Sharpening Plane Blades And Chisels - In the Real World 

If you liked this check out 32 seconds to sharp here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-okLIEoz00v0.html

This is such an excellent teaching channel. It's one of the best I've come across for woodworking for beginners. The what is provided along with the why, and it's the why that I find so valuable. Because it's delivered in such an accessible and sensible manner, I find it sticks with me for longer. Thank you.

Best and most useful sharpening instruction for everyday use in the workshop. Thanks for that and greetings from Germany, Ulf.

As always, exceptional. Your clarity of explanation is a real talent in itself. Grateful thanks Francis Cawley

I very much appreciate your teaching method and for demonstrating methods for precision. Further, thanks for your dedication and service to our veterans. Very recently I encountered your videos and will be watching at least the ones most relevant to my projects.

Thank you Rob. Probably the best sharpening video on RU-vid.

I do like your explanation Rob. It is always clear. Thank you very much.

Hi Rob, Yet another great video. I would like to say what a wonferful workshop you have. No doubt the product of many years of hard work. Years ago I also had a large workshop like your own. Retired now with much smaller shop. Keep up the good work Rob. Yours Ricky

Excellent video Rob, thanks 🙏

The why we do this is so important and keeps the information in your system. Thanks Robb.

Whomever would like to Learn the Craft of Woodworking; Rob is one Great Teacher to Learn From. i met him in Toronto, Great Teacher.

Amazingly helpful thank you

Brilliantly executed. Precision without compromise. Time management for no excuse. Results the best achievable with a constant expectation. Thank you for your dedicated service so others may live freely without the sacrifice you continue to make. You are Quite the Professional.

Superb lesson as always!!!

Hi Rob I've been watching your channel for a few years and your skills and dedication to teaching woodworking are incomparable. In all this time your sharpening lessons are the most educational. As a kid at high school we had work benches with tool wells and were always told to place the hand plane in the tool well with the toe down. If we didn't have a tool well we were told to place the plane on its edge. You never do this, but your respect for the cutting edge is exemplary. Why don't you place the plane on it's edge? Keep teaching and I'll keep watching, thank you.

Over the years I have made many of my own planes along with their irons. Everything that you say both here and in your sharpening video rings True. Thanks for the perceptive views about sharpening.

You have made it about as simple as it can get. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

Rob, I know you hear this a lot. You have improved my planning techniques 100 fold on your sharpening techniques. It has set me back a lot of funds, but it was worth it. I’ve been using water stones for 30 years. Shapton stones are by far the best. Thank you again.

Great video and great information

Great video as always Rob thanks for sharing

I'm a pro and imo this is an excellent explanation of "sharp" and how to get there inexpensively, quickly and consistently. Thanks Rob

Your sharpening methods are the only ones that worked for me. Using tools that are Cosman sharp have changed my outlook on hand tools.

Amazing knowledge ,people with such indepth knowledge can explain to us so lucidity and there are very few people remaing to to that in this ever increasing CNC culture.Thank you so much Sir,keep the flame burning.

Thank you Rob. I appreciate that direct information.

You and your family stay safe in the storm Lee.

Rob, great video, as usual. I know you know this, but the way you explained grit may confuse some folks. Grit number is the number of wires, or spaces minus 1(hold up 4 fingers, there are 3 spaces between them), per LINEAR inch in one direction and the same number of wires/spaces perpendicular to that woven or welded into a grid. So 120 grit screen would have about 14,400 wires and 14,161 holes per square inch. Taking the thickness of the wire into consideration, theoretically, the particles are much smaller than 1/120th of an inch. But industry specifications can muddy the waters as, depending on the standard referenced, the particle sizes vary widely in what's actually on the paper, or in the stone/wheel, etc. I didn't know the following part but found it while double checking to make sure my information was accurate. I learn something in the process, so this day is a win!! This is copied and pasted from a 3M Abrasives tech talk release: "ANSI B74.12 specifies that to be considered a 100 grit abrasive all the material must pass through a standard 70 screen with a maximum of 20% of the material being retained on a standard 100 screen. This means that up to 20 percent of the material is larger (more coarse) than the standard 100 screen opening while, at least 80% is smaller (finer) than the standard 100 screen opening." This is why old timers like me often look for well used sandpaper for certain tasks, as the big particles are mostly gone and the finer ones remain. Careful with those edges that weren't worn though.... haha! I have a way-too-large box of used, but not destroyed sandpaper in the shop. I have to admit, it's not sorted, so I'm forced to dig for just the right one occasionally..... Another bit of useless trivia? Perhaps......

