Iron Sharpening Finish

by delsur777, Sunday, June 07, 2009, 01:02

Hello,

I was just curious and wanted to see if anybody else has a similar observation to my own.

I sharpen my plane irons with the "sandpaper on glass" method. I built a jig that keeps the irons at a 25 degree angle and when I'm done I have a nice angle that looks machine ground. I use 80 grit and then 150 then 220 then 400. Sometimes I go to 600, but that's just for the heck of it. I read about a lot of people using oil and waterstones and honing to 1000 or 2000 and beyond, and many of them insist that you have to go to at least 1000 and ensure that the blade is shiny and has no stone or grind marks.

I have been working around woodworking and metalworking equipment for a long time, but I am new to handplaning. I may not be understanding what's going on, but I don't seem to need to go to that fine of a finish to accomplish what I'm trying to do. I think I could easily quit at 220, but I usually finish with a 400 grit just to make sure I don't have trouble with really hard wood or "persnickety" grain directions. I can hog off material, with or across the grain, and I can take, board width, paper thin shavings. The last one I mic'd was .003 which is .002 thinner that the toilet paper I use but, in fairness, I do buy the two ply so maybe the shavings should be thinner.

Does anyone else have the same observation, or is this a newbie mistake and I'm going to find I am not really accomplishing what I think I am.

Thanks, in advance, for you insight and observations.