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+-- Thread: Sharpening Hollows, Rounds and Molding Plane blades (/showthread.php?tid=6861327)
Sharpening Hollows, Rounds and Molding Plane blades - GeorgeV - 10-21-2014
What do you use to sharpen H&Rs and molding plane blades?
Would a Norton Fine India Gouge Stone work or do I need a set of slip stones from LV?
Tools for Working Wood has a Norton http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/THO/item/NO-FS76
LV has a slipstone http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=33013&cat=1,43072,43071&ap=1
or http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=33012&cat=1,43072,43071&ap=1
I would like to stay with waterstones.
Re: Sharpening Hollows, Rounds and Molding Plane blades - JClark - 10-21-2014
The slip stones are going to let you get into the tight curves of the smaller sizes. The cones will only work for the larger sizes. Remember that these stones are for honing, not shaping the bevel. If you need to reshape the bevel to match the sole you'll need to grind it.
I always recommend Larry Williams' DVD on sharpening profiled edge tools to anyone who asks about sharpening hollows and rounds. His method is very simple and works well.
Josh
Re: Sharpening Hollows, Rounds and Molding Plane blades - wmickley - 10-21-2014
I have used slip stones for about 35 years. I have Coarse India, Fine India, and Arkansas. You want stones that are about 3/8 radius on one edge and 1/8 on the other edge, roughly 4 1/2 X 1 3/4 over all. Or 1/2 and 3/16. The radius does not have to match the radius of the plane iron.
I would avoid conical stones and stones that taper from one end to the other, multiform. Water stones will not hold up to many sharpenings.
Warren
Re: Sharpening Hollows, Rounds and Molding Plane blades - AHill - 10-21-2014
Oil slipstones are the best, since, as Warren suggested, they retain their shape longest. I've also used sandpaper wrapped around a dowel for hollows. For the rounds, you can either free hand it on an oil stone, or for honing, you can create a reverse profile on maple or MDF, then apply the green compound to it, then draw the iron over the loaded profile.
Re: Sharpening Hollows, Rounds and Molding Plane blades - Jonathan S - 10-21-2014
I'll second the recommendation for Larry Williams DVD. If you are just sharpening I think oil slipstones are the best. I have an assortment of different shaped slip files that come in handy too. On vintage plane, the irons often need to be re-shaped. The bodies shrink over time and the iron profile no-longer matches the sole profile. I like to paint the back of the iron with dykem, insert the iron and scribe the sole profile onto the iron. I use mounted points in a dremel tool to grind at 90 degrees to the my scribe line, and then grind the clearance bevel in. Then I sharpen with slipstones. Depending on the complexity of the profile it make take some time to regrinds the profile correctly.
Moulding planes area blast to use when they are sharp. I stuck 80 inches of moulding last weekend using a 3/8" ovolo in soft maple. I choose the stock carefully and had the grain running in my favor. The moulding came out perfect, without a bit of tearout, and no sanding needed!
Jonathan
Re: Sharpening Hollows, Rounds and Molding Plane blades - GeorgeV - 10-21-2014
I abandoned the use of oil stones in favor of Japanese waterstones for all of my plane blades and have been extremely happy. Not only are the results superb and the edges razor sharp producing shavings of 0.0001, but the clean up is minimal with little or no mess.
My original thoughts were to go with either slip stones using water or dowels and sandpaper for the H&Rs and molding planes using wet/dry sandpaper.
I thought that there might be other options, that is why I asked the question.
Larry Williams uses uses Arkansas oil stones and this is what I got away from when I switched to Japanese waterstones.
Re: Sharpening Hollows, Rounds and Molding Plane blades - barryvabeach - 10-21-2014
George, you have received some good suggestions, two other options. Todd Herrli recommends gluing up cardboard ( like from cereal boxes ) then cutting in a circle and mounting on a grinder or drill press. You can make them any thickness and width, and also make a few and put a different profile on each to make it easier to hone different shapes. My favorite approach now is microfinishing film from 3M, ( Tools for Working Wood and Lee Valley both carry them ). I bought a bunch of dowels, and cut them down to a reasonable size, and you can loosely hold the film around a dowel - use the lower grits to shape, the higher grits to hone.
Re: Sharpening Hollows, Rounds and Molding Plane blades - cputnam - 10-21-2014
Well, there is the DMT diamond Wave, which could be followed up with green crayon on your favorite substrate. Maybe just try the waterstone slips and see if they work for you?
Re: Sharpening Hollows, Rounds and Molding Plane blades - Gregory of Sherwood Forest - 10-21-2014
I have the DMT Wave. It works well. I also use green rouge on dowels that I have turned to sizes that fit my radii.
Re: Sharpening Hollows, Rounds and Molding Plane blades - Corneel - 10-22-2014
My experience with waterstones in combination with curved tools is that they are too vulnerable. You easilly create channel, ripples or even gouges in the surface of the stone. Oilstones are much better for these kinds of tools.