[OP]
Member
Is it worth the effort to hone new LV PM-VII plane blades? I bought a Swedish Anchor #6 only to discouver the previous owner couldn't sharpen ,think good Swedish steel blade, so instead he bought a English Stanley blade at Woolco. I'm replacing the plane blade and cap iron with LV ones.
Member
Hearing all about the "futzin", and the new "improved" steel, call me a "pooper". I much prefer the original irons. Easy to refresh, and don't require any of the exotic stuff.
Wanna have a "plane off". No? Well, I don't either. Most of all, I have no need for a .002" shaving. What's the point?
Bill
Last edited by Bill White; 08-08-2016 at 4:37 PM.
On the other hand, I still have five fingers.
Contributor
Many of us don't have a problem honing the PM-V11 blades. They take a bit longer than the A or O blades but they also take longer to dull.
[OP]
Member
Bill, if it had the original Jernbolaget blade,it's a 1952 plane, I would have found a better cap iron and sharpened the blade. But a modern English Stanley bought at a five and dime store ? The mess he had made of sharpening would also have required a complete redo.
Last edited by Ray Selinger; 08-08-2016 at 5:25 PM.
Contributor
It's not that much harder to sharpen and you'll sharpen less. It's a very high quality steel if you have the money. Don't over think the sharpening time.
I don't notice any significant difference in sharpening effort and the edge does last much longer. You don't have to be an aficionado to notice, the extended period of use is that obvious.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
[OP]
Member
The original question is "Is it worth the bother to hone before installing?" Man, I wish Lee Valley had produced spokeshave PM-VII blades when I faired out plywood mold stations for a cedar strip canoe. BTW my spokeshave was a modern English Stanley.
Member
I have a bunch of PM-V11 blades as well as LV and L-N planes with A2, and I don't think the A2 blades hone any faster on any medium I've tried (arks, synthetic waterstones, various diamond media). O1 is faster than either of course.Originally Posted by Rich Riddle
Member
A diamond plate hones them all faster,followed up by ceramic stones,harder than any other stones,so they sharpen any steel. I was unable to reach a shaving sharp edge on a D2 knife I made. Ceramics brought the edge right up.
Moderator
If I understand your question correctly, you're asking if a NEW pmv11 requires honing.
That depends on how honed you like your blades. Lee Valley ships their Veritas blades ready for use. I always use them straight out of the box for a while and have no problems.
The front and back are not mirror polished, but it will work fine. I've owned several Veritas blades (A2 and PMV11) and every one has had a perfectly flat back out of the box, so I wouldn't go nuts messing that up.
Last edited by Prashun Patel; 08-09-2016 at 10:17 AM.
Contributor
I have several pmv11 blades. I gave one a try right out of the box. It did okay but not good enough for me. I give them a rub on my smooth flat river Rock and they are good to go. I have built about 6 projects over the last couple of years, getting old and slow. Those blades have not been honed and are still good to go. I have a Sargent 409 that I use fairly often also. The iron in that has been to the stones 4 or five times in the same time period. This is not a good test for sure but it is good info I believe. So I say you need to take the pmv11 to the stones lightly no need for a full fledged prep.
Jim
Member
I'm confused. I thought the PM-V11 steel was easy to sharpen...like O1. Now the talk is " a little more difficult than A2". What the...?
Member
In my experience they're easier than A2 on all media I've tried: Arks, waterstones, diamond films/pastes. They're not as easy as O1 (esp on Arks, the difference becomes smaller with more aggressive abrasives) but IMO the improved edge life is more than worth it. Put another way, you'll sharpen less, and that more than offsets the fact that each session is a little longer.
Member
I had no trouble sharpening mine. But,I have a GOOD sharpening system.Diamond stone,ceramics.
Contributor
I only have one PM v11 blade in a spoke shave. It really doesn't take a lot of "futzin" to get sharp.
I also have a lot of original irons that do sharpen up with a bit more ease on oilstones or water stones.
As to the "need for an 0.002" shaving," it sure helps to have an even thinner shaving when your workpiece has a wild grain or is prone to tear out.
A thin shaving can also tell if there are any problems with the edge. If you thin shavings come out of the plane like a bunch of ribbons you have a blade with a lot of little nicks or chips.
A thin shaving is not important at all times for most work. However, most work will benefit from a blade sharp enough to make those beautifully thin shavings.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
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