Federico Mena Quintero
06-14-2013, 11:52 PM
I have a smoothing plane whose iron, through repeated sharpening, had acquired bevel that was too convex - the kind that makes the belly of the bevel rest on the wood to be planed, instead of the very tip.
So, this is the first time that I've really used my big sandstone wheel for something other than puttering around:
264497
That's a relatively old photo; since then I've removed that tool rest and made a proper one that can tilt.
First I ground the iron's edge itself so that it was straight and square to the iron's sides (checked with a metal square) - the edge had acquired a camber that was a bit excessive for a smoothing plane. Then I set to grinding the convex bevel. I clamped a strip of wood to the tool rest to act as a guide. The stone is not perfectly true; it has a tiny bump where the chipped-out part is. But since I was pushing down on the iron, it rode the bump with little trouble.
Once the bevel had lost its belly and I was close to the edge, I went to the waterstones. 600, 1000, 8000... and the plane cuts like a dream again. I'm so happy to finally put this big grinding wheel to good use.
I guess I learned that grinding doesn't need to be ultra-precise. Initially I was worried that my grind would be uneven - and it is not perfectly even in the end. But it seems that as long as you take away enough material to let the stones do their job easily, you'll get a good, sharp edge.
So, this is the first time that I've really used my big sandstone wheel for something other than puttering around:
264497
That's a relatively old photo; since then I've removed that tool rest and made a proper one that can tilt.
First I ground the iron's edge itself so that it was straight and square to the iron's sides (checked with a metal square) - the edge had acquired a camber that was a bit excessive for a smoothing plane. Then I set to grinding the convex bevel. I clamped a strip of wood to the tool rest to act as a guide. The stone is not perfectly true; it has a tiny bump where the chipped-out part is. But since I was pushing down on the iron, it rode the bump with little trouble.
Once the bevel had lost its belly and I was close to the edge, I went to the waterstones. 600, 1000, 8000... and the plane cuts like a dream again. I'm so happy to finally put this big grinding wheel to good use.
I guess I learned that grinding doesn't need to be ultra-precise. Initially I was worried that my grind would be uneven - and it is not perfectly even in the end. But it seems that as long as you take away enough material to let the stones do their job easily, you'll get a good, sharp edge.