41. Water Stones

[@wehaveasaying]

Other KZbin tutorials: "Today I'm gonna show you how to sharpen stuff. Its simple, you absolutely must have this jillion dollar machine with spinning wheels and lubricant sumps which was hand crafted by Tibetan monks by the light of a blue moon. There's no other way to get sharp!" Then they get excited if it shaves arm hair off the back of their hand. Graham's tutorial: "I got some cheap manufactured stones, sand paper, and a chunk of glass!" Then he splits atoms in half like he's Oppenheimer and is totally unfazed. Outstanding tutorial! I am glad that you are here. I love that you are teaching simple skills for entry level learners such as myself.

[@gjbmunc]

Glad to hear it!

[@1pcfred]

There's a lot of ways to sharpen. There's only one way to sharpen the most efficiently. It ain't using water stones either. But if it's what someone wants to do then have at it.

[@DRJMF1]

Thank you for sharing this information. A lovely, lovely gentleman. Suits you, sir.

[@gjbmunc]

Thank you kindly

[@bernardmorse7530]

I find you very knowledgeable in your videos. Traditional worker myself. Always can learn new things.

[@gjbmunc]

So nice of you

[@Bbluenight]

You really have a skill of sharing and I can see you are passionate about woodworking, thank you for sharing your knowledge !

[@gjbmunc]

Thank you very much!

[@ArchEdge]

Thank you Graham. Doesnt matter how many times i watch a sharpening video - i always learn something new. Your videos are always appreciated.

[@gjbmunc]

Thank you!

[@homerphoneby8450]

Thank you, sir! Hands down, one of the best explanations on blade sharpening. Your videos are always like watching a Master Class.

[@gjbmunc]

You're welcome.

[@rossmcleod7983]

A most excellent commentary, many thanks.

[@gjbmunc]

Thanks! 😃

[@montelott8570]

Great presentation with good information put forth, thank you Graham.

[@gjbmunc]

My pleasure!

[@JBuck-cu7xd]

Mr. Blackburn, thank you for your dedication to passing on your knowledge and skills on this channel. It is inspiring!

[@gjbmunc]

You're welcome!

[@ianpearse4480]

Thank you yet again Sir.

[@gjbmunc]

You're very welcome!

[@DraganIlich-r1s]

Educative to high point.Thank you Sir.❤

[@gjbmunc]

you're welcome!

[@MCsCreations]

Thanks a lot for the lesson, Graham! Really interesting stuff! 😃 I bought a cheap set of diamond stones and I'm loving them! Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@gjbmunc]

Thank you. Likewise.

[@1pcfred]

There's different diamond plates. I like the ones with a continuous coating. They have no pattern on them. I only really use the 1,000 grit one. After that I polish on ceramic hones. I don't try to maintain the primary bevel by hand either. I hollow grind my tools on a bench grinder. That saves a lot of honing I don't have to do.

[@Ldg5229ldg]

Good morning Graham!

[@gjbmunc]

Good morning!

[@RossDMartin]

Also, it looks like you only put one bevel on your blade. Is that because of the particular laminated steel? Do you recommend a primary angle and a secondary (steeper) angle for the cutting edge?

[@JasonEdwardsPhotography]

Thank you. I didnt think of sandpaper on glass to flatten waterstones. Other videos I've seen used a diamond plate ( which are very expensive) This video has helped and inspired me, I've been looking for the best cheapest way to sharpen my chisels and planes.

[@gjbmunc]

Glad it was helpful!

[@timothymallon]

As always, thank you for your videos. It's always great to have a refresher course when woodworking. And I always find something new.

[@gjbmunc]

Thanks.

[@deansimpson3231]

Excellent instructions

[@gjbmunc]

Glad you liked it

[@richardbutterfoss2353]

Thank you! RWB ❤🎉

[@gjbmunc]

You are so welcome!

[@derekmills1080]

Many, many years ago at school, my woodwork master showed us all how to regrind plane blades, resharpen them and, as you did, use the palm of your hand as a strop. No-one was allowed to use a plane until they had mastered every aspect of care and maintenance. They were mostly Record bench planes.

[@gjbmunc]

Great!

[@sylvioks]

Thanks again my friend! how much I wish to have a professor like you nearby. Long life to Graham

[@gjbmunc]

Thank you so much!

[@RossDMartin]

Wonderful video. I’ve recently purchased several used hand planes - some in beautiful condition and some needing work. I bought the terrific little book, Sharpen This, from Lost Art Press and learned a lot from that. This video both reinforced what I learned from that book and added some visual nuance to the great writing and explaining there. It has been so satisfying to see a beautiful curl of wood shaving coming out of a plane - and frustrating when I don’t get it right. I’m looking forward to applying your tips to my process. I’ll be putting some 100 grit sandpaper on glass next!

[@gjbmunc]

Good luck!

