Creating an initial bevel

[Denis Tranchemontagne]

I've been gathering a few hand planes and chisels, and have been sharpening them using a combination sandpaper and waterstones. The end results seem decent, and getting a little better with practice.

The one thing that seems to take a long time is creating the initial bevel. (flattening can some times take a long time too) I am using a Veritas honing guide and 80grit sand paper to get the initial angle this can take a long time and a lot of sandpaper depending on the condition of blade.

Since I don't own a grinder what other options are there?

Denis

[Sam Yerardi]

I use a stationary belt sander to create the initial bevel on my chisels and plane irons. Works great.

[Don C Peterson]

For the first several years I used the Veritas jig and elbow grease, just like you. It worked, but was slow. After picking up "The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking" I decided to pick up a hand grinder. Now I hollow grind my edge tools and spend quite a bit less time sharpening that I used to.

[John Dykes]

Here's where I've been...

Sandpaper. I thought it was pretty fast, but I was chewing through lots of sandpaper.

DMT Coarse \ Xtra-Coarse plate. Cuts fast and gives great results. Unfortunately, I think I wore mine out to quick flattening my Shaptons.

Wouldn't mind going the grinder route, but ready for the investment...

- jbd

[Jim Koepke]

Denis,

That is just the way it is at times. In the old days, the new kid in the shop was the one who had to do this kind of grunt work.

Recently bought my first real mortise chisels. Even with a powered sharpening system and a corse grind it took a while to get past the pits and nicks.

If my fate were more money and less time, maybe my choice would be to buy new and not have as much work to do.

As it is, according to the write up of the seller, there now are two useable tools from the late 18th or early 19th century added to my shop. The two of them cost less than one good modern mortise chisel.

There is also the spirit of all those who have held these tools before me guiding its path. But the spiritual rush from using old tools is another thread.

After working on them for quite a while, a mortise was chopped into a piece of scrap to show my wife. It is amazing how much easier and faster it worked than the firmer chisels I have used in the past. She was impressed too.

Now for the bad news, if you are going to acquire a quantity of hand tools, it may be wise to invest in a grinder or sharpening system of some sort.

This comes down to a personal choice and depends if you have other needs where one type of grinder/sharpener can be used to accommodate multiple tasks.

jim

[Jim Koepke]

Don mentioned hollow grinding.
This is less work to hone afterwards and is worth consideration.
I do not have a grinding wheel and use a flat bevel. This does not take too much time to hone, but takes a little more practice than a bevel that is hollow ground.

jim

[Johnny Kleso]

Denis,
I started the same way as you and trashed a set of oil stones which wear much slower then water stones..

Some type of power grinder is a must for tuning old tools IMHO
a) its much faster
b) its eaiser on the arms

If you have band new tools you can skate by without I think but if your a tool collector/User you need some type of power sharpener to help you out..

I now have several grinder and think a plan Bench Grinder is a must and for flattening backs a LV MKII/Lap Sharp cant be beat..
The Slow Wet type (Jet/Tormek) are great for chisels but I caould live with out mine..

[Jim Andrew]

Would not just a ordinary delta grinder with adjustable angles be good enough for planes and chisels? I had a great industrial arts teacher who taught me how to sharpen using just a bench grinder and oil stones. And you could shave with those when they were sharp. That's all I have, but the cheap delta grinders are not adjustable. So get one that is. I need to shop for a water stone. All I have is a dry stone now, and it's just not good enough.

[Johnny Kleso]

Jim,,
Any bench grinder even crank grinder is a big help I think.. With a old ill ground blade and just a hand stone is hell..

Some type of tool rest is pretty much a must, most grinders these days dont come with one that was pictured in Joel's FWW artical.. Most just slide in and out at a 90º angle..

I have made a few out of aluminum but wood will work in a pinch, steel is best as the grit doesnt grind into the soft material and wear it out or make it harder to slide..

[Dave Cav]

I can't imagine NOT having a bench grinder in my shop, not only for grinding the initial bevel on chisels and plane irons, but for dozens of other things too. Cleaning up screwdrivers, grinding down a bolt, lots of stuff. If you're worried about burning the edge of your tool then you can get a friable white wheel from Lee Valley or one of the other vendors and not to have to worry about it. A 6" bench grinder with a medium stone on one side and a wire wheel on the other is incredibly useful.

If you want to stay purist Neander, a hand cranked grinder will work great, and they aren't too hard to find in antique and junk stores.

[James Owen]

I've been gathering a few hand planes and chisels, and have been sharpening them using a combination sandpaper and waterstones. The end results seem decent, and getting a little better with practice.

The one thing that seems to take a long time is creating the initial bevel. (flattening can some times take a long time too) I am using a Veritas honing guide and 80grit sand paper to get the initial angle this can take a long time and a lot of sandpaper depending on the condition of blade.

Since I don't own a grinder what other options are there?

Denis

Denis,

Try using a file; it will remove metal pretty quickly, and will give you good control over the bevel angle. (You may have to make a jig to keep the file on the angle you want, if you have problems free-handing it.) Afterwards, you can remove the machining (file) marks with a coarse stone or coarse sand paper, and then go through the rest of your sharpening/honing procedure.

James

[Eddie Darby]

When it comes to sharpening $$$$$ means speed.

Diamond stones aren't cheap, and the too expensive Tormek, judging by consumer complaints, is getting more expensive. The Veritas® Mk.II power sharpening system isn't easy on the wallet either.

The U.S. dollar is taking a beating, so the chances of things getting less expensive are looking dim.

So I would look into mastering the 'ruler trick' to save on time and abrasives, since the other options are more dependant on $$$$$.