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I'm thicknessing the plates for my 1st guitar and am suffering tear out one side planes lovely the other leaves a fluffy finish. I'm experimenting with my sharpening at the moment I've got a norton combination, waterstones to 3000 grit and a strop with autosol on. To me the planes feel sharper off the fine side of the combination stone than my waterstones especially after stropping. I'm thing of buying one of these

http://www.axminster.co.uk:80/product-A ... 453694.htm

alongside the standard model with a spare blade to tooth whats the opinion?

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

I use the "scary sharp" system of fine grade abrasives on a piece of tempered plate glass. I use a Veritas MK II jig to hold things square. Google "scary sharp". It is a pretty decent and inexpensive way to get a very fine edge on tool steel.

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

How do you sharpen your plane? You hold the nose cone section in the giant pencil sharpener while your buddies turn the handle.

There are a lot of good methods to achieve a good edge. I develop the primary angle with a Tormek style wet grinder and finish by putting a secondary angle on with a 12000 Norton grit water stone. You do all the touch up honing with the Norton and only occasionally have to reshape on the Tromek. I find the system quick and effective. The best system is the one that works for you.

Doug

A few comments that have helped me do this successfully:

1) I think you should be using a wider plane i.e #4, 5, or 6. Block planes are great for other applications IMO.

2) On the last few strokes of sharpening, lean on the one edge and then the other. This will slightly relieve the corners of the blade and prevent them from digging in. Strop the blade frequently...about every 15 minutes.

3) Make sure the blade is absolutely straight in the plane mouth.

4) Take the thinnest curls possible when you are doing tops. Use a narrow mouth opening if possible.

Good luck...hopefully Todd will chime in.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

If the blade is marked or chipped, I'll cut a new bevel using 600 grit sandpaper double sticky taped onto a slab of marble I bought from next to nothing from the stonemasons...

Then its...
1000-6000 grit combination waterstone from Axminster


Deluxe honing guide from Axminster...keeps the blade straight.


Then during planing, it's a case of a little bit of blade at a time, just as JJ has illustrated. Make also sure the blade is evenly exposed along the mouth.

I hollow grind my plane blades so they sit easily on the stone, no need for any holder. Spend whatever time it takes to get the back of the blade perfect, it should shine like a mirror. If the back isn't polished perfectly flat, no amount of work on the bevel will get it sharp.

Paul

I can't believe no one makes toothed blades. If you have tearout going one way, you need to reverse the direction. I think a toothed blade would help with that because your gonna have to stop in the middle....
. I just asked and was told to use a dremel cutter to tooth the blade. I have a small (11") #5 jackplane that works very well, but I also need a toothed blade with it. But its way better than the block plane.
Dec 07 Fine woodworking had a great article on planing wood flat, the edges are slightly rounded on the blade, its really in depth. I need that article.

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Here is what a Parlor Guitar is for!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEa8PkjO6_I

I came across the following website.

http://www3.telus.net/BrentBeach/Sharpen/sharpen.html

Great stuff! I followed his directions and got an edge I had never gotten before. He has microscope images of plane edges sharpened in different ways which is very illuminating, if you are curious about the why of it. YouTube vids as well.

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Gabriel Regalbuto
Carlsbad, California
Freedom 35!

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I have a fairly unique technique.

As some of y'all will know, my workshop is my classroom in the High School where I teach.

if a plane need's sharpened, I hand it to my technician and say "Tom, any time you have time, could you sharpen this please?"

the next day it arrives back like a razor.

I have NO IDEA what he does to it in between times, but I suspect it involves moonlight, misseltoe berries and strange chanting.......

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My soundclick xx luthier blog xx luthier soundclick

I use the scary sharp for prelim honing but i like to polish on a fine grit jap stone.

The king conbo stone from axminster is a very very good beginers stone use that is you can afford it (its about £14)

I just replyed you pm with some awnsers for you,

Joel.

It sounds like your biggest problem is runout in your top. A higher angle plane can help when planing against the grain, but the easiest solution is to plane from the other direction. Angling the plane can also help. If the mouth is adjustable, make it as small as practical. and set the plane to make as light a cut as possible. You can use a scraper to finish the area along the join.

Also, Lee Valley makes toothed blades for their planes. I haven't tried them, but I do have their bevel-up smoother, which works great.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx ... at=1,41182

Joe

I may try the dremel disk cutting tool, but I think a toothed blade is essential, even If I take my wood to have thickness sanded, I can get it real close, save time $$.

I want a toothed blade for a #5 1/4. One site above had them only for block planes. I will have to pony up on this tool.

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Here is what a Parlor Guitar is for!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEa8PkjO6_I

Ok, can you use a blade for a block plane in a #5? I can't seem to find a toothed #5 blade.Its only about a 1/8 difference, but the holes might be different.

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Here is what a Parlor Guitar is for!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEa8PkjO6_I

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Ok, I tried toothing with a file, and it works just fine. All you need is a separate blade.

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Here is what a Parlor Guitar is for!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEa8PkjO6_I

IMO people obsess too much over blade sharpening. I went through several techniques including scary sharp before ending up with a pair of waterstones 1000 and 4000 grit. I used to use a jig now I do them by hand--takes a little experience.

In most cases (I base this on my cabinet-making experience, not guitars per se) what's important is using right tool for the job, going with the grain not against it, adjusting the mouth and frog of the plane for optimal smoothing. Along those lines a stout frog and thick blade minimize chatter and tearout.

For tricky woods you generally want need a high angle (see discussion here http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au ... php?t=9300) or a scraper.

Not to knock anybody who really likes to sharpen blades, I have just concluded that doing more than what I'm doing is not necessary to achieve the desired results.

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Without music life would be a mistake.

~Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

I have a fallkniven dc3 combination diamond/synthetic sapphire stone 3" long and an finding it a life saver for sharpening plane blades a little unconventional but I grind on a 120 belt then buff then with the edge of the blade hanging over the edge or inna vice I rub the diamond then the stone across. My best attempts so far managed to shave my arm!

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Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

I am another scary shape guy. That said if hoining I would go at least thru 6000 or 8000 on a waterstone if one side of your blade is sharp and the other side seames to not cut as well I would first check your planes bed tuning and sole plate flatness

I use the worksharp that I bought from woodcraft.

I have since learned the scarey sharp and it is pretty quick and alot cheaper than buying a sharpener.
But for impatient dorks like myself, the worksharp is pretty fool proof. It is like the scarey sharp with a motor and guide.