The best 34 minutes ever to explain 32 seconds to sharpening. Thanks Rob.

Great work awesome video !

good video, good title too. In the real world means a lot. learning the most efficient method of sharpening to achieve the most accurate work you can get with your tool and the best finished surface on your wood.

It always makes my day to see a new Rob Cosman video. Good to see a sharpening refresher too.

Great timing - I've just joined a new shared shop space, and all the planes and chisels are dull as butter knives. Good refresher on how I should go about sharpening them up! As an aside, I get a kick out of people commenting on your hair. I have a similar hairstyle at the moment - not sure if it makes me a better woodworker, but if it's good for David Charlesworth and Rob Cosman, I don't think it'll hurt my results in any case!

good info

I love your videos

I recently moved from my dmt diamond stones to shapton stones. This made possible because Rob's basic diamond plate is an affordable lapping option (so I bought it). I tried lapping ceramic stones with my coarse diamond plate, but the lack of the relief channels made it stick like glue to the shapton stones. There are woodworkers whose skill far exceeds mine who get great results with diamond stones, but I was always a bit frustrated with them. I believe ceramic stones cut faster. But a huge advantage (for me), and one that I have not seen mentioned, is the clear visibility of the swarf on the light coloured shapton stones. This gives me much better feedback on whether I am putting even pressure on the blade. As a first pass I still prefer the 1000 grit shapton to the fine side of the cosman diamond plate. Somehow the feel of ceramic stones just suits me much better, probably totally subjective.

I have a Shapton 16000 from Rob. I’ve been using it for 4 years now as a hobbyist that puts 300-400 hours a year into hand tool woodworking. I sharpen a lot, and the Shapton still has plenty of thickness for a few more years worth of use.

It's refreshing to see someone who gets sharpening and teaches it so well. There are many videos on YT showing sharpening of plane blades, chisels, and hunting and kitchen knives. Many lead us to believe we need to spend 10, 20, even 30 minutes to sharpen a blade. The object is to sharpen the blade quickly and get back to woodworking or food prep. If it takes more than a minute or 2, we're wasting time! I can sharpen my set of 5 kitchen knives in 2 minutes, and a plane or chisel in a minute or 2. That last bit of "scary sharpness" takes the longest, and is totally useless because it's gone the instant the blade hits the wood.

When these debates occur in the shop, I always take the position that the best system is the one you'll actually use.

Thank you Rob! I enjoy your style of teaching and explaining. I am restoring an old Stanley Bailey plane from 1904 and your videos have been so helpful. I was about to ask a question and you answered it as I kept watching! Save your questions for the end folks! *Question*: Is there ever a chance you need to re-flatten the bottom of a plane? I have a Diamond stone and was about to go to town but it dawned on me maybe the hand planes are similar to the way a joiner works? Thanks for everything!

Great video Rob, do you just use water on the stones?

Thanks Rob. Ne woodworker here. Really taking what you say about sharpness to heart. I've ben trying freehand but on old sweetheart blades and with sandpaper and cheap water stones. I'm finding the whole process very frustrating and disheartening. I've heard you loud and clear now. No more fooling around with old thin blades. And I need to step up to Shapton GS. Pay now, and don't cry later.

Your method reminds me of Sergeants Time training we used to do in the US Army 20 years ago. You'd be a damn good NCO, Rob.

Excellent video and I want your hair ❤

It’s simply amazing that sharpening a plane blade can be so efficient. No kidding, get this gear and try this method. It’s the best! Wish I learned it a long time ago.

Hi Rob...one more amazing video about how efective a sharp blade can be...intersting the blade against snakewood ...in Brazil we have a wood called Garapa...it's a hardwood with a lot of silica inside ...this wood can dull a blade or plug cutters very quickly...so some wood with silica and resign are very bad to work... Thanks for help us in every new video

thanks for this very educational. I guess I would ask what this all means in the context of finishes that only want you to go to like 220 or 120 like osmo and rubio respectively? how do concepts like grain popping apply to this? Maybe more to the point does having wood this smooth effect your finishing options and if so how?

Best thing I ever learned to "kick start" my wood working, was when I started to watch your videos and understood what you're preaching. I had a good stock of gifted purple heart that had me disheartened, it was so hard to plane, thought it was my old, used, cheap plane I'd managed to find and that I'd have to resort to using sandpaper to deal with it and when I first found your channel, it was a bit more than I was ready for, but thankfully I found you again about 10 months later and the brain/soul/mind was ready and now I easily deal with that PH and I get a finished surface I can apply a finish to. Just recently ordered a WR 5 1/2 plane and 16k stone, waiting very impatiently for it to arrive, very curious to see how it performs compared and what the blade is like with the 16k stone. Also ordered a new WR blade for my old N0.4 Record I'm currently using to see if the blade (metal and thickness) takes it to another level as the stock doesn't seem to hold an edge very long. Sharpness is the absolute key, if you don't understand that and having someplace always setup, close to hand to make it a quick and easy process, you'll only get frustrated running your tools way past when you should, because sharpening is such a PITA.