[@1pcfred]

Keep learning and experimenting sharpening. You're not going to learn how to do it from a book or a video. Though those resources may give you some ideas. To really know you have to do and reflect on your own personal experiences. Find what works best for you. Just getting things sharp isn't enough. You have to get them sharp quickly. That doesn't mean moving faster or working harder either. It does mean discovering the most efficient methods though.

[@RossDMartin]

@@1pcfred thanks. Was doing just that last night on a plane I found in a drawer of a cabin I bought. It was pretty beat up so I had to grind off the old edge using a hand-cranked grinder - another “found object.” That I had to clean up using a dresser I picked up on Amazon. In the end, I got it working okay, but as I looked it over, it’s old and maybe wasn’t a very good chisel when new. But it was good practice and is bringing the video and printed lessons to life.

[@RossDMartin]

I even used Graham’s hand palm finishing tip - though I don’t think my palm is quite as meaty and leathery as his! :-)

[@1pcfred]

@@RossDMartin not so great chisels are some of the most useful tools of all. Because those you can beat on. Do all the things with it you're not supposed to use a chisel for. But a chisel remains the best tool for the task anyways. It's nice when your beater chisel is sharp too. They it works like it should. At least for a little while. Dressing grinding wheels is next level craftsmanship. Keep at it!

[@aidanhodgson4851]

great video I have watched hundreds of sharpening videos, and I have also used the finger pressure technique . but I didn't realize you only needed a few strokes to make a difference, I had been doing it so there was a visible camber. WILL REVISIT SOME OF MY IRONS.

[@gjbmunc]

Good luck. Also some irons do indeed need more crown - scrub plane irons, for example.

[@davidcampbell2845]

Excellent work.

[@gjbmunc]

Thank you!

[@frankhill9527]

As always a very informative video.

[@gjbmunc]

Thank you!

[@runningbear48]

Great video. I think it's good practice to flatten the sole of the plane with the blade installed , but not protruding, to simulate how the plane is when it's being used

[@gjbmunc]

Yes of course, sorrry I forgot to mention that. It's especially true for cheaper planes where an installed iron can warp the plane's body out of perfect flat.

[@mollyrockers2401]

Thanks Graham, enjoying your content. Forgive me for asking, but, I’m in Sheffield UK ( home of excellent hand tools for a long ,long time.) Your workshop sign says California doesn’t it ? You sound very English to me ! Your experience ‘shines through’ very much like Paul Sellers. Thank you.

[@gjbmunc]

Yep, born in London but been here most of my life.

[@richarde7432]

Thank you for honing our knowledge of water stones and sharing your beautiful Norris plane with us. I was wondering about what you think about diamond stones?

[@gjbmunc]

Many are good, but they tend to cost more and eventually wear (sometimes faster). Bottom line, there are quite a few different methods and materials. I chose to demonstrate the King water stones because they're somewhat less expensive, but the study of sharpening stones can go on for ever!

[@1pcfred]

​@@gjbmunc I use cheap plates out of China. If used right they hold up for years. For maximum performance you need to use the right lube. Head down to Wally World and in the automotive section pick yourself up a jug of Purple Power! It's got the deluxe glide. Just a little dab will do ya.

[@roman_le]

Thank you Graham! I always use my finest stone (8000) only to remove the burr.

[@gjbmunc]

Whatever works!

[@pettere8429]

There are as many ways of sharpening as there are woodworkers. I ended up in the diamond plate and (hard) leather strop camp as that strikes me as a good compromise of not making a mess when sharpening and getting a good edge.

[@1pcfred]

I use a diamond plate. I tried to get in the hard leather camp but I like my softer strop too much. If you're in the hollow grinding camp then we can hang.

[@thomashverring9484]

That's perfect, Petter. Watch the Jonathan Katz-Moses video on sharpening he did recently. I'm not a huge fan of his, but it's the most thorough test yet and it's conclusions were quite clear.

[@1pcfred]

@@thomashverring9484 did he test how long it took to sharpen? Because nothing is as fast as diamonds are. Time is a factor in all of this. The time you're spending sharpening takes away from the time you could be woodworking. People hate to sharpen because for them it is a chore and a bore. That's because they're not doing it right. Anyone sharpening right isn't fussing around with it enough to get emotional about it. I can literally take 3 strokes on a diamond plate and I'm done honing. 1, 2, 3. One up the middle and one on each side. But I'm also hollow grinding my primary bevel on a bench grinder too. So I don't have to remove a whole lot of material to develop an edge. I use a guide too so every stroke counts. So in conclusion the correct method yields the most efficient and effective results. Piss on using sandpaper too.

[@thomashverring9484]

@@1pcfred You do seem very emotional about it, though.

[@gjbmunc]

I like to sharpen before I start work, listening to the news.

[@th34lch3m1st]

Thank you for sharing. If I may ask, what is the grit of the third stone?

[@gjbmunc]

The gold finish stone may be as high as 12000 (which is why a paste made with the nagura stone is so helpful).

