Since starting my quest to become a hand tool woodworker or, failing that, the owner of all the tools Lie-Nielsen makes, I have neglected the first commandment of new tool purchase. That is, "Thou shalt use a new tool on the day it arrives or at least sharpen it." I had a current back log of about 15 planes and chisels (in their original boxes) on the shelves of the nice quiet corner of Neanderthal Haven that I call my woodworking shop. I have set to work on that pile to bring the tools to mirror finish, gleaming edges and razor sharpness. The unexpected part is the effect on my hands, in particular my finger tips. My phone no longer recognizes my fingerprint to unlock the screen. I suppose it will come back over time but I had a hard time logging into SMC because I needed the Touch ID to call up my password. I had to remember the password. Surprisingly, I did recall it which explains how it is that I am here. So that is the unexpected side effect part.
Other news to report is that Lie-Nielsen seem to be slipping a bit on finishing and lapping plane irons. As I polished away on the backs of multiple plane irons, I detected longitudinal scratches right at the pointy edge of the chisel. These scratches are the post-heat treatment belt sanding that is part of finishing the irons. Clearly the finisher, lifted the back end of the iron first dubbing the edge ever so slightly. The lapping is supposed to erase those scratches. It doesn't anymore. On one chisel, the lapping was just a 1/4 inch wide right on the edge of the blade. This lapping was a few microns deeper than the rest of the back. I suppose Thom and Deneb are expecting everyone to use the ruler trick to polish just the edge of the back. I still want to see my reflection on the back of the plane iron or chisel, so I proceeded with a good long while on the coarser diamond grits to get the backs flat. Then, lots more time polishing out the scratches I made t. All is good and now I have no hair on my left forearm from testing the razor sharpness of my edges. I use diamond stones first followed by the very flat but slow-cutting Spyderco ceramic stones for polishing. I have the Ohishi water stones from Lie Nielsen but I find that I cannot get the backs as flat with them.
Here is a picture of the sharpening station. It is a double thickness of plywood covered in leftover Formica from a long ago kitchen cabinet project. It protects the bench from the water and steel filings. I clamped it to my table saw surface as I screwed and glued the two sheets of plywood together. That technique makes the surface much flatter than a single layer of plywood.
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Here is some of the backlog. I have an indulgent wife. There are lots more boxes. Note the spare blades. I am going to grind a cambered blade for a fore plane to try finishing a piece of rough lumber. That should be interesting.
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Just started on this iron. The photo is supposed to show the scratches. At this resolution, you probably cannot see them.
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I remain a super geeky beginner evidencing all the behavior of a someone too new to know what they are doing wrong either in woodworking or forum etiquette.