best way to sharpen plane irons?

[Jim Koepke]

I'm rambling. I'll stop now. :-) Don't ask me about sharpening or sailing or I'll never shut up.

My knowledge of sailing is zilch so that won't get much conversation going with me.

On sharpening my setup starts with the Veritas® Mk II Power Sharpening System and/or a granite block with a strip of adhesive backed sandpaper of ~320 grit for heavy work such as nick removal or back flattening.

After that it is 1000, 4000 & 8000 grit water stones. Mine are Norton and King. They work well for my needs when it isn't freezing weather. If it came upon me today to purchase some stones my first thought would be to buy from Stu at Tools from Japan. There has been some issue of late with family health and it might not be the quickest way to acquire stones.

My cold weather set is made up mostly of odds and ends acquired over the years. Oilstones are not as fast cutting as water stones. My favored "quick removal" oilstones are some old Washita and soft Arkansas stones. The middle stone is a Dan's Whetstones hard Arkansas. My main finishing stones are a couple pieces of translucent Arkansas bought at a gem an mineral show. Also purchased from lapidary supply venues are a couple pieces of jasper. Jasper is as hard as translucent Arkansas but has a finer structure. It is more of a polishing stone.

Like Malcolm, get me talking about sharpening and you will have a hard time getting me to shut up.

jtk

[Patrick Chase]

I would recommend a #4 plane or a #5, not a 5 1/2. The 5 1/2 planes were not popular 100 years ago and I have never seen one in a professional shop.

I sometimes suspect that your definition of "professional" is "someone who works exactly as I do".

With that said, I think this is good advice. I think that the 4 and 5 both have much broader applicability than the 5-1/2.

[Chet R Parks]

Patrick or Warren, I don't mean to muddy the waters or hijack this thread but do you have any opinions on the LV 5-1/4 Veritas® #5-1/4W Bench Plane? Does it fall in the category of the #5 or the #5-1/2. I kind of like the idea of the long toe but I'm not sure it's worth it?
Chet

[Jerry Olexa]

They are MANY different ways to sharpen....Most WWers have their own favorite methods.....Pick a method that you are comfortable with and try it...easy to see if its effective by simply using your results on some scrap wood...There is NO perfect, ideal method that works for everyone!!! One man's meat is another man's poison.

[steven c newman]

Bad part about these sort of threads..they take a life of their own..long after the OP quits reading them.

Beginning to think all sharpening threads should have their own forum for people to post these questions in....nah, this forum would get a bit dull, and boring....

[Adam Herd]

So I have been keeping up and reading everyones posts. I previously was leaning towards diamond stones but a lot of people on here have been suggesting water stones. I was looking around on woodcraft's site and found a norton combination 4000/8000 stone. The price isn't bad, about what i am willing to spend. Does any one have any experience with this stone? pros cons? I know many people have suggested norton stone for their price to quality ratio. Also a few people were wondering about my choice of the number 5 1/2 plane. I made that choice based on Rob Cosman's you tube videos. He said if you're only going to have one plane the 5 1/2 is the best. it is the perfect medium size. every other video on youtube says that the number 5 is the best do it all but Cosman said the 5 1/2 has a bigger handle and is a little easier to use than the 5.

[Patrick Chase]

Patrick or Warren, I don't mean to muddy the waters or hijack this thread but do you have any opinions on the LV 5-1/4 Veritas® #5-1/4W Bench Plane? Does it fall in the category of the #5 or the #5-1/2. I kind of like the idea of the long toe but I'm not sure it's worth it?
Chet

The Veritas 5-1/4W (not to be confused with the rather different Stanley 5-1/4) is the same width as a #4 or #5, and between them in length. Its most noteworthy design feature is that it has a longer than usual toe for a plane of its length. IMO it's a perfectly reasonable "all around" plane for somebody starting out.

[Patrick Chase]

Also a few people were wondering about my choice of the number 5 1/2 plane. I made that choice based on Rob Cosman's you tube videos. He said if you're only going to have one plane the 5 1/2 is the best. it is the perfect medium size. every other video on youtube says that the number 5 is the best do it all but Cosman said the 5 1/2 has a bigger handle and is a little easier to use than the 5.

Well then obviously Rob Cosman isn't a "professional" :-).

PS: Rob actually isn't a professional woodworker in the sense that he doesn't produce wooden objects as his principal source of revenue. I couldn't resist, though.

[Warren West]

An abrasive and the ability to hold a fairly consistent angle on the abrasive. That's the bare bones of it. I suggest Diamond or Oilstones and maybe a ceramic finisher if you go the diamond route. Forget the jigs, learn free hand.

[Mike Baker 2]

The Norton 4/8k IMO is a quality stone.

[steven c newman]

Ok, how about a little show & tell?

Three jacks.
.IMG_3820 (640x480).jpg
L-R: #5-1/2, #5, and a #5-1/4
IMG_3817 (640x480).jpg
"Handles" on all three are the same size. Width? Skinny one is just a stretched out #3, the #5 is just a long #4...the #5-1/2 is just a shorter version of a #6
IMG_3821 (640x480).jpg
Other than length ( and weight) they are the same. So..which one would you want to push around all day?
And, this #5-1/2 is a type 17...with the 2-3/8" wide iron, same width as the #6. The #5 has a 2" wide iron...the Millers Falls #11 has a 1-3/4" wide iron.
All three are still just jack planes..
IMG_3819 (640x480).jpg
YMMV

[Andrew Seemann]

He said if you're only going to have one plane the 5 1/2 is the best. it is the perfect medium size. every other video on youtube says that the number 5 is the best do it all but Cosman said the 5 1/2 has a bigger handle and is a little easier to use than the 5.

I think the key there is "if you were only going to have one plane", like if you were stranded on a desert island or something with a single plane, then yes a 5 1/2 would be a good one. If you were going to have several planes in a woodshop, the recommendation might change.

I'm not trying to take issue with Rob, it's just that the idea of a 5 1/2 being an ideal plane is a pretty uncommon one. I don't know that I have really heard it before.


P.S. I know we all sound a little argumentative and set in our ways, but we really are trying to be helpful, and to spare you some of the pain and suffering (and expense!) that we all went through. We just disagree on the best way

[Jim Koepke]

I was looking around on woodcraft's site and found a norton combination 4000/8000 stone. The price isn't bad, about what i am willing to spend. Does any one have any experience with this stone? pros cons?

There is one of these in my accumulation. It is a fine stone. The only reason it isn't currently used a lot is some deep gouges from my carelessness while sharpening carving tools. One of my plans is to intentionally shape it for sharpening gouges and other carving tools.

You may also want to consider purchasing a 1000 grit stone. Anything coarser that that could be done with sand paper or a grinder. If you do not let your blades get too dull they can often be touched up with just the 4000/8000 combination. Often though there will be a few small nicks that can use the coarser grit to get back to a good edge.

jtk

[Joe Bailey]

David Charlesworth, a contributor to this forum, is known to be a proponent of the 5½.

[Patrick Chase]

David Charlesworth, a contributor to this forum, is known to be a proponent of the 5½.

Yes, and there are others like him, hence my not-so-subtle needling about "professionalism" earlier.

There is a lot of subjectivity being passed off as objective truth here, and IMO neither the difference between 2" and 2-3/8" nor the difference between 5 lb and 6.75 lb is going to be a deal-breaker in the real world. I think that the 4 or 5 is a safer choice for somebody who doesn't yet know what their subjective preference will be, though.