Dedicated Hand Sharpening Station

Those of us Neanderthals sharpen our hand tools very frequently, especially plane blades and chisels, saws less often. It is the only way to get the best results.
With the time spent and frequency it is most convenient to have a dedicated spot. My previous spot was too low and moved when used. It is also a somewhat messy procedure best kept off the bench.
With an abundance of poplar to use I was able to make the legs and stretchers large for dimensional stability, lots of large tenons to pound home:
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Bought a granite off cut and had the edges finished. To support it as evenly as possible I used the method of circles to produce 3 support points with the front being the closest.
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This gave me the locations for support pads on rests.. Despite this there was still an 8 thou sag in the middle, granite is not as flat as it looks!
Some stain, varnish and a drawer later:
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As sharp tools often result in nicks it helps to have Band Aids handy, where better than where you sharpen?
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So for those of you yet to sharpen something, the work station looks like this:
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I can stand at three sides and attach a saw sharpening jig on an edge when needed. Good light is essential.

That's a beautiful solution for a very important task!

Nicely done, but I wonder how long that really nice end table will remain in your shop.

Sharp project. :D I have a 1/2" thick piece of granite leaning against the wall of my shop and have long thought about a dedicated station such as yours. Would you think it would sag without a torsion box support or something similar? Thanks for sharing.

Hi Dave, yes it will sag. Mine supported just at the corners sags an extra 2 microns, front to back and side to side. Front to back was a little worse strangely. Mine is over double your thickness, the sag is 8 microns in the middle.
The method of circles will minimize the sag, that’s as good as it will get.
The weight at the top, (90lb) with a solid base stops all movement, make it nice and high, mine is 38 1/2”, half an inch taller than my bench. Being able to work on all three sides is great, no need to move things around.

Beautiful station. Very nice for shop furniture. I’m curious about the height because I’ve been playing with that lately. I’m actually liking a bit lower than my work bench...more waist high. I guess everyone has their own preference for free hand.

I like it but not for a sharpening station it’s too nice.

Good Luck everyone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE4yVgdVW7s&t=314s

Paul Sellers: "In a given day, I might sharpen my plane 4 or 5 times"

It seems like the value of a dedicated sharpening station goes way up for those who sharpen with that frequency. I wonder how often people sharpen or should sharpen that often. I looked for a thread on that, but did not find one as related to chisels and planes. Mostly for turning where sharpening is very frequent.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Joel Gelman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE4yVgdVW7s&t=314s

Paul Sellers: "In a given day, I might sharpen my plane 4 or 5 times"

It seems like the value of a dedicated sharpening station goes way up for those who sharpen with that frequency. I wonder how often people sharpen or should sharpen that often. I looked for a thread on that, but did not find one as related to chisels and planes. Mostly for turning where sharpening is very frequent.

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It all depends on what you're planing and how much, clear, knots, etc.
I wouldn't waste too much time looking for an answer on that, it's likely different for everyone.

The expression “your mileage may vary” comes to mind. During a maple project sharpening a plane 2 to 3 times a day is normal, it’s just a few strokes on the fine stone by hand and a flatten on the back, a quick strop and carry on. That is the benefit of having everything to hand. The benefit is immediately apparent.

The down side of microscopic examination of the edge is your lovely edge has 12 small chips, perhaps one larger one. At some point you get out the coarse stone, throw some metal away and remove the chips. For the smoother this happens sooner than the jack. If you were fanatical your blade would last no time, just not practical.

Yes I use my sharpening station a lot, sometimes 3 Bandaids a day!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by William Fretwell

As sharp tools often result in nicks it helps to have Band Aids handy, where better than where you sharpen?
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Good idea. Even better - unwrap them so they are quicker to get at. That's my appoach.

Bacteria laden dust gets everywhere, I leave them wrapped. Usually I open one during the compression phase after a cut!
Last week I got through 6 in one day, most are just handling wood.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by William Fretwell

....6 in one day......

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William, my friend - you don't need band-aids; you need a hot soldering iron at the ready to cauterize wounds.

Best of luck.

I remember using a BandAid in 2014, and it was my friends fault. He mishit a nail, and it bounced off my hand from 6 feet away. My hands are a working man's hands though. Sometimes my phone doesn't recognize my fingertips as fingertips.

That is a finely made sharpening station Tom! Granite top sets it off and useful.