Knickers(nickers)

[Joe Tilson]

I would like to know how to sharpen nickers. Can you folks help with your ideas, and thanks.

[Jim Koepke]

Mine are held in a pair of long nosed vise grips for sharpening.

The tend to work best when the cutting edge has a round or cambered profile.

jtk

[ken hatch]

I've waited as long as I could, it's the devil in my fingers that did it.

Sharpening knickers I don't know about but I've spent most of my life chasing 'em.

ken

[lowell holmes]

I saw the word knickers and it reminded me of snickers.
It is and has been my favorite candy bar and has been for 70 years or so.

When I was in my early teens, I had a paper route in El Reno Oklahoma. I delivered he Oaklahoma City Oklahoman and the Times.
The Oklahoman was morning and the Times afternoon. I would stop at a store in the afternoon and buy a Snickers bar. They kept the
Snickers in a milk cooler and it was cold. I think i will go to the store and buy one.

[Derek Cohen]

Once sharp, keep them sharp all the time with frequent stropping. I use green compound scribbled on hardwood (or MDF).

I've posted pictures before - rounded rather than pointed bevels.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Mark Rainey]

I think the OP’s question is important because I think very few Neanderthals have confidence in using a dado plane & even less have confidence in relying only on the nickers for a clean cross grain cut. Warren & Steve have commented recently on dado planes. And then I saw Gordon of HNT planes zipping across cross grain like a Porsche on the autibahn with his dado plane wearing nothing but nickers. No knifing of lines before hand. My jaw dropped.

[Bill Houghton]

I think the OP’s question is important because I think very few Neanderthals have confidence in using a dado plane & even less have confidence in relying only on the nickers for a clean cross grain cut. Warren & Steve have commented recently on dado planes. And then I saw Gordon of HNT planes zipping across cross grain like a Porsche on the autibahn with his dado plane wearing nothing but nickers. No knifing of lines before hand. My jaw dropped.

This was the plane wearing nothing but nickers, right? Not Gordon wearing nothing but knickers?

[Megan Fitzpatrick]

I love teaching rabbets...so many drop your nickers jokes!

[Derek Cohen]

I think the OP’s question is important because I think very few Neanderthals have confidence in using a dado plane & even less have confidence in relying only on the nickers for a clean cross grain cut. Warren & Steve have commented recently on dado planes. And then I saw Gordon of HNT planes zipping across cross grain like a Porsche on the autibahn with his dado plane wearing nothing but nickers. No knifing of lines before hand. My jaw dropped.

Mark, sharp nickers are quite capable of scoring decent lines when the plane is drawn back across the board. I showed a photo of this. I hope I made it clear that it was my preference is to start this way, and then further knife in the lines. This creates a cleaner shoulder since the surface of the wood is often not as flat as one would like, and where the nicker skips over the surface, failing to cut it, leaves it vulnerable to spelching.

Plane drawn back over wood ...



Knifed ...



Regards from Perth

Derek

[Mark Rainey]

Thanks Derek. I have been frustrated with my Stanley 46 with cutting really clean dados in cherry. I also noticed some small areas where the nickers failed to cut & the knifing would help. I will keep working on it.

[Joe Tilson]

I must let you know, After posting my thread illness struck and my back started giving me a hard time. I have not been able to get back to it.
So one must sharpen on the round side and not the flat. I almost sharpened on the flat. As you can tell I do not have experience with tools and nickers. Thanks for your post.
I do have several to work on as I get more into hand tools. My LOML (boss) made me stop buying and start using. While I find it more pleasurable to fettle a good tool back into working condition. As the old saying goes, it's time to go to work now. Keep it up with the knicker jokes. I like it we do not take life so serious, sometimes.
Joe
Sorry Megan!

[Jim Koepke]

My LOML (boss) made me stop buying and start using. While I find it more pleasurable to fettle a good tool back into working condition.

As another who often enjoys the fettling as much as the using, my solution was to occasionally sell a few tools to show the 'boss' there can be a profit made.

jtk

[Joe Tilson]

Jim,
That's what comes next. Making plans now to sell some of my finds. I probably will contribute again and see if you fine folks want or need some of the wares.

Megan,
Have you still got your Knickers on. I've been kicking around in mine today.

[Stew Denton]

Jim and Derek,

Thanks for the tips on knicker sharpening. I had sharpened to football point shape, and had worn off the tips of my fingers sharpening such. Time to buy a pair of needle nose vise grips.

Thanks and regards,

Stew