Hey Rob, Great explanation of the process of getting blades sharp. QUESTION: I inherited a Stanley No6 in excellent condition but I'm not sure how to assess the blade. It does cut (somewhat) but I need to go from low end sharp to making it my shooting plane. Can you please tell me with what grit you would reccommend to start, and how far to go with it. I'm gonna be 80 in a couple of months so the idea of investing in a costly system makes little sense. Please give me your thoughts. I appreciate the material that I have seen on your channel over the years but this No6 has practical AND sentimental value plus assigning it to s shooting board is special too. Thanks man. Keep up the great work!

You put a lot of effort into this video, Rob. Well done. I have used a very similar method with Shapton stones for years with incredible results.

One thing... you have fabulous hair. Great to see manly man like you rocking the mane :D (i have terribly thin hair, always had.. )

Great video as usual Rob! I used this exact method on some 1890s Siegley planes I inherited that had not been sharpened (likely) since the early 1900's. In mere minutes, they were cutting like new. Fast, easy, sharp!

Rob I 100 percent agree with you I switched totally to Shapton stones totally worth the money all my tools are sharpened to 16000 grit

Rod what plan are you using make model you have???

Hello….. in your opinion what is the best brand chisels that will get sharp and move some wood ??? I seen a video earlier and the guy had a chisel and a red oak board, and he was cutting an 1/8 th” of wood like hot butter !!! Never seen a chisel to that extent before…..any suggestions on a great brand because I’m often needing a good chisel at times…. And the better and sharper we know is also quicker and better too. Please let me know….. thx…..Paul.. white, London, Ky.

Rob can you tell me what type of wax you use on plane soles?

Next, Rob is going to box braid pigtails.

Hi Rob, I have a sharpening question, but let me first give you some background information. I have a very old (probably early 1900's) bailey #5 plane, and it has the thinner style blade. I tried tuning it the best I could using your method with my 1200 diamond stone for the initial bevel, and a 4000 stone for the microbevel as that's currently the finest grit I have. I used the 1200 diamond stone to flatten the 4000 stone. I got decent results but not great, and cannot get the edge to edge very thin shavings that you routinely get. Thinking I deserve something better, I purchased a brand new Wood River 4 1/2, and tried the same sharpening process. I'm still developing my sharpening skills obviously, but I couldn't get much better results with the new hand plane. One symptom is my shavings are never the full width of the plane. So I'm wondering if this clue might help you identify what I'm doing wrong, and what I need to do in order to get the proper results. I understand that the 4000 stone will not give the same results as the 16000 stone, and I actually was about to order a shapton 16000 grit stone, but before I do, I want a little more assurance that my technique is good enough to deliver the results you get after I make that purchase. Any help and suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks rob, considering moving over to your method and off my dirty oil stone. I really stuggle getting a consistent primany bevel of the grinding wheer. Can you please do a video on this? And how you get the 25 degrees, straight and square. Cheers

Great video. I stand behind rob’s method. The trend diamond 300/1000 is worth the investment. Hoping to get a glass 16,000 soon , but the shapton ceramic 12,000 also does a really good job.

No one else on youtube shows their plane working so effortlessly.

I love your content. What are your thoughts on the new CPM Magnacut plane blades that are out?

Your video make me want to sharpen the blades of my 4 bench and 1 block plane now! I'll be back in 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

What's the brand of that wax stick you use? It seems a lot handier than having it in a jar.

I've been using a Veritas sharpening guide as I didn't think I could hold an angle well enough. I've also been frustrated attempting to flatten the first 3/8" of the backs of plane blades & even starting with an extra coarse DMT stone, it took forever. The Veritas guide is fine for producing a squared off 25° primary bevel & a micro bevel but though sharper than they used to be, my plane blades still didn't produce those perfect looking, 0.001" shavings 0 more like 0.005"... Having watched this & the "32 seconds to sharp" video, I gave it a try, having purchased a Shapton 16,000 grit stone (I already had DMT from 300, through to 1,000 grit). Yep, I managed to get four, 2 3/8" blades to cut just like your does, though a new, thicker blade took 20 minutes with the Charlseworth ruler method & 1,000 grit to get a clean edge all the way across, despite it being much recommended as flat ground (definitely thicker in the middle, just like every original Stanley blade I've owned). I'm now a lot more confident I can do everything except creating an accurate 25° by hand. Now to sort out all the other planes I have collected over the years...

