Hand tools are a joy to use, but only when they're sharp. Just as
learning to walk is the prerequisite to running, successful sharpening
is the key to "unplugged" woodworking. Try these tips and you'll be
surprised at the strides your sharpening skills take and by the quiet
satisfaction you get from your hand tools.
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Homemade Angle Checher
This angle checker, made from a
plastic lid, is a simple (and free) way to check the bevel on your
chisels and planes. It only takes a few minutes to make.
Simply cut a 4- to 6-in. diameter plastic lid in half. Then, using a
protractor, mark the desired angles on a piece of paper. Cut out the
triangles and use them as a template to mark the angles on the lid. Cut
out the angles on the lid with a pair of scissors. Drill a hole at the
top and hang it on the wall near your grinder.
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No More Waterstone Mess
There's no getting around
it—waterstones are messy. Here's a simple tip for keeping that mess
contained: Pick up a heavy-gauge, 13 in. by 19-in. cookie sheet (about
$7) at the grocery store, hardware store—wherever. It's large enough to
easily hold three stones. Use a 3/4-in. board pushed against the stones
and clamp down the board and the cookie sheet on your bench. When
you're done, just wipe the cookie sheet dry and hang it on the wall.
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Dress for Sucess
Ever lose your temper? I mean your
chisel's temper. Don't get burned by a clogged, uneven grinding wheel.
Dressing your grinder wheels periodically to keep them clean and flat
helps prevent the excess heat that leads to bluing and loss of
temper(s).
Single-point diamond wheel dressers do a great job but they're
difficult to use freehand. Try a flat-tip diamond dresser instead. It
has 36-grit diamond stone particles imbedded in a 1/2-in. wide by
3/4-in.-long face. Simply place it on your grinder's tool rest and make
contact with the wheel.
Flat-tip diamond dressers are available from Woodcraft Supply, (800) 225-1153, #124670, $18.
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Surefire Scraper Filing
You've probably heard other
woodworkers talk about what a great tool the scraper is, but maybe
you've never had much luck with one yourself. Using them is easy;
getting a good edge on them is the tough part. The hardest step in
sharpening a scraper is the first one—filing the edge square and flat.
Start off right with this easy-to-make file holder:
Cut a kerf equal to the thickness of an 8-in. mill file in a 1-1/4-in.
thick by 4-in. wide by 6-in.-long piece of wood. The kerf should be a
little deeper than half the width of the file. This allows you to set
the file at different depths to avoid dulling it in one spot. Clamp the
scraper in a wood-jaw vise. Push the scraper firmly against the holder
while filing for a perfectly square edge.
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Custome Gouge Strop
Getting a mirror finish on the
contoured profiles of carving gouges can be a real hassle. The curved
surfaces don't lend themselves to polishing on a flat stone or strop.
Making a custom strop is easy. Use the chisel to cut its own contour in
a piece of poplar or basswood. Rub chromium oxide polishing compound in
the contour and you have a custom-made strop.
Chromium oxide is available from Lee Valley & Veritas, (800) 871-8158, #05MO8.01, $7.
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Easy Knife Sharpening
Don't keep your sharpening skills
confined to your shop tools. Why not tackle that dull set of kitchen
knives you've been crushing tomatoes with? Here's a great tip: Go to
any office supply store and buy one of those loose-leaf folders with a
plastic spline (about 40 cents). Cut and trim the spline to fit over
the back of the knife. The spline raises the back of the knife just
enough to put a consistent bevel on the cutting edge. Now your knives
will glide right through those tomatoes!
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Spend Less Time Sharpening
Less time sharpening means
more time woodworking. Isn't that what we all want? Honing guides get
the job done fast, but setting the blade in the guide to get the right
bevel angle can be time consuming.
Here's a quick trick: Mark the appropriate blade extension for each
bevel angle on your benchtop, or a wood scrap, for convenient
reference. Hold the edge of the blade to the desired bevel mark, butt
the guide to the edge of the bench and tighten. The side-clamp honing
guide, shown above, automatically squares the blade and prevents it
from rocking or shifting in the jig. This guide is available from
Garrett Wade, (800) 221-2942, Item # 10M0701, $12.
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The Right Angle Every Time
Chisels and planes have bevel
angles from 25 to 35 degrees depending on their intended use. You can
buy a jig for grinding these angles, or make your own angle blocks at
no cost!
Make one block for each angle. Glue up a block 2-1/2 in. deep by 4-in.
wide by 10-in. tall. Mark the desired angle on the top of one side.
Drill a 1-in. hole through the side of the block at the halfway point
of your angle mark. Then cut the angle on your tablesaw. The remaining
groove makes an excellent guide for your fingers. Cut the block to
length so the top is equal to the center height of your wheel. To
secure the block, drill a 1-1/4-in. hole near the bottom of the block
for a bar clamp.
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Find Edge On Your Scraper
The edge left after filing a
scraper is a little rough for fine work. Use a piece of wood to align
the scraper when moving it against the stone and you'll retain the
square edge you achieved with your file jig.
An extra-fine (1,200) diamond stone is a good choice for this because
the scraper won't wear a groove in the stone. You can get one from
Trend-lines, (800) 767-9999, Item # DM6E, $45.
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Keeping Waterstones Dead Flat
Waterstones are great for
sharpening bench tools, but their soft binder makes them prone to
dishing out and grooving. Fortunately, flattening them is no big deal.
An 11 in. by 12-in. piece of 1/4-in. plate glass and a sheet of
180-grit wet/dry sandpaper provide a cheap, perfectly flat abrasive
surface for flattening all your waterstones. The glass will cost you
about six bucks (be sure to have the edges sanded) and the wet/dry
sandpaper about 70 cents a sheet. Both are available at hardware
stores. Use water to hold the paper on the glass and to flush away the
slurry.
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Flatten Blade Backs Fast
It would be great if chisels and
planes came from the factory ready to use, but they don't. A perfectly
flat, mirror-like finish on the back is essential for a truly sharp
edge. Flattening always requires a large dose of elbow grease and
patience. The fastest method is to use an extra-coarse diamond stone.
It won't dish out the way oilstones and waterstones do and it can
easily be clamped in a vise.
Once you have a flat surface, move on to finer stones until your chisels and planes shine like a mirror.
Extra-coarse diamond stones are available from Lee Valley &
Veritas, (800) 871-8158, 8" x 2-5/8," Item #70M04.01, $66.
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3 Ways to Test for Sharpeness
1. If you can see light on the edge, it's not sharp. A sharp edge is too fine to reflect light.
2. A sharp edge catches easily on the side of a plastic pen barrel. A dull edge slides right off.
3. A sharp blade slices softwood end grain cleanly (left). A dull blade tears the end grain (right).
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