could have been, but the back of my irons are kept mirror bright which is how I judge smoothness.
I think the back bevel created a cutting edge that was straighter and sharper than what I had achieved before. There is not much visibilty of the back bevel. I only take 2 or 3 passes when doing it.

[dan sherman]

I don't deny the iron could have been less sharp as it could have been, but the back of my irons are kept mirror bright which is how I judge smoothness.
I think the back bevel created a cutting edge that was straighter and sharper than what I had achieved before. There is not much visibilty of the back bevel. I only take 2 or 3 passes when doing it.

Your on the money Lowell, you made a straighter , flatter edge.