I just notice an unpromoted little gem in this video. The oil bottle rather than can. I and so many others use the "oil in a can" or "oil rag in a can". It keeps the rust in my very humid environment at bay. The rag in a can gets filthy. It gets knocked over and hangs onto saw dust. It gets knocked from the bench onto the floor and gets even worse. I use 3 in one oil so it does evaporate over time. But a plastic bottle with the screw cut short, a rolled-up rag wick and screw on cap - luxury. Thank you
That's just about the best tutorial on how to sharpen (and set) an iron I've ever seen. Takes me back to my Cabinet Making college days. But you also show that if you're using a waterstone, the stone itself needs to be kept flat, by lapping on a flat abrasive surface. Otherwise it will hollow out and become useless. Most people miss that part out. I've never seen anyone (including when I was at college) paying attention to flatting off the cap iron edge as well. But this of course is crucial to stop the shavings shoving themselves between the iron and the cap iron, and clogging up the throat. Also, I've never even seen anyone set a plane like that before. I've always pit the iron/cap iron in til it rests on the cam lever hook, then put the lever iron on, turned it over and looked down the sole to see where the blade has come. But resting the body of the plane on the wood and letting the iron and cap iron drop down to the surface of the timber, then tightening down the locking bolt (lever cap in my case) is a much less time consuming and fiddle process. I hope it will work on Stanley no 5 cos I'm going to try that.
Hey, Graham! Glad to see a new channel dedicated to traditional hand-tool techniques for working wood. I'm excited to see what information you present and to have a new channel to follow.
Yes, camellia oil is the best oil for hand tools. Just one or two drops on a cotton rag you can wipe down the whole blade. People think they can use WD-40 but they look up the specs on WD-40 and the SDS sheet they will find it's mostly kerosene! You don't believe me look up the cas number. Anyways camellia oil is a good product good for your skin watching kids.
In your video you did not state what's the abrasive paper grip was that you were using only that it was on flat glass? Also when you're done you did not wipe off the stone or blow it off to ensure that you don't have any of the grip from the Sandpaper on there! To me that seems like you have some cross-contamination going on between your stones and the grip paper that is in question. Also I would think the higher you go in your water stones in terms of micron why you would go in your flat and store as well. Otherwise you are forming deep grooves into your very fine stones and removing material I just meant necessary. Also I believe it's better to wash your Stones off versus wiping your Stones off against cross-contamination of grit particles. Overall well done but some of these things brought concern to me! Columbus Michigan
Well done, Graham! Freehand is the only way! I don't think you mentioned the sensitivity of your hands have and listening to the sounds of the stone as you're grinding or polishing the blade important factor sharpening a blade. It's amazing how sensitive our senses are doing it by hand gives you a ton of control over the shirt being processed difficult that all master. Columbus Michigan
Wonderfully simplistic techniques Graham , the criss-cross scratch idea is one I'll definitely take from you . I'll be tuned in for more . Regards sir and thank you for these fundamentals .
Just found out about your channel from Rex Kruger. Watched the first two videos and love it. I subscribed and looking forward to watching all your videos. Thanks
Learning so much from you! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Wondering about the last step in the sharpening process. Some tutorials suggest using leather imbued with a polishing compound for a final stropping, while others recommend just plain leather (you used your own!). Can you comment on this a bit more? Is it an overkill to use polishing compound and you can be more efficient with the same effect just skipping that step (not ready for using my palm for final sharpening step)?
Thanks for putting this out, Graham. Really interesting, shed some light on things I didn't know having watched a number of other videos on sharpening planes. Good luck with the new channel - I wish you every success.
Thanks so much for this tutorial. This is a skill anyone working with wood needs to know. Now I know how to sharpen these! Is the process the same for chisels? Thanks again!
Hello, from indiana! Great video! I learned at least two or three things I had never heard anybody else say before. I especially like the advice about getting the corners of the blade so they don't catch. That is a problem that I have had since I started teaching myself to do woodworking a couple years ago and I just tried that method and it made a huge difference already. I'm even planing leopard wood and if anybody has ever used leopard wood you know that stuff is finicky as hell. But this seems to have greatly assisted in smoothing it beautifully. I randomly came across your channel but I am your newest subscriber, for sure. I look forward to your next video and checking out what other videos you've already uploaded. Thanks again! Woodworking is sadly a dying art, especially using traditional tools which is exactly why I used traditional tools. I want to honor those who came before me while also taking advantage of the great technology available today. So I really appreciate any advice I can get from someone who's been there and done that. You certainly seem to fit that bill. See you next time!
