Sharpening the V router plane iron

[Derek Cohen]

I have a lot of tenons to tweak and fit - 32 cheeks in all. Hopefully most will need just the smallest of tuning. One of my preferred methods is the router plane (I think it was David Charlesworth who first suggested this). I tend to use the 1/2" straight iron in the widest router plane, which is the Veritas. It occurred to me that I might use the V-iron this time around.

Mine was dull from use. I have always honed it my freehanding the bevel faces on my stones. This has not been as satisfactory as I would have liked since over time the bevels have become a little rounded. It occurred to me that I could use a technique in sharpening them that I use with the Chris Vesper marking knife, which also has a V-blade ..

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Sharpening/Router%20irons/chrisvesper-2_zpste2vnivw.jpg

What I do is hollow grind the bevels, and this makes it a 2 second process to hone the iron. Done once, the hollow grind should last years. I use a Tormek, but the principle could be transferred to any other grinder - just watch for heat. I have not come across this method elsewhere. Let me know if you have method of your own.

The V-iron is similar for both the Veritas and the Stanley (and no doubt Record) models in that the V- blade head screws to the shaft, and may be separated. Veritas supply a handle that will screw onto the head to hold it while sharpening. For the purposes of clearance when grinding, the head was screwed to the reverse side of the handle, and then locked into the blade holder of the Tormek ...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Sharpening/Router%20irons/1a_zps133i6w7r.jpg

Square the diagonal of the V iron ...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Sharpening/Router%20irons/2a_zpshgn1wbla.jpg

... and then set the bevel angle to 30 degrees ...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Sharpening/Router%20irons/3a_zpsqylmeizn.jpg

Grind the one side, and then reverse the blade and set it up exactly the same way as before ...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Sharpening/Router%20irons/4a_zpsqlwy1dju.jpg

The resulting hollow makes it very easy to hone the edge. One stroke on a worn 600 grit Eze-lap, and then a stroke or two on a Spyderco Medium and Ultra Fine, polish the back, and we are done ..

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Sharpening/Router%20irons/6a_zpsqfncykwl.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Sharpening/Router%20irons/7a_zpsqp8xb8vi.jpg

Here is the side view with the relief angle ..

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Sharpening/Router%20irons/9a_zpsmclzwo4d.jpg

I found that it is important that the V is centred to achieve an even shaving. If not centred, it just dug in on one side.

In use, the V iron works well ... but I do not see it replacing the straight iron, which is less complicated in use. One advantage of the V iron, however, is that it can get into corners more easily. Maybe with a bit more practice. This edge is so sharp that fine shavings are a must. Deeper and the point digs in.

Here is the shaving as it occurs ..

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Sharpening/Router%20irons/10a_zpswcyk6yom.jpg

And here is the result: a smooth surface across the grain ...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Sharpening/Router%20irons/11a_zpsjtpmo0pk.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

Great tutorial Derek.

The V blade is one of my favorites of late.

In my case, not having a grinder it just gets done freehand.

jtk

[Mike Cherry]

Funny you posted this, I just regroun my v shaped marking blade. I'm ashamed to admit that I just eyeballed it. I would probably be more careful about the v blade for my router though. Is the 600 grit eze lap stone a new addition to your shop?

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Mike

Eyeballing is fine - if you have a good eye. If I did not have the blade holder system of the Tormek, I would clamp a guide to a tool rest to maintain the grind angles.

The 600 is about 15 years old. It hones now at around 2000-3000 grit.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Reinis Kanders]

How comes you did not use your CBN wheel? Would it be too fast if the setup is not spot on?

[ian maybury]

Hi Derek/guys. I posted this before, but here's some pics of the DIY aluminium knife/spokeshave honing jig again.

The jig is from 6082T6 aluminium flat bar using hand tools, although a mill would certainly have made the job faster and easier. It's since been anodised to prevent staining, and had stops added to stabilise the clamp/do the job of the spacing washer in the grinding and honing photos. (photo 2) The honing guide is the nice quality one supplied with the accessory top platform for the Worksharp - modded by placing the rollers inboard so that it can run on a waterstone.

I use it to grind the knife on the top surface of a WorkSharp (it's only a light job), and then (without disturbing the alignment of the knife in the jig) to hone on waterstones. You since pointed out that the Shapton boxes are designed to function as a holder while in use - which believe or not has been a great convenience. (don't know how i missed it) I think the jig will handle router plane blades too (i also have the Veritas one), but haven't yet tested it.

I did the knife by hand a few times, and had no problem getting it sharp - but as yourself didn't much like the rounded bevels which resulted from my inability to precisely control the two angles involved. I also wanted to re-angle the point....



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[John Crawford]

Thanks for posting, and great images.

