Sharpening Router Plane Blades

[Rob Luter]

I just spent the better part of two hours restoring a couple of router plane blades from an old #71 I found a couple years ago. What a miserable job. It didn’t help that the large blade was chipped. Any tips from those more experienced than I on how to sharpen these? I did a pretty decent job I guess (they cut) but I’d really like to get a razor edge established. Holding the blades steady is the problem. Thanks for any tips.

[Chet R Parks]

Rob, Derek Cohan has a method he uses that I have found vary useful. Try this Sharpening Router Plane Blades (http://www.inthewoodshop.com/WoodworkTechniques/SharpeningRouterPlaneBlades.html)
Chet

[Rob Luter]

Brilliant! Looks like a great approach. I hollow grind everything else and like the ease of edge maintenance.

[Rob Luter]

I whipped up a little saddle jig like Derek’s this morning and tried his hollow grind approach. I had razor sharp blades in short order. Thanks for the tip Chet. Thanks for the great write up Derek.

[Derek Cohen]

You're welcome, Rob.

D'you suppose Pop Wood would like this tip ... nah .. only thing that wins are clamp stands. :)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Stanley Covington]

You're welcome, Rob.

D'you suppose Pop Wood would like this tip ... nah .. only thing that wins are clamp stands. :)

Regards from Perth

Derek


I hadn't noticed this before. Great idea, Derek! Simple, quick, and useful.

I agree that PopWood would not be interested in this excellent technique. It lacks a certain air of BS, oops, I mean savoir-faire. I wonder if you could slip it in under PopWood's radar by presenting it as a pencil sharpener....? :p This change in application should increase the two factor factors critical for publishing in woodworking magazines nowadays: Silliness and uselessness. And if you linked it to a powertool with a name brand showing, the advertisers would line up to have their tool in the pictures.

Stan

[Simon MacGowen]

Neat and nice way of sharpening a router blade. Did you try it with PopW as a ttip? If not, I will...kidding of course.

I have had no problem honing the Veritas cutters especially the new ones. The early batch was coarse and one had to do quite a bit to get it ready. Diamond stones were the way to go.

Simon