Sharpening time???

[Randall Houghton]

What is your best method for telling when it's time to resharpen your plane blade? I don't have a problem determining when to sharpen chisels or hand saws but planes especially the bigger heavier one like jointers are not always that obvious to me. What's your determining factor? Dullness or do you sharpen before every job?

Regards
Randy

[Brian Hale]

My experience is VERY limited but it seems that when i need to re-adjust the blade depth, after the initial set, it's time to touch up the blade.

Brian :)

[Alan Turner]

I look for the line of light. If there is reflection, to the stone we go.

[Alan DuBoff]

I don't have any timeframe or method to sharpening. I try to keep all of my edge tools as sharp as possible, and consider a dull tool to be more danger (although I cut myself plenty with sharp chisels and such :o).

I like to do all of my plane blades and chisels at a large sharpening session, even if some only need a touch-up, I touch them up. Then I can touch-up while working to a specific one, if needed.

Quite honestly there is nothing worse than a dull edge tool for me, handsaws included.

[Dave Anderson NH]

While I don't have a formal proceedure, several things act as prompts for me.

1. I listen to the sound of the plane as it makes a pass. When the swoosh changes pitch it's time to sharpen.

2. An increase in the amount of effort required to push the plane usually indicates the blade is dulling.

3. A change in the surface texture of the planed surface shows a need to sharpen.

4. If the wood is very hard, figured, or abrasive like teak or purpleheart or other known silica filled wood I pay attention far more closely and sharpen far more often.

5. Finally, if you start to develop tearout or have just gone through a knot, it's time to sharpen again.

When sharpening during use, it is good to hold the cutting edge up to the light and sight across the width of the blade. Look for any small nicks or edge failures like curled overr steel in addition to the usual rounding and blunting (ver small).

[Don Naples]

Dave provided a good list of clues as to when it it time to sharpen. A very helpful tool to see what is actually occuring at the blade edge is the Lumagny pocket microscope. It is about $12 and provides 30x magnification. It will show edge flaws that are difficult to see with the naked eye. I wrote a Sharpening Tips brochure that shows many sharpening flaws that can occur, and shows the results under magnification. It can be viewed at http://www.woodartistry.com/ShopNotes.htm
I hope this of some help for those who have had poor experiences achieving a truely sharp tool edge.
Sharp tools are certainly more fun to use.
Don

[Randall Houghton]

Thanks for the great responce guys. Alan Turner I have a difficult time seeing a change in the sheen of the edge of the blade( I hone to a mirror polish) but I have noticied the formation of a line of some type on the blade( especially on the blade from my Gordon try plane) after some use but I not was sure it indicated a need to resharpen. Dave your suggestions point in the right direction and I relate mostly to your comment about the change in sound of the cut. Don Naples I want to thank you for the link for the magnifier since I've been trying to find one for some time. Once again thanks for the responce and the great ideas.
Regards
Randy