Came over to the dark side.

[keith micinski]

I just received my first hand plane yesterday and am loving it. It has a little surface rust on it and the tote has a small crack in it but it really does seem like it is in great shape to me. My question is, I received the plane already sharpened but obviously I am going to have to maintain the blade. I am going to use this plane very little so my thoughts are that it would be better to maintain the blade more often rather then letting it get pretty bad before I try to sharpen it. Does this make sense? I have read up on the scary sharp method and am probably going to use this method until I come across a Worksharp 3000 for a good price. My thoughts are if I want to just maintain the blade then I could probably start out with a thousand and then 2 thousand grit as long as it is not nicked or in bad shape. Then I have to figure out what to use for a strop and I am assuming my local woodworking place will have the compound I need. Since this is the only Blade I have and will probably only be joined by a rabbeting block plane I am trying to keep my sharpening costs to a bare minimum. Does anyone else have any other suggestions? I know that sharpening is a very subjective thing and I admit I am probably only looking for good results, I don't need to get the crazy results that most hand tool aficionados get because I don't plan on living and dying by these blades.

[Jim Koepke]

I am going to use this plane very little so my thoughts are that it would be better to maintain the blade more often rather then letting it get pretty bad before I try to sharpen it.

That is a very good idea, it is also my preferred method.

You might also try looking in to lapidary shops (rock shops). They use a lot of the same compounds for sharpening. That is where I picked up a green stick that is now my preferred stropping compound. My current most used sharpening stone was picked up for $1 at a rock show. It was in a bin of novaculite. The sellers new it was from Arkansas, one of the folks said it was a kind of flint and some people used it for sharpening knives. Only one of the people recognized the name novaculite when I mentioned it. Novaculite is a kind of flint.

Honing on that and a few swipes on my honing leather will get it almost as sharp as my 8000 water stone. As we get away from freezing weather in my area the 8000 stone will likely get more work.

So, if you like being a treasure hunter, there is a lot of treasure out there just waiting to be found.

For fine grades of abrasive paper, check with an auto supply store. It is used by people who paint cars. Not all auto stores will carry it. You might also check with a shop that paints cars to see where they get theirs.

To get hunks of good granite to use for mounting abrasive paper check with someone who puts in kitchen counters. Smooth stone floor tiles can also be used. Last but not least, check with a monument maker (grave stone carver) for scraps. The monument maker is more likely to charge as they can use even the smallest scraps. Counter makers have to find a way to get rid of their scraps.

jtk

[keith micinski]

Well I already have a granite counter top from an old vanity that has been sitting around doing nothing so I think I am going to set it up as a sharpening station. I think the sand paper will work for me also because with any luck I wont be sharpening blades all of the time.

[Joe A Faulkner]

... Since this is the only Blade I have and will probably only be joined by a rabbeting block plane...

Good luck with that - stay away from ebay, Sawmill Creek classifieds, Lee Valley catalogs, and you might stop at two. These things are like Lays potato chips - hard to stop at just one.

[keith micinski]

Ya I felt kind of silly as I was typing that since I already have been looking for other stuff.

[James Scheffler]

Well actually, I think you've got it backwards. This is the light side. But you're welcome here in any case!

Jim S.

[Paul Incognito]

Hi Keith,
Glad the plane made the journey ok.
FYI, I sharpened it using DMT and Shaptons.
I do the rough shaping on a course DMT, run it through the diamond grits, then do the final hone on a Shapton 8000 and polish on a Shapton 12000. To maintain the edge you probably only need a 4000/8000 combo stone. It's not the cheapest way to go, but in the long run it's actually pretty cost effective when you consider that it'll last for years.
My 2 cents.
Enjoy your new plane and welcome to the slope.
Paul

[keith micinski]

Thanks Paul I'll look into getting a 4000/8000 stone. One question I was going to ask was that the very tip of the bevel on the blade was more highly polished and I was assuming this was done on purpose. I was wondering though what angle that was done at if the rest of the blade was done at 25 degrees?

[Paul Incognito]

Keith,
Yes, the primary bevel is 25 degrees, the edge shows a 26 degree micro bevel. I use the Veritas jig, so micro bevels are easy.
Paul