I have to believe that in these days of increasingly complicated technology, doing things bt hand is an even more important part of remaining human. Keep going, and thanks!
Hi Graham, I appreciate your work teaching this craft. I need all the help I can get! May I please ask for the name of the oil used after sharpening was finished? I want to incorporate the oil into my sharpening routine. Thank you, Bill
I use magnolia oil since it is very fine and does not clog up the stone. Most Japanese stores (in the US) sell it more cheaply than if you buy it from a dedicated woodwork store. But it lasts a long time
Just found your channel. Already watched only first 2 videos, but have learned so much. I have a question about using a leather strop to finish the edge. I have always finished my irons this way. Is this similar to you using your palm? Thank you for the great videos!
The strop method works but the problem is it tends to slightly round over the back of the iron - this is fine for carving tools but I use the back of my hand for plane irons because I believe this way I can prevent any rounding over of the back which I prefer perfectly flat so that the cap iron will fit with no gap.
Would you please say a few words about establishing the initial bevel? Have you done that on a grinding wheel and do you return to the wheel every so often? Or, once the bevel is stablished, do you then stay on the stones forever? I am partly trying to understand if your blade is hollow ground (so that the sharpened bit is a thin strip along the edge). Thank you.
I’m a woodworker that uses Shapton pro stones. Two seconds rubbing on that piece of oxide paper isn’t doing any flattening. Shaptons are pretty hard I use a diamond reference plate. To refresh the cutting of the stone and keep them flat. Using sandpaper like he doing will transfer grit. And that’s not good for polishing the iron edge.
Of course you're right, It was the principle I was trying to demonstrate, I didn't mention that I was using a Shapton since the principle is true in general for most other stones - such as King water stones etc.But thanks for pointing this out; I'll be more careful next time. Cheers!
I used water stones for some years. Always flattening the stones was kind of annoying. My oil stones are much harder, so I don´t need to flatten them that often. The oil stays on the surface so I don´t have to wet them every time. They´re much more convenient but I believe the future belonges to diamond plates. They´ve come down in price, they stay flat and they last a long time.
Diamond plates are great. I agree that it can be a pain to constanty have to flatten water stones, which is why I prefer the Japanese ceramic stones. BTW, I always found that oil on 'oilstones' reduces their cutting ability (the oil that was originally used on 'oilstones' was whale oil (now hard to find!).
@@gjbmunc I use very little and very thin oil on my oil stones. You´re right, oil can reduce the cutting ability, especially when there´s a lot of it. I just keep a thin film of it on the stones. I still like to use the stones but diamond plates are so much more convenient. I just couldn´t find a really good one with a fine grit. The coarser ones are great though.
Great informative video. I have a question though: Here in South Africa where I live, everything is very expensive due to exchange rates, especially tools. Can the same sharpness be reached by using "water sandpaper" too?
Anything you do will help, but watersandpaper is primarily used for sanding finishes not raw wood (where I might not want sanding granules to be left behind to possibly dull other plane irons.
It's a quick fix, but eventually the whole bevel needs to be resetablished. Same thing with putting a micro bevel on the back side of the iron like David Charlesworth (whom I respect greatly) recommends.
Graham! Cap iron, Thank-you! Why do people call it a chip breaker? If you need the cap iron to break chips, I think you may be doing something wrong! Great video.
New subscriber here. The Almighty Algorithm made one of your videos pop up on my feed. . . In any case, I wanted to make a comment about what you do in the very beginning of this video. . . You use a piece of 1000 grit on a piece of plate glass. . . At this point, I don't even remember where I learned about using reflected light as a test for flatness, but this is the point of my comment. . . The most perfectly flat surface will reflect perfectly, and be easily seen with the eye. . . I started off with a glazed ceramic tile from a home improvement store. . . Use the overhead lights to check the reflection. You'll be able to see any surface fluctuations as an optical distortion. A thicker piece resists flexing more. . . I graduated to a leftover piece of granite from a countertop installation. . . It definitely doesn't flex and the weight of it keeps it set wherever it is set.
