Sharpening plane irons & chisels - here's what I've got...where to start?

[Mike Manning]

Over the last couple of years I've been picking up sharpening stones and other accessories as I found them at garage & estate sales, Craigslist, SMC and I even bought a new Japanese water stone from LV and a granite block from Woodcraft earlier this year. Here's what I've got shown in the pics...

Pic1: A small leather strop on wood; some type of round Norton stone, I don't know the grits but looks like possibly a medium and fine; 3 Norton stones (oil?) fine (India), Medium (Crystolon) & Course (Crystolon); 2 small stones one unused (marked SB-134), don't know grits on either; 2 stones in boxes that appear to be the same; another Norton stone (Hard Arkansas HM6) and I don't know the grit on this one either.
Pic 2&3: Ceramic stones by Spyderco in Medium, Fine and Ultra Fine grits.
Pic 4: King Stone Japanese watersone from Lee Valley in 4000 grit.
Pic 5: Granite block and honing compound (green)
Pic 6: 2 Diamond plates (unknown grits, can't even say which one is finer between the two plates, don't know if they are still good); DMT plate (green, which I believe is 1200 mesh (is mesh the same as grit?) and leather for stropping.


I've watched Paul Sellers videos for sharpen a plane iron and sharpening new Aldi chisels a few times. In those vids IIRC he sharpens the chisels using sandpaper on plate glass, then diamond stones and strops with a wood block and finally leather. Can't recall what he used to sharpen the plane irons.

So I to know what would you guys recommend of these sharpening tools I should be using or what do I need? I've requested our public library deliver the Ron Hock and Leonard Lee to my local neighborhood library for reading. Any and all help appreciated!

Mike

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[Jim Koepke]

My suggestion would be to try working with the set of Spyderco stones. At least you know which is which.

Work on your technique. If your camera is able to do video and you want to hand sharpen, make a video from the side to see if your hands are staying steady and the blade isn't going up and down.

With the other stones if you want to 'grade' them, sharpen a blade and polish the bevel on your strop. Then you will be able to see the scratch pattern made by each of the other stones and judge which are coarse and which are finer. You will have to do a lot of stropping between trials or use a bunch of different blades. This is where flea market finds come in handy.

It took me a few years of working with water stones to get my oilstones to work for me.

There are two sharpening stations in my shop. One is for water stones, the other is for oilstones. Water freezes in my shop during the winter. Lately using my oilstones has been working so well my water stones are mostly sitting idle.

jtk

[Nicholas Lawrence]

What kind of steel do you have? I use an India stone, hard Arkansas, and black Arkansas, but my tools are all O1 steel or old high carbon steel.

If you have A2 steel or PMV 11, you would need something else.

ETA: The ceramic stones Jim mentioned should sharpen anything.

Also, Lie Nielsen has a YouTube channel. They have videos on both plane iron and chisel sharpening.

[lowell holmes]

I have DMT diamond plates and they will produce razor sharp edges. I also have a rough leather strop glued to a board. I charge the leather with stropping compound.


https://www.woodcraft.com/products/green-chrome-oxide-compound-6-oz

[Jim Matthews]

Use the coarsest diamond plate for rough grinding and to keep the Spyderco stones flat.

Most of the oil stones shown are appropriate more machine shops and woodchopping axes (that's what the round one is for).

Granite plates with lapping compound require a dedicated space and deliberate cleanup.

Keep the Strop at your workbench for touchups.

[Mike Manning]

Nicholas,
All my planes are pre-WWII Stanley Bailey (exception is a Union #6 but it's equally old). As far as chisels, here are the sets I have... maybe y'all can tell me what kind of steel in the planes and chisels but I think the steel you're mentioning is newer. Right? I will start out trying the ceramic stones.

Just read that the medium, fine & ultra-fine Spyderco stones equate to 600, 1800 & 2000 "grit".

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[Mike Manning]

I have DMT diamond plates and they will produce razor sharp edges. I also have a rough leather strop glued to a board. I charge the leather with stropping compound.


https://www.woodcraft.com/products/green-chrome-oxide-compound-6-oz

Lowell,
Got that already. Thanks!


Use the coarsest diamond plate for rough grinding and to keep the Spyderco stones flat.

Most of the oil stones shown are appropriate more machine shops and woodchopping axes (that's what the round one is for).

Granite plates with lapping compound require a dedicated space and deliberate cleanup.

Keep the Strop at your workbench for touchups.

Jim,

Well, I was thinking I'd like a dedicated sharpening "station" even though space is really at a premium for me. I'll see how using the ceramic stones goes.

Thanks!

[Phil Mueller]

We’ll all share are own current preference, and all will work with a bit of practice. You might want to look at the side of the diamond plates...might have “coarse”, “medium”, “fine” or “extra fine” printed on them. My current method is a medium then fine diamond plate, then ultra fine spyderco, then strop on leather with green compound.

[lowell holmes]

I also have a set of these three for sharpening knives and small tools.

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/stones/hone-stone-prod6098.aspx?msclkid=ac03a8b46f571adb285ef59bb1e7 3f3d&avs%7cManufacturer_1=EZE-LAP%2bDIAMOND

[Mike Manning]

I also have a set of these three for sharpening knives and small tools.

