Plane Blade Squareness

[segovia]

How square does a plane blade have to be?

I've spent hours on the Tormek and Worksharp with this blade and cant get it square

 

[AESamuel]

If you can get an even cut using the lateral adjuster then it's square enough.

Edit: just a thought, it's worth checking if the sides are straight and parallel to each other, it might be why you're struggling to get it square/read it square.

 

[Pedronicus]

As @AESamuel suggests have you checked the squareness (or lack of) with the stock of the square on the righthand side of the blade?

 

[segovia]

As @AESamuel suggests have you checked the squareness (or lack of) with the stock of the square on the righthand side of the blade?

Yes, side are parallel

 

[Fitzroy]

I’ve mulled this one before, and concluded that so long as you can set the blade appropriately in the plane then it’s ok.

 

[Jacob]

How square does a plane blade have to be?

Not essential. A camber is best. Needs to be square enough for normal use that's all

I've spent hours on the Tormek and Worksharp with this blade and cant get it square

Modern sharpening is basically inefficient and slow, but it does sell gadgets!
Freehand with oil stones is fast, efficient and cheap.

 

[Bosshogg16]

As all above, square enough is good enough, either the lateral adjuster, on a modern plane, or a tap with a hammer to the more protruding honed edge, on a wooden plane, will set it right, assuming you have good eyesight. That leads me to what I was taught, as a all to eager young apprentice. On either of the above type of planes, seat the blade in the plane, and cap or wedge it, as appropriate. bring the blade down to sole of the plane with minimal protrusion, and sight along the sole of the plane from front to back, here you will see the blades honed edge in contrast to the throat of the plane, and surprise surprise you'll see the cutting edge is curved. Now you set the two outer edges of the blade, to the exact same height to the sole, and viola, you have a properly set blade.

​

 

[Trafalgar]

Blunt it straight across on a coarse synthetic oilstone until perfectly square and then put the hollow back in on the grinder. Never grind to a feather edge (i.e. all the way to the edge attempting to impart the actual cutting edge). A round bench grinder is not a honing tool.

It would take me maybe 20 minutes total from out-of-square to squared up, hollow ground, honed, stropped, and ready for use. You can also do the blunting on the grinder but things happen very fast and it's easy to draw the temper. Easier to do on an oilstone and IT WILL NOT HURT THE STONE. It's your coarse stone anyway. A coarse India or Crystolon are tailor-made for tasks just like this. Use them with abandon for squaring and shaping and rubbing out nicks. That's what they are for, in case you ever wondered. Zero chance of burning the steel.

Otherwise, you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what a grinder is for and how one is used. And you have a whole lot of company.

 

[Jacob]

,,,, A round bench grinder is not a honing tool.

It's not a woodworker's tool at all.

....

Otherwise, you have a fundamental misunderstanding of what a grinder is for and how one is used.

It's for metal work. Only used as last resort for remedying damaged blades but a coarse oilstone freehand much better.

And you have a whole lot of company.

Or get into the trad sharpening habit and you never need go near a grinder.

 

[Trafalgar]

People have been hollow grinding plane irons and chisels for at least 200 years.

Get over it.

 

[AESamuel]

It's for metal work.

What's your plane blade made out of then?

 

[Jacob]

What's your plane blade made out of then?

I meant there is no need for a power grinder for hand tools in a woodwork shop.
Very often do invisible damage with over heating and a major cause of problems for novices.
I admit it took me some years to get back to basics but worth the effort.

 

[Jacob]

People have been hollow grinding plane irons and chisels for at least 200 years.

Get over it.

Only if they have access to a grindstone, and misuse it for sharpening.
Large diameter wet grindstones OK but can be managed without.
6" dia. bench grindstone a recipe for disaster.

 

[Jacob]

.

 

[Adam W.]

I love sharpening threads.

 

[Jacob]

I love sharpening threads.

Well it's pissing it down with rain here in Coulon and I'm just trying to get warmed up.

 

[worker]

Op, use whatever gets you the desired result within a time period that works for you. Don't listen to naysayers about grinders. Yes, it can cause you to mess up and overheat the blade, but once you've done that once or twice, you'll quickly learn to be patient and take it slow.

 

[cowtown_eric]

have you checked that square for square?

The imperial scale starts at 1", which is 25.4 mm

Look at the top scale, it's reading 2.50

something ain't proper there, at least to me.

 

[Jacob]

Op, use whatever gets you the desired result within a time period that works for you. Don't listen to naysayers about grinders. Yes, it can cause you to mess up and overheat the blade, but once you've done that once or twice, you'll quickly learn to be patient and take it slow.

We were banned from using them at school, and again later on a C&G course. For metal work only, not for sharpening.
The trouble is they not only over-heat very quickly but they also remove a lot of metal.
Doing it gently freehand, a little and often, blades last for years. Also fits in with the work, just a quick dab on an oil stone at frequent intervals. no stopping for sharpening, never letting the blade or chisel get blunt.
"Maintaining a sharp edge" is completely missed with modern sharpening methods.

 

[mark w]

Not essential. A camber is best. Needs to be square enough for normal use that's all

Modern sharpening is basically inefficient and slow, but it does sell gadgets!
Freehand with oil stones is fast, efficient and cheap.

Is also inaccurate and wastes steel.