Gngnggng!!! Flattening the backs of plane irons is boring.

[MrJay]

Ggngngngnnngggggngnnggnngngngngnngngngngngngn! I have nothing more to say on the subject.

 

[Paul Kierstead]

1) Ruler Trick

and/or

2) Stop when you get too bored. Use. Next time you sharpen, do some more.

Sometimes ya gotta know when enough is enough.

 

[Woody Alan]

Extra coarse DMT diamond stone, takes no time and the blade will be "flat"

Alan

 

[Philly]

Mr Jay you are right!
Tips - try the Japanese method. Take a piece of timber about 9 inch long and 2 inches wide and put this on top of the iron. Grip it with both hands and lap away. Seems to work quicker for me.
Also try to concentrate the pressure over the first inch of the iron.
As a final method - the previously mentioned ruler trick. A bit of a cheat though... :wink:
Happy lapping,
Philly

 

[Alf]

45 micron diamond paste. 'Nuff said.

Cheers, Alf

 

[MrJay]

Gggngngngngnnngngnngggnngngnnn.

 

[David C]

I would have to dispute that the ruler trick is "a cheat"!

Polishing large areas of plane blade that do no work has always seemed unproductive.

The ruler trick is also about maximising the probability that your wire edge will be properly polished away, and massively increases the reliability of plane blade sharpening on waterstones.

It is also very useful for card scrapers as demonstrated by Chris Schwarz in a recent Popular Woodworking, in fact for most edge tools except chisels.
David Charlesworth

 

[Anonymous]

Ggngngngnnngggggngnnggnngngngngnngngngngngngn! I have nothing more to say on the subject.

Currently, Veritas planes come with the back flattened and it appears finished to about 1000 grit waterstone level - no need ot do any work on the back at all on my latest plane

 

[woodbloke]

I would have to dispute that the ruler trick is "a cheat"!

Polishing large areas of plane blade that do no work has always seemed unproductive.

The ruler trick is also about maximising the probability that your wire edge will be properly polished away, and massively increases the reliability of plane blade sharpening on waterstones.

It is also very useful for card scrapers as demonstrated by Chris Schwarz in a recent Popular Woodworking, in fact for most edge tools except chisels.
David Charlesworth

David - agree here...am currently reading Vol 2 of Techniques and am impressed. Of the top of your head, can you recollect which issue of F&C the article 'From Jack to a King' came from? - Rob

 

[Philly]

David
Would you recommend using the ruler trick instead of flattening the back of the iron? Knowing your high standards I can't believe you would recommend that.
Cheers
Philly

 

[woodbloke]

Phill - from reading MrC's book I gather that on a new iron the back is flattened on a very course waterstone (much coarser than a blue DMT diamond) so that its pretty good to start with and then all subsequent back flattening ops are done with the 'ruler trick'. Stand to be corrected if wrong but I think that's how DC does it - Rob

 

[Woody Alan]

I have read DC's book and learned many techniques which enabled me to learn how to sharpen, thanks David. The one thing I would contend...only through the effects of the passage of time, is that a coarse waterstone is a waste of time, for me!. It is impossible to keep flat, the moment you try to flatten anything on it, having learnt this the hard way. The ironic thing here is that coarse or extra coarse diamond stones are recommended for flattening waterstones, well if it's flat enough to do that why not use the diamond stone in the first place? Having now used an extra coarse DMT http://www.japanwoodworker.com/product. ... t_id=13103 continuous stone 10mm thick flat steel base, I wouldn't use anything else for initial preparation. In saying that if you don't have many to do, my previous method was coarse oilstone, which stayed reasonably flat and would still recommend this to a beginner. The only negative about the diamond stone is the tactile feedback when working on it doesn't feel/sound good but you get used to it.

Alan (not wishing to start debate/argument just mentioning another method which some may find preferable)

 

[David C]

Rob,

Issues 28 & 29 I think.

Philly,

Back flattening of new iron is very important, for bedding or chipbreaker fit. However some L-N and Veritas blades are now flat enough to go straight to ruler trick. (Which I do on polishing stone only).

I use 800 g to flatten, it is quite true that most very coarse waterstones loose shape very quickly.

Diamond paste is very effective. I have had problems with rogue grits on some diamond stones.

David C

 

[Woody Alan]

David said

I have had problems with rogue grits on some diamond stones

David is this experience of a fixed in the surface rogue piece of diamond or pieces coming loose and rolling around under the blade? if the latter I also found this on initial use, and found frequent rinsing helped, I assume it will settle down.

Alan

 

[Philly]

David
Yes, fair enough. I am familiar enough with your methods, having read your books and seen your DVD's
I have been making my own irons for my the planes I have been making recently. Flattening the backs of the irons IS the most boring task but it MUST be done - there is no other way of getting round it. You are only putting off the inevitable :lol:
I have had reasonable success with a 240 grit waterstone - yes it does go out of shape quickly but it does cut quick. Sadly my coarse diamond stone is now finer than the fine diamond stone I have. They do break down too quickly for my taste - especially at the price!
I have used the finer grit diamond pastes - maybe its time to try the coarse.
Best regards
Philly

 

[Colin C]

Philly

What daimond stones have you used ?

 

[MrJay]

gngngnnngngnngnngngngnng!!! >:|

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

I posted an article on this topic not very long ago:

http://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/dCohen/z_art/lappingBlade/lappBlade1.asp

Short story - sandpaper on a lapping board. Do it right and the process it quick, easy and cheap.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Philly]

Colin
It is a Smiths stone. Real nice, worked great for a long time and now it leaves a very fine polish. But it is the coarse stone........ :roll:
Derek
Your article reminded me of Mike Dunbars similar approach. Ally plate, lots of sandpaper. If it works.........
And I just remembered your magnetic base tip - a brilliant idea!
Cheers
Philly

 

[Anonymous]

As I said earlier, LV blades come pre-flattened these days (looks to be about 1000 grit equivalent ot me). Easy way to avoid flattening and you could buy 4 blades for the price of one course DMT stone

Of course, you could ignore this advice and flatten away whilst I plane......