Sharpening Chisels & plane blades

The truth is, there is no magic process or hidden secrets to sharpening chisels & plane blades

• Part 1: Choosing a sharpening system
• Part 2: Taking sharpening to another level
• Part 3; Conclusion, can it get any better?

Part 1. Choosing a sharpening system

One of the most frustrating things about sharpening is choosing a system. The method for years now, has been to hollow grind your chisels / plane blades at 25 degrees on an electric wet grinder. (Primary bevel)

Then form a micro bevel of 4 or 5 degrees on an 800 grit water stone followed by honing at 8000 grit. “Done” Standard everyday sharpening with western chisels and planes. Takes less than 5 minutes. “So, what’s all the fuss about “?

Let’s break the process down into its three core parts

• Flattening the soles & backs of chisels, plane blades
• Grinding the correct bevel angle
• Honing the edge

Flattening the soles and backs of chisels and plane blades

Let’s start with the plane body. With the blade in position but not protruding draw lines with a marker pen on the planes base. Move the plane back and forth over the 120-grit sandpaper, look at the base where the red marker pen has remained. This will tell you where the high and low spots are.

Stay at 120 grits until the surface is flat. (no red pen). Then work through the higher grits to create a smooth, flat surface on the soles of your planes. Apply the same process to your chisels and plane blades. Apply firm even pressure, keep moving the chisel back and forth over the sandpaper or stones. I stop at 1200 grit for plane soles and 4000 for chisels & planes blades.

What’s the best way to grind the bevel angle?

Many experienced makers learned to sharpen on bench grinders as apprentice’s back in the 70’s 80’s & 90’s and stuck with it. Using a bench grinder is the most difficult; one slip of pressure, and you’ll burn the edge. De tampering it, creating a pain in the neck. With the whole process having to be re done again. You can buy better wheels, but it’s still the highest risk it’s also the quickest method.

Mediocre whetstone grinder, get rid of that, the wet stones are too soft. (more like sandstone than sharpening stone). Bought it, tried it, sold it, lost money on it.

The sandpaper method of 80, 120, 320, 800 and1200 grits. Laid out flat on a surface plate will remove metal from O1 carbon steel chisels quickly. It’s easy to set up and consistent.

Chisel goes in honing guide, protrudes on guide 1.3/4 inches = 25 degree bevel every time, without fail. (distance depends on honing guide). Simple and easy, “that’s what I want in a sharpening system”. Consistent results every time as simply done as possible.

The sandpaper method is Laber intensive but it’s impossible to burn the edge. Once your chisels are set up, you don’t have to go through the whole process every day, unless you drop them on the floor.

Now were talking!

I’m a big fan of my Tomek and it’s a real joy to use when set up. Compared to the older methods of bench grinder or sandpaper this one’s a life changer. like all good machines it does need routine maintenance and the setting up of jigs.

Stone truing jigs, flat blade jigs. keep the stone aligned to the guide bar, check the guide bar is the correct height to the stone. Fresh supply of water every day. Remember to remove the stone from the water tray each night. Must be near a power socket. Replacement stones are expensive.

Is there a simpler way to create a primary bevel?

I don’t need the fastest sharpening method. What I’m looking for in a system, is consistent results. Easy, tidy and quiet and most importantly a sharpening method I enjoy.  We now enter the world of ceramic wet stones.

Four ceramic stones 120, 320, 800, 8000. They sit in their own case, sleep overnight in a draw. Come out each morning ready to work, with a little splash of water (Brilliant). The 120 and 320 stones replace the sharpening machines, a bit slower but I don’t need it every day and it cost less than a tenth of the Tormek.

Conclusion: What’s the best way to Grind a 25-degree primary bevel?

All the above systems work; you’ll have to “make a decision”. If it’s any help. I’ve still got my bench grinder sat on the shelf, I haven’t used it for a while, but I like knowing it’s there.

Honing the edge

I started 30 years ago with oil stones, then moved to water stones, diamond stones, and now ceramics. I’m no expert, and everyone can sharpen their chisels and planes however they want.

I’m not looking for a quick sharpening method. More a consistent no brainer does this do that get super sharp results every time method. With the primary bevel now at 25 degrees Set the chisel in the honing guide at 30 degrees. Once your confident with the honing guide. Try sharpening free hand or at least the honed edge, free hand.

I use the 800 grit ceramic stone until I can feel a definite burr (wire edge) on the back of the chisel / plane blade. Then turn the chisel over, still in the honing guide and 5 or 6 short swipes to remove the burr.

Go straight to the 8000-grit stone keep moving over the stone until you can feel a tiny burr on the chisel edge. Remove from honing guide. 5 or 6 passes on the back of the chisel to remove the burr.

Wipe the edge with a dab of camellia Oil to prevent rust. That’s as far as I go with sharpening western chisels and plane blades. If a chisel is damaged or badly worn, then start the sharpening prosses on the 120 stone to bring the bevel back then move to the 320 to refine the bevel then follow the above

Sharpening part 2: Another level

Part two is still about sharpening without a machine. Stones only. In part one we followed the standard process, but the question is why do we do this?

Speed!

To do a few passes or re hone an edge takes second’s free hand. Compared to sharpening or honing the whole bevel on a plane or chisel. It’s a fact, its quicker. The problem with this method is once the cutting edge has become rounded you have to regrind. Here lies the problem a re-grind without a machine takes forever and wears the stones away.

A Japanese chisel only has one bevel.

Can we do this with our western chisels? Yes, we can

“BUT” it works best on vintage carbon steel chisels with no modern chromium or other elements added to the steel.

The top chisel has been machine forged, while the bottom chisel has been hand forged. look for tangs like the lower chisel as these are easier to sharpen with a single bevel. You can see that the lower chisel tang is not perfect like the factory finish on the top chisel.

In part one we had four sharpening stones 120 & 320. Coarse stones to replace the sharpening machine. Next, we moved onto a 800 grit and final honing on 8000.

The whole point of sharpening for me. Is to find the easiest most consistent way to get as near a perfect edge as possible.
1 single bevel = no adjustments, no regrinding

I’ve upgraded the ceramic stone line up and added a mid-way stone of 5000 and a final honing stone of 16000. These extra stones lessen the wear and give me a fine polished edge. Adjusted the honing guide to set the bevel at 28 degrees for both planes and chisels.
One straight bevel honed to 16000 grit every time nothing changes for 90% of the materials I work with.

It’s as simple as I can get my sharpening process. the question of speed well I never have to regrind a blade. Time and money saved right there.
 We all have our preferred set up. I’m sticking with this single bevel method for three reasons

I like it
it’s so simple
it works

Sharpening part 3: Can it get any better?

Well after sticking with part two for the last 6 months. I’ve got no choice there’s only one way to go with this and that’s Japanese.

My workshop is in a single car garage unheated in wet and windy southwest England. With such fluctuation in weather and temperature. There’s no way I can get involved in Japanese wooden planes. But Chisels?

Back to the old chestnut of sharpening speed. Japanese chisels are quicker to sharpen due to the hard carbon steel being laminated to a softer steel. The backs are hollowed out to help speed up the sharpening process. my compromise is stick with my western planes but speed up the process using Japanese chisels.

Conclusion & secret to sharpening

• Good steel
• Good stones
• And the finale ingredient is humble elbow greese

Thanks for reading

Best Matt North

Blade from this guide sharpened to 16000 grit in a 1950’s Marples X4 plane above. You can view the restoration here