 |
Product Search
|
 |
|
Article Search
|
|
|
Resources
| |
|
Home > How To Sharpen A Plane Using Automotive Wet'N'Dry
We Have Found 1 Products for your search of How To Sharpen A Plane Using Automotive Wet'N'Dry.
Displaying Items 1 - 1:
How To Sharpen A Plane Using Automotive Wet'N'Dry by Terry Buddell
If you are into using hand planes as may of us are, spare a thought for all the different methods that you've tried over the years to sharpen the planer blades. Now, if you are anything like me, you would have tried a few and probably realised that getting a 'cut-throat' edge on a planer blade is a bit like expecting Sheik Yamani to fly into New York and start handing out free fifty buck notes to the American general public....in other words, it aint never, never gonna happen! However, there is one more method that I implore you to try and above all, people, it comes cheap.... very cheap indeed. Planer blades are just one workshop tool you can sharpen but this also works, to a more or less greater degree, on some knives and even chisels.
WHAT DO WE ACTUALLY NEED?
Apart from the planer blade itself we need a couple of extra items that enable this neat little trick to actually work. Firstly, we have to realise that whenever we attempt to sharpen any blade, the sharpening 'agent' if you will, needs to be both fixed solid and flat to work upon. In order to enable the small sized sheets of 'wet n' dry' to be held perfectly firmly, we need a backing plate on which the paper can be temporarily glued onto. There are a couple of alternatives here.
The first and probably the best, is a 30 cm (one foot) square of 3/8 inch plate glass, smoothed at the edges to prevent any accidents. A good second alternative is a polished marble tile (large) but a good third choice could be a smooth thick ceramic (or even terracotta) tile. The criteria is vital. It must also be strong enough to take some weight (not much) perfectly smooth and straight (no lumps, bumps, chips or dings). Next, we have to lay and keep the sheet of 'wet n' dry' perfectly flat on the smooth surface. How? The perfect medium is a can of 3M spray adhesive. A thin, complete coat will stick the paper firmly and flatly onto the tile or glass and later (and here's the cool bit) it will simply peel off and allow you to replace the 'wet n' dry'. Lastly, you need a car 'dust buster' type portable vacuum cleaner to suck up the dust (as you will be lapping the blade dry) and a small hand sweeping brush. Oh, yes, I nearly forgot some blue tack to stick the tile down onto the work surface too!
THE GRITS THEMSELVES
No mysteries here! The general idea is to 'lap' the blade through successively 'rough' grades of 'wet n' dry' paper all the way through progressively 'smoother' grades to obtain both a mirror finish to the blade steel and a deadly sharp edge. You will need the following grit sizes or similar (its not critical) The paper is Aluminium Oxide in grit sizes, 50,80 and 100 and Silicon Carbide paper (wet n' dry) in grits 150, 180, 220, 320, 400, 600, 1200 and 2000.
Using a gradual progression as listed above you'll need only about a minute with each grit.
WHAT DO WE DO TO START?First of all we cut the required grit sizes into 75mm (3 inch) squares and 'spray glue' them onto the edges of the backing glass or file. Note: Carefully read the spray glue instructions first and be sure not to flood the paper....it won't stick if it's too wet...wait a bit until it gets 'tacky' then lay it down on the surface which must be 'grease free', cleaned with metho or thinners. Place each square closely to each other along the edge. With these small squares the wet n' dry sheets will last forever.....nearly!
Clean the blade back until it's shiny. The test of each grit's 'working ability' is to lap the steel with the first grit, brush off the dust, then with the second grit, lap the blade until the 'scratches' or 'striations' in the blade disappear. You'll soon see only a minute on each grit is needed. Working your way through the grits you should take about 10 minutes to go from 50 grit to 2000, by which time your blade will be 'shiny'....very shiny indeed. Turning the blade over to the front to lap, you can 'go it by hand' or buy a 'blade' sharpening jig tool' that some big city tool centers stock. Either method works just as well.
Work the blade, flipping back and forth, hone and lap, hone and lap, each time getting a bit gentler, removing the 'near invisible' wire edge. This blade will be quite sharp and extremely shiny by now and the edge will have taken on a 'white look'. Re-attach the blade to the planer, taking care. Adjust the plane and watch the incredible cutting action....don't adjust the blade too coarsely and 'bite out' the shavings. It is possible to get virtually transparent shavings with this method...really sharp!
Oh yes, the last few laps can be done on 2000 grit using any 'green colour' paint. Apparently the green pigment contains oxides that enable a blade to go that 'extra mile' of ultimate sharpness. It's an old backwoods knife-sharpening trick a couple of centuries old.
Have fun, clean up behind you and I'll be interested to hear of any results that any readers can achieve using this method. No oil, no water, no mess, no glazed stones and finally, we hope, no worries, mates!
Terry Buddell is a freelance writer, boat builder and marine surveyor who lives on board his own yacht the "Nicky J Miller" with his partner Nicky in Gladstone, Queensland Australia. Terry has designed a series of boats that he sells from his website on the net and also built his own 42' yacht which he refers endearingly to as "his filthy old lugger'. Terry writes for several boating magazines and specializes in the " How to do it " kind of article using practical ideas and basic common sense! Terry is only too happy to help people who wish to build their own boat from a dinghy to a yacht and his contact details can be found on his website http://www.dolphinboatplans.com
About the Author
Terry Buddell is a freelance writer, boat builder and marine surveyor who lives on board his own yacht the "Nicky J Miller" with his partner Nicky in Gladstone, Queensland Australia. Terry has designed a series of boats that he sells from his website on the net and also built his own 42' yacht which he refers endearingly to as "his filthy old lugger'. Terry writes for several boating magazines and specializes in the " How to do it " kind of article using practical ideas and basic common sense! Terry is only too happy to help people who wish to build their own boat from a dinghy to a yacht and his contact details can be found on his website http://www.dolphinboatplans.com
If you liked this article and would like to read more in a similar vein or would like Terry to write an article for you please contact him on his website http://www.dolphinboatplans.com
|
