Boat Building Forum

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Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
By:John Abercrombie
Date: 3/7/2012, 12:00 am
In Response To: Tools: Plane sharpening (Andrew T)

: I picked up a 4 sided diamond sharpening block over the winter
: (200, 300, 400, 600) and a honing guide.

: I've never used a diamond kind of block before and really don't
: know much about them.
: I've also never sharpened anything but a kitchen knife. So I
: apologize if these are stupid questions.

: Do I need to use any type of oil or water on this diamond block
: thing? It didn't come with any kind of instructions :/
: Should I put a lot of pressure on the blade while running it back
: and forth on the block with the honing guide? Or is it more of a
: just slide it across gently kind of thing?

I don't know if those grit numbers are the same as sandpaper grades, but (IMO) you will probably need something finer than 600 to put the final edge on your plane and chisel blades. To avoid the expense of a fine grit stone (water stone or Arkansas) you can use very fine wet/dry sandpaper (up in the 1500+ range) on a piece of glass with some soapy water.
I use water with a drop of dish detergent on my diamond plates.
Pressure: Generally I start with medium-light pressure then, once the surface is established a bit, move on to firmer pressure. Try to use as much of the 'stone' surface as possible; the beginner temptation is often to use short rapid movements. If you don't see the water getting 'dirty' with metal particles, something is not working properly.

Don't forget to give the 'back' (flat side) of the edge as much attention as the bevel. It should be mirror-shiny.

Messages In This Thread

Tools: Plane sharpening
Andrew T -- 3/6/2012, 8:03 pm
Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
Ken Blanton -- 3/6/2012, 9:16 pm
Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
mark vander horck -- 3/6/2012, 10:30 pm
Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
John Abercrombie -- 3/7/2012, 12:00 am
Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
Paul Montgomery -- 3/7/2012, 1:55 am
Honing guide
Jay Babina -- 3/7/2012, 7:38 am
Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
Randy Echtinaw -- 3/7/2012, 8:29 am
Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
Mike Bielski -- 3/7/2012, 8:45 am
Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
Ken Blanton -- 3/7/2012, 5:19 pm
Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
John Abercrombie -- 3/7/2012, 6:19 pm
Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
Mike Bielski -- 3/7/2012, 11:53 pm
Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
Ken Blanton -- 3/8/2012, 8:04 pm
Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
John Abercrombie -- 3/8/2012, 8:25 pm
Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
Andrew T -- 3/7/2012, 10:49 am
Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
ancient kayaker -- 3/7/2012, 10:14 pm
Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
Steve H -- 3/7/2012, 11:13 pm
Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
Will N 2 go -- 3/8/2012, 10:21 pm
Re: Tools: Plane sharpening
Eric Mattison -- 3/8/2012, 7:14 pm