Hi guys,
Can someone please help me diagnose a sharpening problem? The microbevel on my #2 is experiencing significant cracking. I cant get a good pic to post so I'll try to describe it.
Blade is 1 5/8" wide. It is an old blade in a plane I estimate to be around 100 yrs old. Blade is 3/32" thick with plenty of life left in it. Primary bevel is 25*, secondary bevel is 30*. It was 27* but I increased it to 30* because it kept getting 1-2 large chips (around 1/16"). So I used my Worksharp wiith a 100grit wheel to "grind" the bevel back until the original crack disappeared. Then I increased the microbevel to 30*., polishing to 6000 grit. The cracking started after I took 4-5 light passes on pine. I now have 7 diagonal cracks in the microbevel - one of which is 1/16". Looking down on the bevel, I have 3 diagonal cracks left of the blade's center and 4 of them to the right.
Basically looks like this (bevel away from me): /// \\\\ .
Do I just regrind the bevel behind the cracks and hope for the best, or do I have to do something else? Id like to keep using this old blade if I can, but I'll buy a new one fron LV if I cant.
Thanks folks.