It's That Time Again
It's that time again. I pulled out some planes to shape the boat stems and was reminded that they need to be sharpened every so often. This is my sharpening kit; a combination diamond steel 400/600 grit, a 1200 grit King water stone, a combination water stone 3000 and 8000 grit and a leather strop that Martin gifted me. I use a Veritas honing guide to hold the blades while sharpening. Buddy Luke laughs at me for using the guide, says a real craftsman can sharpen blades without the use of a guide. I'm going to keep using the guide.
If a blade is in really bad shape I'll use the 400/600 steel to start. After a blade is shaped I don't think I need anything more than the water stones to get the blade razor sharp. Before I start honing I paint the bevel of the blade with a sharpie, put the blade in the guide and lightly roll the blade on a stone to see where metal will be removed. I adjust the blade in the guide until metal will only be taken from the front 1/8" of the cutting surface. It is much faster to just sharpen the very front of the blade, the part that is doing the cutting.
I work through the different grits, finishing with the 8000. As I go I alternate sharpening the bevel and turning the blade over, laying it flat on the stone and remove the curl that forms at the leading edge of the blade. I finish up with the leather strop, stropping both sides of the blade to get rid of the roll. Water stones are soft and wear quickly so I use the 400 steel with water to resurface the face of the stone to keep it level across the whole face.
Chisels and plane blades take some work to get them in shape but once they have a good face, they are easy to quickly get razor sharp. Sharp tools are good friends to have in the shop.