How to Sharpen A Plane Blade With A Machine?

Posted by Woodgeek on Tuesday, December 13th 2011

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1. Squaring the end of the blade

squaring
Use a try square to check whether the cutting edge of the blade is square. If it is not, square it on a grinder with a rough wheel. With the guard properly positioned and the blade clear of the wheel, switch on the machine. Holding the blade between the index finger and thumb of your right hand, set it bevel up on the grinder’s tool rest and advance it toward the wheel until your index finger contacts the tool rest. Slide the blade side-to-side across the wheel, pressing lightly while keeping your finger on the tool rest. The tip of the blade should stay perpendicular to the wheel throughout the operation. Dip the blade in water occasionally to prevent it from overheating. Check the blade for square regularly.

2. Creating a hollow-ground bevel

Sharpening a plane blade involves three steps: creating a bevel on the blade’s cutting edge, honing another bevel on part of the first one-called a microbevel-then removing the burr that results from the honing process. To create the first bevel, clamp the blade top face up in a commercial grinding jig set to create a 30″ bevel. Run the cutting edge across the wheel as you would for squaring the blade; the jig will keep the blade square to the wheel. Check the cutting edge periodically and stop grinding when the bevel forms. As a rule of thumb, the bevel is correct when most of the sparks showering from the grinder fall on the top face of the blade, rather than below it.

3. Honing the microbevel

squaring
Place a combination sharpening stone fine side up on a work surface. Nail cleats to the table against the stone to keep it from moving. One of the cleats should be the same height as the stone and 4 to 5 inches long; this will allow you to use the full length of the abrasive surface. Clamp the blade in a commercial angle-setting honing guide with the bevel touching the stone. Saturate the stone with the appropriate lubricant-either water or a light oil-until it pools on the surface. Then, holding the honing guide, slide the blade back and forth from end to end along the stone, applying moderate pressure until a microbevel forms. Continue until a burr-a thin ridge of metal-forms on the flat face of the blade. Then lap the burr as you would when sharpening a plane by hand.