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Thread: There's nothing wrong with A2

  1. #46
    Quote Originally Posted by david charlesworth View Post
    Jessica,

    You are very blunt ...

    David Charlesworth

    I see what you did there.

  2. #47
    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Todrin View Post
    This is an article some may have seen before that includes photographs taken on a scanning electron microscope following sharpening on a 320 grit stone followed by a 16000 grit stone.
    "When I wrote this article, I decided NOT to draw any conclusions."

    His article would have been easier to read, if he had put that statement in the article itself!

    Simon

  3. #48
    Quote Originally Posted by Simon MacGowen View Post
    Hi Edwin,

    Similar to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLobikOSftY

    except - 1) back and forth strokes (the way you often see how Japanese woodworkers hone theirs), and not figure 8 movements, or circular strokes as Rob does

    2) three grits, not two - 1000, 4000, 10000 or higher; 1000 and/or 4000 skipped if it is rehoninig the microbevel between uses
    3) no worries about angles except the Japanese ones which have less variations; most are between 30 and 38 degrees (except the high angle blades).

    The first few times of free hand sharpening can be intimating or get you unsatisfying results. But like riding a bike, once you get it,you would not want to waste time setting up a jig.
    .
    Sharpening jigs are used when I need to hone a back bevel or a 1/8" chisel or a skew blade.

    Paul Sellers has a free hand method that is easier to learn and use, but I don't like any round bevel on my tools.

    Simon
    Hello Simon,
    Thanks for the additional details. I do almost all my honing freehand and over the entire bevel. Where I was mystified over the notion of a freehand microbevel was the challenge of keeping it consistent throughout the grit progression. I gather from this thread two different approaches. Rob Cosman's is to create one microbevel at 1000 and a second higher one at his finishing stone (15000 I think). The other approach sounds to be along the lines of introducing a single microbevel on the final stone. I'll give both methods a try and see how it goes.

    I've been finding this thread informative.
    Edwin

  4. #49
    Join Date
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    "Christopher,

    I have many LN planes, some unmarked and some with their name. I wouldn't bet the house on it, but I believe the unmarked blades are O1 and the marked (newer) blades are A2. Maybe someone else can definitively confirm."

    Stephen, thanks for the reply. I've inferred the same and am hoping someone will confirm.


    "You can observe a lot just by watching."
    --Yogi Berra

  5. #50
    Deleted offending posts and references to them.

    Another reminder: play nice here. Don't call into question someone's ability or be unnecessarily provocative.

    Limit further posts to this thread to the novel topic at hand: sharpening; don't try to have the last word on civility or political correctness here.

  6. #51
    You are correct: LN irons with no markings are O1, the ones marked are A2.

  7. #52
    Join Date
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    Excellent, thanks Phil.

    Best,
    Chris
    "You can observe a lot just by watching."
    --Yogi Berra

  8. #53
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    I’ve had the opposite experience, the marked ones are O1, unmarked are A2. Mine are maybe 2010-2012 vintage.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  9. #54
    Just to clarify: for plane irons, no markings at all means O1, marked with Lie Nielsen means A2
    For chisels: marked with Lie Nielsen only, A2, marked with Lie Nielsen O1, obviously O1

  10. #55
    Join Date
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    It is possible to get A2 sharp, but I still don't like it. Here's a shaving taken by an iron that someone on another forums sent me to figure out what his problem with it was. He was trying to sharpen it to some sharp angle less than 25 degrees. I don't remember what wood this was. It was the edge of some board close at hand that day.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  11. #56
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phil Gaudio View Post
    Just to clarify: for plane irons, no markings at all means O1, marked with Lie Nielsen means A2
    For chisels: marked with Lie Nielsen only, A2, marked with Lie Nielsen O1, obviously O1
    Here’s one I’ve got;

    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  12. #57
    Have not seen one of those: I believe they were re-introduced for a short time after they introduced the A2 blades, and received
    requests for the "old" irons. You may have a collectors item there

  13. #58
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    I have a couple of unmarked LN blades. I cannot conclusively state what they are, but I know at least one is W1.

    These religeous wars on sharpening really miss the mark, in my opinion. It is less important to be "sharpest" and more important to be "reliably sharp". Speed in achieving this is also relevant. Do whatever you want to get a working tool. Do whatever you want as long as it is comfortable for you and does not make you wish to avoid the process. Do I need to remind all that it is the use of the tool that constitutes woodworking?

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  14. #59
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    Quote Originally Posted by david charlesworth View Post
    I frequently hear that A2 is difficult to sharpen with a wire edge which hangs on.

    My sharpening method is very simple. Get a small wire edge at 30 or 33 degrees .

    An Eclipse honing guide is used, with an 800 grit man made Waterstone.

    The angle is then raised by about 2-3 degrees

    Now 4 gentle strokes will complete the bevel and polish the cutting edge.

    This is done on a 15000 Shapton stone. Could just as well be 10,000 or 8,000.

    The chisel back is then given 20 or so very short strokes (15 mm) across the stone. (Keeping it flat) The blade edge travels off and onto the stone.

    If the wire edge is hanging on after a wipe on a sponge cloth and a dry on a towel, something has gone wrong.

    This hardly ever happens.

    35 degrees for chopping and 32 for paring, work very well for me in the harder woods that I use.

    When I do my planing exercise with students, all six faces of a 20" by 5" board, they frequently need to resharpen before I do. Old Clifton blades seemed to be one of the worst.

    I think the preparation of the back and the flatness of the polish stone , dictate whether the wire edge will be correctly honed away (or not).
    Best wishes,
    David Charlesworth
    That 1 statement alone reflects the conundrum that now faces woodworkers using A2 steel for their chisels and planes. You have on 1 side a recommendation that suggests that a higher bevel angle (above traditional practice) is required with A2 steel to avoid micro chipping, and on the other side a suggestion that there are no issues with micro chipping at a lower bevel angle with A2 steel, and that its you the user that is at fault if you experience this phenomena. I shall say nothing more than refer you to an article that was written by Rob Stoakley from Axminster back in 2014. https://knowledge.axminster.co.uk/o1...el-is-for-you/

    Stewie;

  15. #60
    Quote Originally Posted by Prashun Patel View Post
    Deleted offending posts and references to them.

    Another reminder: play nice here. Don't call into question someone's ability or be unnecessarily provocative.

    Limit further posts to this thread to the novel topic at hand: sharpening; don't try to have the last word on civility or political correctness here.
    Thanks for doing that Prashun.
    Fred
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

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