How To Sharpen Plane Blades By Hand

[@stanmoderate4460]

I'm a 75 year old hobbyist with ONE plane in my toolkit. This is going to make a huge difference to my future projects. Coronavirus is educating me no end!

[@jacobbarnett6769]

I'm 17 years old and recently picked up a type 8 Stanley bailey no 3 hand plane and your videos on the topic have really helped me out with the restoration. I picked it up from Goodwill for 7 dollars

[@jimjohnson9492]

This is a great teaching video. Thank you. Currently restoring a couple of 100 year old planes. Great Education!

[@bulletproofpepper2]

I picked up a trick from a metal working buddy he said “ if you can see the metal your removing how do you know your done” he grabbed a sharpie and colored the cutting edge for his cutter. Honing his cutter bit. New to wood working. Thanks for sharing. Great information.

[@kimpalmer-nicks2487]

I really appreciate you acknowledging the budget friendly side of sharpening! Awesome channel!

[@MegaFunnyman86]

You are paul sellers are the best two for explaining and making things simple to understand, thank you for your efforts. They are greatly appreciated by us hobbyist. Keep them coming

[@aaronmitchell8516]

Just started my woodworking journey and your videos are a tremendous help. Thank you!

[@rorycasey9190]

100 percent empathetically agreed! Thank you

[@keenaheaton8853]

Who are the disgruntled three souls thumbing this down? This is an incredibly helpful video showing multiple methods of getting a blade super sharp. Good work man!

[@MrFoleyRyan]

They're probably people who think (incorrectly) that you can't have a sharp edge without a secondary bevel.

[@ChrisUK76]

I just found an old plane in one of my sheds, so this and your other plane resto vids are incredibly helpful! Thanks, really appreciate it.

[@GotItMade]

Very helpful. Thank you for sharing.

[@mibranditnow]

Chris, I know this video is a little old but I just wanted to let you know that I followed your video and sharpened two of my block planes and man what a difference. I took some photos of how thin the shaving are but I can't post them to show you but, you can see through them 😲. Keep the videos coming and can't wait to see the video on how to set them up correctly.

[@jboatman81]

This is one of the most thorough explanation of sharpening a plane iron that I've seen. You are very good at teaching. Maybe consider doing to woodworking classes locally. I bet you'd have a lot of people over time. Anyway, love you videos. I just hit subscribe!

[@misterleclair]

Fantastic video! I leaned a lot as always. God has given you the gift of teaching. I am looking forward to the video on setting up a hand plane.

[@mrstigleman1797]

Thank you for making this video!!! I have several old planes that I've bought over the years and tried to refurbish to use in my shop. It's been hit and miss getting good edge. Your video made perfect sense and i can't wait to try your technique. I'm looking forward to watching your other videos.

[@jonwills4670]

Thank you for taking the time to share how you sharpen blades. Now I need to go do this as well!

[@arthurcamargo3430]

Can’t wait to get started! Thanks

[@lesnytropiciel]

Thank you for your lesson. Very helpful 👍💪👊

[@brianreed3837]

Great video! for stick back sand paper I'm sure someone has already said this but automotive supply stores and auto body supply stores are a great location for multiple different grits. Again great video keep up the great work!

[@anthonyvincent9990]

this was a good class. would love to see the video where you shaved with a plane blade

[@bjgodefr]

Very good summary and walk through for a difficult to sharpen tool, thanx!

[@andysparks7381]

I like your technique. It’s amazing how many approaches there are to achieving the same result. I always enjoy every video you put out.

[@codybryant8684]

Hey great video I love my 4000/8000 grit stone. My only thing rubbing the stones together won't that cross contaminate the Grits on the stones

[@mmcl1312]

Excellent video! I bought an old Stanley No. 18, can’t wait to put some of these tips to use!!

[@njjkrubi]

Very informative! Great instructional tips! Thanks!

[@johnr.harrington7563]

Awesome video! I love that you don’t get caught up in any one school of thought (i.e. “art” of hand sharpening vs precision jigs for everything). Keep up the good work! Loving the content on this channel.

[@ThirdCoastCraftsman]

Thanks man, I really appreciate that! I hadnt really thought of that and it doesn't need to obsessed over like some people do. Its a mundane yet important part of day to day, and Im just trying to share a little of my method to get it done and get back to work. I hope that message and help is being delivered in the video haha

[@johnr.harrington7563]

Third Coast Craftsman I definitely think you conveyed that very well.

[@meaneydanielp]

@9:20 how do you correlate the distance you offset your blade sharping guide to the top of your blade with regards to the angle of desired blade?

[@ThirdCoastCraftsman]

There are distances marked on the side of the guide to tell you

[@karenbickel1154]

Can't wait for your next video. I have been a woodworker using primarily electric tools. I have been wanting to get into old style woodworking for a couple of years. I love your videos on the care maintenance and restoration of these wonderful tools. Keep them coming!😀

[@willlloyd8359]

Really thorough and helpful steps for the beginner to master the basics. Makes me feel more confident working with the tools I know less about. Great stuff!

[@ThirdCoastCraftsman]

That is so great to hear Will. Its definitely a tricky thing for beginners to both start and master. My best advice is to just do it and after a little while youll have the hang of it.

[@sanderduyn1984]

I restored a number 5 just recently so i want to see what you did different good video thanks

[@jaykepley5238]

Very nice video. You are a great teacher.

[@arkansasboy45]

This is a great video! Thanks.

[@jpaxton19]

Great video. Thanks for the sharpening tutorial. Very informative

[@cursingbulldog]

This was really helpful. I have a number 5 plane and picked up a couple of diamond plates but haven’t tried sharpening yet. Now I know what to do and am looking forward to your next video on setting a plane .