I always end up marring my workpiece a bit with the base of the router plane; I was going to ask how you avoid this. But from your photo it looks like you don't worry about it, and adjust your workflow to finish off those areas after you have router-planed, is that correct?

[Reinis Kanders]

You can screw some wood to the planes bottom, makes it slide better as well.


Thanks for posting, and great images.

I always end up marring my workpiece a bit with the base of the router plane; I was going to ask how you avoid this. But from your photo it looks like you don't worry about it, and adjust your workflow to finish off those areas after you have router-planed, is that correct?

[Jim Koepke]

+1 to what Reinis posted. It also helps with using the longer Veritas blades in a Stanley or Sargent router plane.

jtk

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Ian

You have done a really terrific job with that jig of yours. What you are doing works for you, so keep going. It is, however, fundamentally different to what I do.

The fundamental difference is that I want to freehand hone all my blades - some, such as high angle BU plane blades, are more efficiently given a secondary bevel with a honing guide - but I would rather be freehand honing than using a guide. Consequently, my set up is geared around hollow grinding as much as possible, and then the hollow is self-jigging. This is where the speed in honing comes from. There is nothing to set up and, in regard to the hollows on the router plane blades, they will last a long time.

What you have is a flat bevel, and this is more susceptible to rounding over, especially when the bevel face is small. A controlled rounding (ala Paul Sellers) over is different from an inadvertent rounding over.

Now I have thought of a way to eliminate the "point" of the V iron stabbing into the surface, which it does since it is both sharp and facing downward. It occurred to me to take a leaf out of the way I prepare all V-pointed knives. Below is a freshly honed but not completed Chris Vesper marking knife ..

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Sharpening/A4_zpsd3128d3e.jpg


The hollow ground sides have been honed, but the end is a sharp point. Tis is vulnerable to breaking off. So the final step is to round the tip slightly. I think that this should be done with the V iron for the router plane as well. Any thoughts?

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

How comes you did not use your CBN wheel? Would it be too fast if the setup is not spot on?

Hi Reinis

If all I had was the CBN wheel, then that is what I would have used. However I do have a Tormek, and the slower speed and wet grinding are as cool as one can get. The accuracy is not the issue. In fact, I think that the CBN wheel is likely to be more accurate since it does not wear. One could even turn the CBN wheel by hand, and it will remove the steel still, and slowly.

As I mentioned earlier, one does not need the guides of a Tormek. I will clamp a batten to the flat rest of the dry grinder and slide the blade for a side rabbet blade along it until it is hollowed on the wheel at the correct skew angle. One can do that with these blades since they do not have any protrusions, such as a handle. Router plane and knife blades, however, are more complicated.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Mark Kornell]

The hollow ground sides have been honed, but the end is a sharp point. Tis is vulnerable to breaking off. So the final step is to round the tip slightly. I think that this should be done with the V iron for the router plane as well. Any thoughts?



That would make the tip not quite reach into a corner. Depends on how much rounding is done, might not be an issue.

I like a slightly rounded tip on a spearpoint marking knife, but it never occurred to me to do this to the V router plane iron, too. Might have to try that next time it needs a honing.

[ian maybury]

I chose to go for flat bevels, and prefer to use a guide Derek because as you said it eliminates rounding over as an issue. Only a starting point though - not sure whether it will survive extended contact with reality...

I decided to try a rounded tip on the above knife - which in light of Mark's point may present problems in corners. It's easier to sharpen to a point too.

It's not too hard to round the tip. I set up a block to support the palm of my hand at the required height above the waterstone, while simultaneously holding the knife between my thumb and first fingers. (a bit like you would a pencil) It's then possible to sweep it in an arc while tilting from bevel to bevel to hone the curved tip - without disturbing the angle.

Even easier when first forming the radius on the WorkSharp by the same means since with the moving abrasive disc all that's needed is to hold it at the required angle while tilting from bevel to bevel. Best to stop a little short of the bevels or they will end up getting marked..

[Reinis Kanders]

Good point about the heat, it is a small blade.


Hi Reinis

If all I had was the CBN wheel, then that is what I would have used. However I do have a Tormek, and the slower speed and wet grinding are as cool as one can get. The accuracy is not the issue. In fact, I think that the CBN wheel is likely to be more accurate since it does not wear. One could even turn the CBN wheel by hand, and it will remove the steel still, and slowly.

As I mentioned earlier, one does not need the guides of a Tormek. I will clamp a batten to the flat rest of the dry grinder and slide the blade for a side rabbet blade along it until it is hollowed on the wheel at the correct skew angle. One can do that with these blades since they do not have any protrusions, such as a handle. Router plane and knife blades, however, are more complicated.

Regards from Perth

Derek