Sharpening a Scraping Plane blade

[wizer]

I hope Paul doesn't mind, but he recently posted some info on sharpening a scraping plane blade and I think it deserves a thread in it's own right. Oh and also coz I wanted to ask a question

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Paul Chapman Wrote

If you are getting dust, then the blade isn't sharpened properly. Here's how I do it. First I hone a razor-sharp edge at 45 degrees. The blade on my Veritas scraper plane fits OK in the Veritas Mk2 honing guide.

Get a piece of MDF and clamp a piece of wood on it so that the edge of the scraper blade is flush with the front of the MDF. Then using the burnisher dead flat go from side to side on the flat side of the blade (this work-hardens the metal)

Then turn over the blade, rest the burnisher on the bevel and run it along the bevel from side to side. Don't press too hard.

Then gradually tilt the burnisher to form the hook. You only need to take about 10 strokes at most to do this. What you should end up with is a hook that feels similar to the burr when you hone the blade.

Fit the blade in the plane and you should get long, silky-smooth shavings not dust

Hope this helps.

Cheers :wink:

Paul


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[wizer]

What do you hone the 45 degree bevel on Paul? Waterstone, Diamond?

 

[OPJ]

Thanks, wizer. I just bought one of these planes myself (before the prices rocket...) and this is good information. Not that I've found a chance to use it... yet! :wink:

 

[Paul Chapman]

What do you hone the 45 degree bevel on Paul? Waterstone, Diamond?

Hi Wizer,

I treat it exactly as I do my plane blades. I use diamond stones with oil, followed by a leather strop with jewellers rouge. With this I can get a razor sharp edge.

Most texts tell you to remove the old wire edge with a file. I don't do that. I wipe off the old wire edge holding the blade flat on my extra fine diamond stone.

I then hone the blade using a Veritas Mk2 honing guide (this is wide enough to take the blades from the Veritas #80 cabinet scraper and the Veritas scraper plane). I set the guide to hone a 45 degree bevel.

With the blade still in the honing guide, I polish the bevel by drawing it backwards a few times on my strop

I then take the blade out of the honing guide and, holding it dead flat, polish the back on the strop. I then proceed to turn the hook. I use jewellers rouge and Vaseline on my strop - but only add more Vaseline occasionally.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Paul Chapman]

One other point, Wizer. When the edge starts to go off, you can reform the hook a few times without re-sharpening the blade. How many times you can do this is a contentious issue. David Charlesworth, for example, recommends that you re-sharpen the blade each time, others say you can re-form the hook a few times before re-sharpening. It's best to try it out for yourself and do whatever works for you :wink:

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[wizer]

thanks Paul. I may be an owner of a no.80 in a couple of days. Will let you know how I get on.

 

[Paul Chapman]

I may be an owner of a no.80 in a couple of days.

The Veritas one is a cracking tool - you'll love it

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[tnimble]

Thanks for this. I'm always struggling to get a consistant burr on the blade for the Stanley no 80 (but not on card scrapers) each and everytime.

I'm going to receive the Veritas scraper plane in a few days (along with a pair of skew rebates), so definetly need to get the scraper sharpening handicap sorted out.

 

[ByronBlack]

Paul, out of curiosity, where did you get your diamond stones from?

 

[Paul Chapman]

I bought the red and the blue ones from Parry & Sons in Old Street, London many years ago - I don't think the shop's there any more - which is quite sad The green one I bought at the Woodworking Show at Alexandra Palace. I saved quite a bit by buying it without the box and made a box myself from a piece of Mahogany that I had lying around. Must have had them over 10 years, but can't really remember - time seems to fly these days :shock:

At the time I bought them they seemed expensive but they are all dead flat and have given me excellent service so, with hindsight, they were excellent value for money. I'd buy them again They are the 8" size which is good for honing wide plane blades.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[ByronBlack]

Thanks for the info paul. I'm after a set of diamond stones myself, do the colours on each stone indicate the grit, and do you know if these colours are still representative today bearing in mind you stones are older?

 

[Paul Chapman]

Yes, the blue is coarse, the red is fine and the green is extra fine. They do a black one which is extra coarse. They also brought out an extra extra fine but I don't know the colour of that - I think Gidon has one so maybe worth asking him what it's like.

Have a browse around here http://www.dmtsharp.com/?gclid=CP2Kic3W ... MAodCledYQ

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[ByronBlack]

Thanks Paul, much appreciated.

 

[shim20]

a while ago i got the LN scraper plane the big one, never semed to get it right so sold it in the end.....stupid in know, after reading this wish i hadent lol.

 

[Escudo]

Thanks Wizz for picking up on this, definitely worth further discussion / wider interest.

Thanks also Paul for your excellent advice when originally posted in my earlier thread. I have just been so busy this last week or so I haven't had time to respond.

CHT have put a veritas burnisher to one side for me and next time I call in there I will pick it up and have a go at adding a hook to my blade.

Here is a link to the recommended gaget

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=3&p=32633&cat=1,310,41070&ap=1

I wonder if my understanding is correct in that the hook is a form of burr formed on the back of the blade?

I also thought when using my scraper that it would perform better with the corners of the blade slightly rounded is this so? and if so what is the best way to achieve this?

I am going to update my original thread now.

Thanks wizz, paul

Cheers, Tony.

 

[wizer]

I think the idea behind rounding the corners of a card scraper is to prevent accidental gauging. With a scraper plane, this can't happen as the card is set in a fixed position and the flex is also fixed.

That's a guess

 

[lurker]

Tony,

A while ago Alf posted a home made burnisher that does a similar job.
It "might" be on her web site

I made one- it works great

Of course if you have money to chuck away................ :roll: :roll:

 

[Paul Chapman]

I also thought when using my scraper that it would perform better with the corners of the blade slightly rounded is this so? and if so what is the best way to achieve this?

Hi Tony,

There are two types of scraper blades - thin ones, as fitted to the Veritas #80 style scraper and the Veritas scraper plane. These are bowed in use by turning a screw. Bowing them results in the edge of the blade being curved and the corners don't, therefore, come into contact with the workpiece.

Thick ones, as fitted to Lie Nielsen scraper planes (like yours) and also available for the Veritas scraper plane in place of the thin blade. These blades are not bowed and it is possible for the corners to leave "tram lines" on the workpiece - hence the often-given advice to ease the corners of the blade.

This is quite easy to do - simply run the corner of the blade along your sharpening stone to take the sharp corner off. See also the instructions on the Lie Nielsen website http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=85

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Escudo]

Thanks for the responses fellas,

I think I'm with it Paul, must find time to get down to CHT to pick up my burnisher.

Lurk you sound like my missus .... :wink:

Cheers, Tony.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Tony,

Just another thought - Alf wrote an excellent piece about scrapers which you might find useful if you haven't already seen it https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1976

Cheers :wink:

Paul