Sharpen a Plane Blade There are many ways to sharpen plane blades, and woodworkers have strong opinions on the best technique. Here is a simple, reliable method to achieve a sharp edge. It takes just three waterstones, an inexpensive jig and a few minutes. 1. Get a flat back. While some blades come with a … Read more
Another video on sharpening? Ugh! No, wait…this one’s kinda different. In fact, this video isn’t about the cutting edge of the chisel. What?! It’s true. “Chisel Sharpening with Harrelson Stanley” is about the ergonomics of the body and its relationship to the chisel. Japanese tool and sharpening expert Harrelson Stanley discusses how to hold your … Read more
Some woodworkers would rather stick their hand into a running disposal while naked than turn on a dry grinder. So when they need to correct the skew angle on a skewed plane iron or skewed chisel they are at a loss. I even met a guy who would just buy a new blade rather than … Read more
A couple weekends ago I did a clumsy thing in front of an audience: I dropped my expensive 5,000-grit waterstone on the floor where it broke into three jagged chunks. Someone in the audience offered to sell me a replacement stone, but I declined. That’s because I knew I had two good things I could … Read more
Almost every system for sharpening tools works just fine, so the differences between the systems come down to speed, expense, portability and mess. In December, Lee Valley Tools started carrying diamond lapping film for sharpening edge tools. I kind of ignored it as I was busting my hump building a Campaign Secretary under a tight … Read more
My favorite honing guide is the one you can find at almost any woodworking store. The guides are inexpensive and poorly made, but you can easily tune them up to make them work. One of the major faults of these guides is that when you tighten a tool between the jaws, the jaws tilt up … Read more
Here’s a great gift idea, at a 27 percent savings! Included in the DVD Combo Pack: “The Last Word On Sharpening,” “Build an 18th-century Workbench,” ” Handplane Basics – A Better Way to Use Bench Planes” and “Build a Sawbench with Christopher Schwarz.” Click here to buy this DVD collection now. Read more