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/stones/hone-stone-prod6098.aspx?msclkid=ac03a8b46f571adb285ef59bb1e7 3f3d&avs%7cManufacturer_1=EZE-LAP%2bDIAMOND

Lowell,
I too have a set of those. Didn't show them since they aren't really for sharpening plane irons and chisels which is where I'm focused on learning and developing some skills.

[Mike Manning]

Thanks Phil! That's encouraging to hear.

[ken hatch]

Lowell,
Got that already. Thanks!



Jim,

Well, I was thinking I'd like a dedicated sharpening "station" even though space is really at a premium for me. I'll see how using the ceramic stones goes.

Thanks!

Mike,

A sharpening bench/station is the best thing you can do for your sharpening and woodworking. An iron is much easier to maintain than it is to fix. A place already set up to sharpen makes it easier to sharpen an iron before it needs it vs. having to set up each time. As for your stones the india or Crystolon make very good course stones. The Spyderco stones work much like good oil stones and are all you need for most applications. The only thing I do not see in that group is a good "polish" stone, you can go a long ways without one by using a strop.

BTW, those are a good couple of sets of bench chisels. Again you could spend a lot more money and not improve much. I've a set of Sorby firmers like your Marples that have been hanging around my shop for almost 50 years and are still used often.

As far as using your stones: Set a flat bevel that has a consistent small wire edge with a coarse stone. From that point on it is just a matter of removing the scratches left by the previous stone until you get to the desired polish for the job at hand. Look, feel, and there is no need to test. If it looks sharp and feels sharp it is sharp.

ken

[Derek Cohen]

Just read that the medium, fine & ultra-fine Spyderco stones equate to 600, 1800 & 2000 "grit".

I don't think that is correct. The Medium is around 3000-4000 grit and the Ultra Fine is around 8000-10000 grit.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Matthews]

Search Rob Cosman on YouTube for an effective setup.

[Jim Koepke]

Mike, It looks like you have a decent set of stones and good sets of chisels. Beware of anyone telling you need to invest in more stones or different chisels.

One of my stones is a King 4000. It was my finest stone for a few years and able to put a fine edge on my blades.

jtk

[Jack Frederick]

A couple things that have helped me a great deal in my sharpening are the LN honing guide and my Dad’s old microscope. Occasionally Throwing a blade on the plate of that scope tells me a lot. I had a mystery stone that I used and when viewed under the glass I found that it was more coarse than I thought. The honing guide has just made me more consistent and I found that my certainty in my freehand skills were...wrong again!

[Jim Koepke]

A honing guide will help to get consistent results.

Once a person is good at freehand sharpening a honing guide will still be handy when removing a lot of metal on a coarse abrasive.

Magnification can help reveal what is being missed when sharpening.

jtk

[lowell holmes]

You can also finish the sharpening on wet or dry sandpaper on a glass pane. I finish it dry.

[Jake Hillestad]

Forget comparing grit numbers of stones from different manufacturers and made of different media - it is comforting to have a number but its about like comparing apples & hand grenades.

Those Spyderco stones will sharpen any steel you've got and are about as low maintenance as you'll find.

[Prashun Patel]

Hope this doesn't come off glib:

Why did you buy all that stuff if you didn't have an idea whether you'd use it?

You are in the enviable position of being able to experiment and figure out what works for you. As long as you have a good way to flatten and have a range of grits, you should be able to get sharp a variety of ways.

These sharpening threads tend to end up giving the casual reader that they have to buy even more stuff, when in reality, getting a workable edge is all about practicing to mastery a given technique with a given set of tools.

[Eric Danstrom]

After putting a deep gouge in my 220 grit green stone and blowing through $10 worth of sandpaper fixing a nicked plane blade I decided to get a Veritas grinding stand to go with a slow speed grinder. It'll be here today. The time and expense involved in regrinding a 2 3/8" bevel by hand justifies the cost of a low speed grinder and Veritas grinding stand (in my opinion). Plus the grinder is useful for lathe tools (and I already had a Rikon 1/2hp). There are other options to regrind a bevel but this one has the lowest overall cost. After the initial $200 cost it'll grind hundreds of bevels before the wheels need replacing.

I use the Veritas Mark II honing guide system all the time without any shame.
I have a 220, 1000 and 8000 water stones.
I can sharpen A2, O1 and vintage steel with this setup.
10x magnifier is always on my sharpening bench).

[Jim Matthews]

Be cautious with the lower grit stone.

I deeply gouged my lowest grit Shapton stone with a narrow chisel. The Spyderco stones will make short work of honing, with a light touch.

Bear down as hard as you like on the diamond plate.
Those are indestructible.

[lowell holmes]

For really fine, I place wet or dry sandpaper wet on a piece of glass.
I use as fine as 300 and my edges are razor sharp.
There are many options for sharpening. Wet or dry sand paper wet on glass is one of them.
Don't trash it until you try it.

[Jerry Olexa]

You have plenty of options to get started....I wouldn't buy anything else till you've tested/tried what you have.
If you ask 100 WWers the best way here, you'd likely get 100 different answers...G'Luck.