[@5StoryWoodWorks]

Every one of the KZbin Hand tool guys says you have to strop. Thank you for proving that wrong. Great Lesson!!! Thank you as always sir.

[@nigelwylie01]

Graham stropped at the end on living leather!

[@gjbmunc]

True; the difference between using a traditional barber's strop and the heel of your hand is that the barber's strop tends to round the very edge - which is fine for carving tools but not so good for plane irons where a back as perfectly flat as possible back is desired.

[@5StoryWoodWorks]

@@gjbmunc Makes perfect sense. I have seen that in my shop when I've used a strop that is too soft. It will round out my edge. No more strops for my plane irons. Thank you sir.

[@1pcfred]

He did strop. He just stropped on the palm of his hand.

[@1pcfred]

@@gjbmunc Your geometry theories are somewhat debatable. Check out David W's Unicorn edge videos. He runs his irons on a polishing wheel and you can't argue with the results he gets. He goes hard on that wheel too.

[@thomashverring9484]

Great video as always. I've found my way of sharpening and sticking with it, while also taking in tips and advice to develop my skill and method. I think the most important is to get a sharp tool in whichever way you do it and fairly quickly. To new woodworkers it's always quite the mystery :^) I'm still no expert but am slowly improving my method. And I've found that slightly different methods can be better for certain tools. I think you've only either capturing or using the sound from the camera and not the microphone on the apron. I'm sure you already know, but I'd still mention it, because I've noticed it before.

[@gjbmunc]

Yep. always working hard on the audio.

[@liveoak4124]

Thank you

[@gjbmunc]

You're welcome!

[@dghourd]

Great video Graham! For the camélia oil, are there substitutes?

[@gjbmunc]

The first oil that was used - at least in Britain and the UK was whale oil (similarly fine) - but that's hard to get now (!) although it's the reason why so many people still use regular oil on their 'oil stones'.

[@FearsomeWarrior]

Those pliers are well suited but I think they are for breaking molds open or something? Maybe to form lead fishing sinkers?

[@1pcfred]

They're gas pliers. They from back when folks had flames coming out of their walls. I got a pair just like 'em. I like my smaller pair better though.

[@FearsomeWarrior]

@@1pcfred Awesome thank you. I probably have a pair buried in one of my pine boxes I made to store tools from cleaning out old collections.

[@1pcfred]

@@FearsomeWarrior if you do an image search for gas pliers they'll turn up. Apparently they're still a thing somehow too? Because lots of pliers I'm seeing look new. Some are called gas pipe pliers. So I guess they're for grabbing gas pipes. Why you'd want to do that I've no idea. My little pair has a vampire notch in them on the tip and they're handy for grabbing screw heads. That's what I use them for. I hold screws in them that I need to wire wheel.

[@gjbmunc]

Yep, lotsa non-woodworking tools can be very useful for woodworking!

[@1deerndingo]

Informative video. Thank you. I look forward to your posts. What grit was your fine stone. Was that laminated blade a Norris blade. What grit would you use for a "traditional" blade as opposed to some of the more modern, high end, steel blades.

[@gjbmunc]

1. fine stone is about 12000 2.It was indeed a Norris iron. 3. You should experiment, but the standard King Gold stone is generally good enough.

[@CleaveMountaineering]

What are your thoughts on stropping? I've never been able to get shaving sharp without stropping.

[@gjbmunc]

Stropping is good for carving tools, but it rounds the back of the iron slightly and I prefer a perfectly flat back for pane irons and chisels.

[@phillipwhite5251]

mr. blackburn what angle do i need to set my plane blade

[@gjbmunc]

If you mean what bevel you should put on the plane iron, 26degrees is a good average. If you mean what angle the iron should set in the plane, that can vary between low (30 degrees, through 45 or 50 (york pitch) or even upright (for toothing planes).

[@richardh568]

Please, how do you attach the stone to the wood base? Glue? Thanks much

[@gjbmunc]

Regular Elmers works fine.

[@timbarry5080]

I am clearly a low class sharpener.. I just use my 2 sided oil stone and a strop with grinding compound on it

[@1pcfred]

Paul Sellers did a video where he sharpened to 240 grit and that worked.

[@timbarry5080]

@@1pcfred I think I saw that one

[@1pcfred]

@@timbarry5080 it makes you think. Then again he could have been playing all of us too. Who knows? One thing I do know is there's more to sharpening than meets the eye. That's because we can't see something a hundred atoms thick. Sometimes I do look at edges I've sharpened under a microscope though. It can be an illuminating experience.

[@gjbmunc]

Like I've said before: diffeerent strokes for different folks.!

[@TurbidFish]

Is it King Deluxe #1000 stone or another model?

[@gjbmunc]

The label has come off but I believe so.

[@klaus_niemand]

We lift the plane and move it back here, to reduce weardown of the edge

[@gjbmunc]

Good habit!

[@johnford7847]

Thank you.

[@gjbmunc]

You're welcome.

[@raol635]

Thank you.

[@gjbmunc]

You're welcome.