Sharpening a hand plane iron isn’t difficult — but there are a few critical elements for getting it right.
For example, when are you ready to move to a higher grit stone? How flat does the back of the blade need to be?
And what do horse butts have to do with all of it?
Today, I’m giving you 5 Hand Plane Blade Sharpening Tips to help you get the finely honed edge needed for high quality work…
So if you’re ready to cut lingerie-thin shavings, let’s get to it.
Alan Schacter
January 24, 2023
A few questions: For a low angle block plane, you say to sharpen to 25 degrees. But that is the same as the primary bevel. My sharpening guide (and I think most) steps up from 25 to 30 degrees. If I sharpen at 25, there will be no secondary bevel. Is that OK? If not, how do I get a secondary bevel with a guide? Should I grind back to 25? (I’ve been sharpening at 30 degrees). Lastly, I assume this applies to all low angle planes, i.e, both block and low angle jack planes. Please let me know if there is a difference.