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Thread: spokeshave, drawknife, and plane blade sharpening by someone else... what to ask for?

  1. #1
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    Jan 2007
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    spokeshave, drawknife, and plane blade sharpening by someone else... what to ask for?

    I've just bought 4 used tool from ebay. I'm pretty sure that most of them are going to need a good sharpening. There is a local place that I'm pretty sure does a lot of sharpening. But I'm somewhat concerned that they might not know how to properly sharpen these tools.

    While I want to learn to sharpen on my own, I don't think that I have the time right now. So what should I tell these people if they aren't sure of the specifics of sharpening these items? As far as angle and different things that might help them?

    These are the items:
    Stanley #5 Jack plane
    Stanley #60 1/2 block plane
    Stanley #53 spokeshave
    A drawknife with a 9" blade.

    Thanks!

    L

  2. #2
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    Luke,
    Don't want to rain on the parade...but for what it will cost you to send these out, if they know how to do it, you can invest in the basics of sharpening. Sharpening and honing are really ongoing processes, and many times you may rehone in a single day in the shop. If you have to wait a week to get something back, you'll only become frustrated with hand tools. It really doesn't take too long to get the basics down...if I can do it, so can you

    Mark

  3. #3
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    Mark is correct and you will need to sharpen them often,....tools don't perform well dull....so I think you should pick a technique and learn to sharpen yourself....it is one of the keys to fine woodworking
    "All great work starts with love .... then it is no longer work"

  4. #4
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    Well. Ok. I've posted here already about honing guides. And I think that info is relevant to the planes.

    Would it also work for the spoke shave blade?

    And what about the drawknife?

    What would you recommend as a minimum startup for sharpening these tools?

    Thanks!

    L

  5. #5
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    Luke---There is an accesory available for the Lee Valley Mk II honing guide which will allow you to sharpen spokeshave blades. I don't own one, but my understanding is that for a drawknife, you take the stone to the knife, rather than the other way around. I'm sure someone else will pop in with the details.

    Dan
    Eternity is an awfully long time, especially toward the end.

    -Woody Allen-

    Critiques on works posted are always welcome

  6. #6
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    Draw knife is sharpened with a stone by clamping the knife to the edge of a bench and then sharpaning. A slight back bevel is a god idea...it just seems to cut better with less grab. You need to unclamp and leave the blade hanging over the edge....move and re clamp
    "All great work starts with love .... then it is no longer work"

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Luke McFadden
    Well. Ok. I've posted here already about honing guides. And I think that info is relevant to the planes.

    Would it also work for the spoke shave blade?

    And what about the drawknife?

    What would you recommend as a minimum startup for sharpening these tools?

    Thanks!

    L

    Luke.
    This won't be the answer that you may be looking for. Here is where I believe the "minimum" should start.

    Thomas Lie-Nielsen has a book on sharpening woodworking tools available from Taunton Press. It covers all of the question that you are asking. It has tons of pictures, for sharpening all kinds of hand tools, using various methods.

    Garrett Hack has a book on handplanes that specifically covers the use and sharpening of planes. I don't know which publisher carries it though.

    Both of these books are very valuable resources. I highly recommend them.

  8. #8
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    Luke,
    And don't forget Leonard Lee's book. As others have said, you MUST learn to sharpen these edge tools, they go dull very quickly as you use them. Best advice I can offer is find someone who knows how to, and ask them to share their knowledge. In person. It is one of those leaps one must take to develop the skills needed. Good luck. And I wish I lived closer to you, I'd be happy to have a cup of coffee and a sharpening session with you.
    Ken

  9. #9
    I second the recommendation of the Lie-Nielsen book -- it will take away the mystery of sharpening and give you many options.
    Saws are definitely an item that people decide whether or not to sharpen on their own or send out -- but the blades you listed must be sharpened much more frequently.
    If you can find one woodworker locally to show you how to handle the sharpening, it will really dispel the mystery, but really, you should be able to give it a shot after learning some from a book and posing questions here.
    Does anyone here live near Luke?
    -Andy

  10. #10
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    Edit: I update my profile to show I'm in NW Arkansas

    I'll check into these books. I just ordered a few books from amazon:
    The Complete Manual of Woodworking
    Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking
    Small Woodworking Shops

    I was pretty sure Tage's book had some info on sharpening. But I could be mistaken. They should be here tomorrow. And my new tools hopefully by the end of the week.

    Thanks!

    L
    Last edited by Luke McFadden; 01-22-2007 at 11:48 AM.

  11. #11
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    While you're waiting for your purchases to arrive, take a look at the instructions on Joel's site: It's a wonderful tutorial and will give you some things to think about. You need to learn to do this by yourself. If you don't you'll never get anything done because it's entirely possible that you'll need to resharpen the same tool more than once during a long session. Don't expect to get perfect results right away and don't be disappointed if you don't. This is a lifelong pursuit. We all are on the same path. You can do this.

    Bruce

  12. #12
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    I'm going to have to try Mark's suggestion, but I picked up a couple used drawknives that were kind of rough. I just clamped them in a vise and filed them, then took a stone to them after that. That was my first drawknife sharpening attempt so I'm sure it will get better, but they ended up plenty sharp.
    Use the fence Luke

  13. #13
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    Be really careful honing a drawknife. One of my worst wwing cuts came when my hand slipped off the stone and....

    Now I use a diamond hone the little plastic one with a handle, and keep my hand well below the cutting edge. Works well.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Luke McFadden
    Edit: I update my profile to show I'm in NW Arkansas

    I'll check into these books. I just ordered a few books from amazon:
    The Complete Manual of Woodworking
    Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking
    Small Woodworking Shops

    I was pretty sure Tage's book had some info on sharpening. But I could be mistaken. They should be here tomorrow. And my new tools hopefully by the end of the week.

    Thanks!

    L
    Luke,

    I own no books on sharpening so can't attest to them, but I'd look at Leonard Lee's "How to sharpen anything", I'm sure available at Lee Valley. I've seen some excerpts from it that include good tips on plane-tuning & fettling.

    I'll ditto all so far as doing your own sharpening. ScarySharp is a very inexpensive way to get started. I started with an $8 vise-type jig from WWS and about $10 worth of silicone-carbide sandpaper from my local auto parts store and got great results sharpening on a marble tabletop.

  15. #15
    I second Leonard Lee's book "The Complete Guide to Sharpening" available at Amazon - $15.61 new. Very complete and easy to follow.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

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