I just got a TSPROFF knife sharpening system. I also got a good set of CBN plates ranging from 240-8,000 grit. I got this setup for knives of all sorts, but they make a scissor/chisel adapter for the system. This system will keep your angles precise with laser like precision. I'm buying my 1st hand plane. My mind is all made up, partially due to the woodriver #4 1/2 being on sale for $180. I'm going for their wheel marking gauge too, on sale for only $30 bucks! Including shipping it's all less than their #4 1/2 not on sale. I really want that #5 1/2 but it's not on sale and running $300...

I think the most valuable piece of advice is setting up a permanent sharpening station that's always ready to go. Otherwise, you're just making sharpening more of a "process" that many people will tend to avoid. Beyond the actual sharpening techniques, "quick and easy" is the key to always working sharp. That said, I need to practice what I preach. lol

? Hi Rob, Great Channel. Would you put finish directly on a planed surface? Traditionally I would sand to 320-400 and then apply finish. Appreciate your thoughts.

Results driven method, bam, done, back to woodworking.

The two single things that improved my work the most: 1 - I started buying better quality tools. Narex Richter and quality Japanese chisels, and a Wood River 5 1/2 2 - actually sharpening properly. I'm getting such clean surface conditions now, on a block with a square corner, I've actually cut myself handling the wood. If you've ever cut yourself on a square piece of ash, you know you're doing it right, LOL. (Plus it's not a completed project till you bleed on it) Thanks Rob, you're my hero.

Can you recommend a 5 1/5 plane? I'm a hobbyist working on 3/4" to 1/8" wood. Intarsia, projects for the house, scroll sawing projects for sale (not so much) and Christmas gifts for friends and neighborhood kids.

Question: do you have a video showing how you built & affixed your sharpening station to your bench ? If not, could you please ? I know that cantilever takes a lot of force and that can reduce force transfer and that can alter consistency in sharpening

Rob, this is a truly EXCELLENT video! It’s THE BEST overview I have seen. Great job, great teacher. My only question is: past, conventional wisdom says you must go through ALL the various stages of grits to get the best edge. So why is it that we can go from 1K to 16K and skip all intermediate grips? I KNOW it obviously works, but my question is why? Why can we skip all those intermediate grits? Thank you!

Rob, is there any consideration of removing the burr off of the flat side of the blade before moving to the 16k grit?

I was wondering if water is damaging to the diamond stone. I've always used a lapping fluid. Could lapping fluid be used on the Shapton stone as well?

When using the 'Charlesworth ruler trick' is there any point in putting extra pressure on each edge of the back to help in creating a 'mini-camber'?

So, at 16,000, stropping is counter-productive, right?

I have a new slightly thicker blade for my old Stanley. The blade was supplied ground at 30 deg. Would you recommend me to regrind it to 25 deg and then use microbevels as you do, or should I sharpen at 30 deg with or without a microbevel?

Was that one of them lake erie toolworks irons?

Hand plane over sanding every chance I can! Thanks Rob, awesome video. Side note, I stopped in at woodcraft in Woodridge, Il. Karl says hello and to get a haircut.

List of sharpening equipment?

Hi Rob, another great video, please keep them coming. I wondered if you had ever concidered selling the shapton pond to keep all the mess in one place and the shapton field holder that safety stores three stones and allows you to sharpen on one side. Finally do you recommend purchasing the diamond plate 1000/300 over the shapton 1000 stone taking into account that I was planning to purchase the shapton 500 and 1000 grit stone and the shapton flattening plate?

You were using the Shapton 500 or 1000, was there a reason you switched back to the diamond stone?

Rob, I love the teaching, and frankly, I've been watching you for years. I want to be able to do the freehand method you espouse, but when I've tried it in the past, I just tend to screw everything up. Part of the difficulty for me stems from what I think are two issues: 1. it can be difficult to know if you're dead on the face, or if you're just a hair high or low. You might know, but I don't feel like I know. I want to be sure I'm on the flat, but it's just not that clear, to my mind. 2. My bench is not low and I don't have a "low" place in my shop. Is it important enough to build or buy a table? As I say, I try this from time to time but always end up creating more work for myself. I can imagine getting this figured out if I could attend a workshop, but I don't honestly have time/money for that currently. Your thoughts? And thanks again for an awesome channel, willingness to share knowledge, and respect for those who serve.

