Review : Chisel and Plane Sharpening - Peter Sefton

[Trafalgar]

 

[Jacob]

I believe stropping is sharpening the blade and improves the cutting edge, ...

effectively sharpening the blade yes but not necessarily improving the actual cutting edge.
Compare it to polishing the sole of a plane - it can appear to very effectively improve the action of the plane as if magically sharpened but without having any effect on the cutting edge at all.
Similar effect with other edge tools but the obvious disconnection less clear cut.

When teaching sharpening I will often show students how you can improve a blade from not cutting hair to razor sharp cutting hair in two or three seconds on a strop, I says it's sharper-you may say I waxed the sole of my plane, what are you on about?

I know we cut timber not hair but it's a teaching aid.

Cheers Peter

Won't help with shaving hairy Italians.
I'm on about when the cutting action involves friction - such as when belting a mortice chisel into a piece of wood. A bit of low friction polish on the bevel + face will let it go further - and will allow it to be removed more easily.
Or any occasion when an edge is being forced forwards between the workpiece and the resultant shaving. The deeper the cut the more the friction.
A polished bevel axe will cut better than sharp axe with a rough ground bevel even if it has a super shiny micro bevel.
It's pretty obvious. I suppose carvers would be most likely to see the benefit of a shiny bevel.
Unfortunately it happens to have been omitted from the rigid codes religiously followed by modern sharpeners - so the idea is anathema - but I don't care!

 

[bugbear]

Unfortunately it happens to have been omitted from the rigid codes religiously followed by modern sharpeners - so the idea is anathema - but I don't care!

What - the frantic polishing you spoke of so derisively? Make your mind up. :roll:

BugBear

 

[Jacob]

Unfortunately it happens to have been omitted from the rigid codes religiously followed by modern sharpeners - so the idea is anathema - but I don't care!

What - the frantic polishing you spoke of so derisively? Make your mind up. :roll:

BugBear

No - the very minimal polishing you get with stropping.
But you won't get it BB so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Go and put the telly on. :lol:

 

[D_W]

Unfortunately it happens to have been omitted from the rigid codes religiously followed by modern sharpeners - so the idea is anathema - but I don't care!

Well, one would generally like to sharpen carving tools as carving tools should be sharpened, and chisels otherwise. I do the "modern" thing on chisels, I guess, though lots of the old retired chisels that I've gotten have been sharpened that way (long primary and a short hand honed secondary).