If your bench plane isn’t sharp, it’s not going to achieve the result you want. In a 13-minute tutorial, expert woodworker Paul Sellers shows viewers how to sharpen their bench plane effectively. Many of his followers commented that this video was now their ‘go to’ for plane sharpening.
When Should you Sharpen your Bench Plane?
A plane can be used on soft and hardwoods and can hit hard knots which very quickly takes the edge of your bevelled-down plane. Depending on the type of wood you are using, and how you are using the plane, it may need sharpening 4-5 times throughout the day.
Keep your sharpening stones near your workbench, so they are always ready to go. This stone has coarse, fine and superfine options - 250, 600 and 1200.
Spray a little glass cleaner on each stone to provide some moisture on the surface of the cutting stone and spread over the surface.
Feel for the cutting edge. Start at an angle of 30 degrees and hit the cutting edge. The natural progression of the arm opens up the corner to get the heel and cutting edge. Work across the whole stone and overhang the side of the stone a little.
You can also use long oval motions to take the swarf (fine chips, filings) off the surface.
You may need a little more moisture so respray the stone to ensure there isn’t any build up on the surface of the cutting edge to stop build-up and clogging. Drop off the iron with a rag to check you are happy with your sharpened edge.
Now it’s time to work on the corners. The corners should be slightly rounded or bevelled. Paul prefers his iron corners rounded somewhat. Start with only one corner on the stone and with every forward motion drop the other corner slowly. Push then drop slowly with each movement. Repeat on the other corner.
Now move to the fine stone. Paul doesn’t worry about micro bevels. He likes to get back to his woodworking as soon as possible, so he just works on the primary bevel. With the middle stone, he polishes out all the striations that were impressed into the steel on the first level of abrading. Looking more polished and the bur has been removed. Move back and forth a few times then drop down.
Keep the iron at the same angle as your bent arm rather than directly in front of your body. This gives you more strength and stamina.
Move on to the final level of grading on the stones. If you are left with a fine bur, turn it over, place the iron flat on the stone and pull it across the stone. You may see a fine wire bur that can be pulled off.
Give it a sight test to check the plane iron is not protruding past the iron.
To set your iron, place a plain piece of wood in the vice. When you first start it may not be set right. Cut on both sides to see if you are getting a thinner shaving on one side than the other. Move the lateral adjustment lever to the side that is bringing the thickest shaving but only move it 3-4 mm. Withdraw the iron a little if needed. Keep adjusting until the shavings are the same thickness.
Take out your sample wood and replace with your project wood. Start planing your piece of wood and check there are no step downs, only a silky smooth finish when you run your hand over the planed timber.
Paul repeats the plane sharpening process 3-6 times per day. Even a small knot in the wood can cause a break in the surface so the plane will need to be re-sharpened.
Sharpen to task. Unless you are working on a rough project, keep sharpening your plane. You need the plane to be in perfect, pristine condition if you want it to the job correctly.
If you have any queries about the right product for your next framing project, don’t hesitate to contact us.
How to Sharpen your Plane
Take the cutting iron out of the plane. This iron has a camber on it with the corners removed.Keep your sharpening stones near your workbench, so they are always ready to go. This stone has coarse, fine and superfine options - 250, 600 and 1200.
Spray a little glass cleaner on each stone to provide some moisture on the surface of the cutting stone and spread over the surface.
Feel for the cutting edge. Start at an angle of 30 degrees and hit the cutting edge. The natural progression of the arm opens up the corner to get the heel and cutting edge. Work across the whole stone and overhang the side of the stone a little.
You can also use long oval motions to take the swarf (fine chips, filings) off the surface.
You may need a little more moisture so respray the stone to ensure there isn’t any build up on the surface of the cutting edge to stop build-up and clogging. Drop off the iron with a rag to check you are happy with your sharpened edge.
Now it’s time to work on the corners. The corners should be slightly rounded or bevelled. Paul prefers his iron corners rounded somewhat. Start with only one corner on the stone and with every forward motion drop the other corner slowly. Push then drop slowly with each movement. Repeat on the other corner.
Now move to the fine stone. Paul doesn’t worry about micro bevels. He likes to get back to his woodworking as soon as possible, so he just works on the primary bevel. With the middle stone, he polishes out all the striations that were impressed into the steel on the first level of abrading. Looking more polished and the bur has been removed. Move back and forth a few times then drop down.
Keep the iron at the same angle as your bent arm rather than directly in front of your body. This gives you more strength and stamina.
Move on to the final level of grading on the stones. If you are left with a fine bur, turn it over, place the iron flat on the stone and pull it across the stone. You may see a fine wire bur that can be pulled off.
Polishing the Iron Using a Strop
Move the stones out of the way and place a strop in your vice. A strop is a piece of leather glued to plywood or MDF. Use your three fingers under the iron and your pointer finger on top. Place the heel of your other hand over your finger for extra strength. Get a good firm grip and pull iron over strop about 30 times to polish out the bevel, so you end up with a mirror-like finish on the bevel. Lift up each corner and the residue of any bur will be taken off.Re-assembling and Checking the Iron
Place the two pieces of the iron back together making sure there is a 2-3 mm overhang from the end. Check that it’s square and load it back into the plane.Give it a sight test to check the plane iron is not protruding past the iron.
To set your iron, place a plain piece of wood in the vice. When you first start it may not be set right. Cut on both sides to see if you are getting a thinner shaving on one side than the other. Move the lateral adjustment lever to the side that is bringing the thickest shaving but only move it 3-4 mm. Withdraw the iron a little if needed. Keep adjusting until the shavings are the same thickness.
Take out your sample wood and replace with your project wood. Start planing your piece of wood and check there are no step downs, only a silky smooth finish when you run your hand over the planed timber.
Paul repeats the plane sharpening process 3-6 times per day. Even a small knot in the wood can cause a break in the surface so the plane will need to be re-sharpened.
Sharpen to task. Unless you are working on a rough project, keep sharpening your plane. You need the plane to be in perfect, pristine condition if you want it to the job correctly.
About Paul Sellers
Paul Sellers A Lifestyle Woodworker is a popular blog with a YouTube channel that boasts 300,000 subscribers. The UK blogger is a woodworker and furniture maker with thousands of projects under his belt. Some of his popular videos have 1.4 million views.If you have any queries about the right product for your next framing project, don’t hesitate to contact us.
No comments:
Post a Comment