I totally get the pros for freehand sharpening to get back to a sharp edge. But I have difficulties finding the angle and keeping it consistent from one stone/plate to the next, and do don't get as great results as implied by the video. Also, every few rounds (maybe once a day), i like to go back to a jig (my case the veritas MkII) to keep the bevel at its designated angle and perpendicalar to the side of the blade

Rob, I know you are a big fan of wood river planes, however; my question is what determines a high-quality plane? I see a lot of planes at various price points, and I currently use a Stanley #4 but I am looking to get into a #5 or 5 1/2 with a little more heft and smoothing abilities. I have seen quality price points from 150.00 up to 300.00. As a hand tool professional, and what I consider one of the most trustworthy youtuber's what truly determines a quality plane aside from the blade steel.

Why does a woodworker have a sabo projectile.

Also, the current hurricane path in the Atlantic shows it heading straight up to Grand Bay Canada for landfall. Stay save RC and family!

Thank for teaching us to Sharpen effectively! I recently build a wine cabinet out of Barnwood directly from the plane. Some pieces were so smooth I could see the reflection of my neighbors house a 100 yards away.

Rob, this video is so well done in terms of the methodology about sharpening and good message about it. All valid points you make. Everyone should watch this video at least once! Now we dont have to spend $20 to get the sharpening book from Lost Arts Press! It's all said here and better! Not saying it's not a decent book for sharpening. But I agree with you 100% that freehand sharpening is the way to go!

Rob, I just ordered one of your diamond plates. I did go to the local Woodcraft store in Springfield, OR and told them about Trend and what had happened to their product. They were unaware that it had sold and the quality had gone so far down. I do like to support you and what you do. 2 side notes. I do like the idea of the dove tail lay out piece that you make, but I want one out of metal so I don't ruin it by laying out my likes with a knife. Also, if you can reply, when at the Woodcraft store, they told me that you used to use the 30,000 grit Shapton diamond plate, but you don't seem to use it any more. I am curious as to why. Thanks, hope you make it out here again some time.... Oh, I have mixed feelings about the handles on the Woodcraft/Woodriver plane handles. That extra curve in the lower handle puts a pressure point on the heel of my palm. Have to experiment some more, but I may make one that fits my hand better, eventually.....

You always do the best job of explaining the concept. Curious about your thoughts on strops...

Thank you Sir, for this very detailed explanation on Sharpening. It can’t get better than this. Happy 😊 woodworking and keep updating us with more knowledge. 🙏🏻🙏🏻

as soon as I saw the mullet I knew he knows what he's talking about

Thank you for the video! Now I feel that disassembling the plane and adjusting it back is what brakes the workflow, not the sharpening itself.

What's with the dissing of Robs long hair! It's gorgeous! I haven't cut mine in about 10ish years, almost reaches my lower back :D

Dude, is that a 105 Sabot round in the background? Long live 19E !!

If you chisel something that quickly dulls the edge (such as excess epoxy or high silica wood), do you need to reflatten the entire back?

The comparison between sand paper grit and finish, and then translating that info to the finish on a plane blade and how this will once again translate to the wood itself... The light bulb finally went on for me. After two years of practicing freehand sharpening, the 10 second rule also will be saving me a LOT of time lost on error in my process. Very good work finding the correct details to delve into, thanks Mr Cosman 🙏

I hope to have your skills one day

The lever cap edge fits the slot in the cap screw, no screwdriver needed. My uncle who was a pattern maker showed me this.

Your 'rough' stone, looks like one of the Trend stones/plates. 300 and 1000 grits. I had one, and it was concave on both sides, so they wanted me to send it back. The replacement stone came, and it was concave on one side only. They haven't gotten back to me yet. You commented that your rough stone is CBN. Trend is diamond. CBN will handle any hardened metals, but not the softer metals. I do have an 8000 grit diamond plate from DMT. It does leave a burr that needs to be stropped off. I can get a good surface with it. The 16000 grit Shapton stone does not appear to leave any burr that needs to be stropped off. One question, and you kind of answered it, is the Shapton 30000 grit stone. Do you think it is worth it? Or is there just not enough improvement to make it worth it? For the pine when you were cutting end grain with your chisel, I remember a video not long ago where you were cutting pine and suggested a 17 degree bevel. I was cutting dove tails in some very dry American Chestnut, and was getting huge tear out. I tried a trick I had seen for finish end grain cuts where you get it wet first, then make your finish/final cuts. No tear out when the end grain is dampened first. I have a pipe cleaner that I folded in 4s, and just a dip in the faucet and that is plenty.