[@ThirdCoastCraftsman]

I am glad the video helped and hopefully the set up video is helpful too

[@aaronpurcha9545]

Chris I have the same cheap honing guide. When putting your blade in guide what’s the distance from the edge of blade to edge of guide. I saw you have some sweet stop blocks set up to make it easy.

[@oakleyjack7600]

Once I get to my finer stones, extra fine DMT and Spyderco ceramic, I turn the blade 90 degrees to the length of the stone. In this way I am stroking the bevel opposite, applying a little more pressure which turns a hard wire edge on the flat side of the blade. You get a good rhythm freehand and the fine polish marks will be from side to side on the bevel. After this I only lay the blade on its back and drag off a nice heavy wire burr. I get a nice wire burr 9 times out of ten that can hit the floor and still be in one piece. I used to strop but no more, I slap it back and forth across my palm several times and it’s a zero edge ready to go. I think stropping especially on A 2 blunts the fine edge. I prefer O1 over any other steel, PMV-11 is some very nice steel and holds an edge a bit longer and sharpens well but, the majority of woodworkers don’t plane for hours at a time and O1 is a standard that’s hard to beat. I think you are well aware that a # 4or5 Stanley can be tuned up with the stock blade and do about any job you need. I have owned the LV jack, LV bevel up smoother LN 4 1/2 , LV #4 custom smoother and I have tried may more but they are too heavy and over priced compared to a tuned Stanley. The planes I rely on and enjoy the most are my 604C Stanley and two #5s set up for rough and smooth. Like we all know, there are many methods to get sharp blades, but the basic parts have to be tuned right to compliment the blade. Repetition of sharpening and understanding how the parts work together are the keys and your doing a great job of explaining. How are you liking being Self Employed so far ?

[@ThirdCoastCraftsman]

Thanks for the great feedback! sounds like you have used some really nice planes! I havent had the fortune of using a nice LN or LV plane but I also havent ever felt the need as I get the results I want from my 100 year old antiques haha. You are totally right about planes needing to be set up well to REALLY perform well and hopefully I can deliver the proper message in my next video and not offend too people haha. Being self employed so far has been pretty stressfull and crazy. I am trying to find a good routine. I really need to get some of the cool projects I have planned done!

[@kevinteaford6694]

Hey Chris, great video....but I'm supper interested in how you make the background wood boards on your wall! Can you share some more pictures? That is a really cool set up!

[@beanieweenie9543]

Great video. Super informative for newbies like myself. Thanks for taking the time to explain!

[@p1ggyw1ggl3s4]

Id love to see a custom sharpening station build, like a way of incorporating the stone holders, degree guide, water, and glass all into a decorative piece

[@zeTETicTruthTube]

Wow. Im f.. impressed. So many nice block planes you have back there also. Can you recommend one of them for a beginner, that does not cost a fortune? Thanks

[@mc4kvb]

Thanks for this video son. It is in great detail and that is a big help to someone like me that don’t know how to sharpen a good way. I’m sure I will get my own way of doing but I still want to be doing it correctly. I will watch this again and again to try and get it down. So much to learn, so much to learn...be safe son.

[@ThirdCoastCraftsman]

haha yes there is so much to always learn but that is also one of the great things about life. Keep practicing and remember that you probably arent going to get a perfect blade the first time

[@mc4kvb]

Third Coast Craftsman Yes you are right about not getting the perfect blade at first but I am grateful for people like you that tell us some of the ways you have done it and if it was more trouble than you thought. If you can get the end result and can save some time then do what works for you.

[@uglycouzin]

Please please do the plane set up video! This was amazingly educational.

[@benholzwarth2235]

Did you ever get to the video about setting up the plane? I'm just getting started and it would really help

[@befmx31]

Wow, that was an AWESOME sharpening video. Thanks so much. I just subbed.

[@arthurbrands6935]

I love the ad for Shafton. He tested the edge with his left thumb!

[@philipchandler330]

Excellent learned a lot!!!

[@MyersWoodshop]

great video. very helpful. I suck at hand planes, guess thats why I have all the robots do my work for me.

[@billbenoit1607]

Great and informative video! Good job Chris!

[@jessebelyeu2238]

When will you post the video on setting up hand planes?

[@thomasarussellsr]

Fairly articulate presentation. Nicely done.

[@Dan113842]

This was super informative; I'm looking forward to giving it a go! The plane setup video never came, did it?

[@lukemooney8790]

Great video. I am excited for the next video. It sounds like it will be another good one!

[@joshdura]

Great video! Thanks for all the information and specifically the "why" behind a lot of it as well. It's one thing to know how to do it, it's another to know why it has been done that way.

[@ThirdCoastCraftsman]

Thanks Josh. I really wanted to pack as much info as I could possibly share and there are still some things I left out. Im glad it helped :)

[@LordMikau]

Hi! I just love your videos and I was wondering because I can't seem to find the video you mention in this video about how to set up the plane blade. Is is there somewhere I missed it? :( thanks a lot!!!

[@Miltonbryan93]

Rodrigo Hinojosa In the beginning when he mentioned it it shows up as a link in the top right hand corner

[@geeborg6912]

Very informative and interesting video, MVH

[@jessjulian9458]

Thanks for sharing your talents and experience. I enjoyed the video.

[@ThirdCoastCraftsman]

Thanks Jesse, I am glad you enjoyed the video :)

[@SARSteam]

Hi Third Coast Craftsman, I am restoring my dad's 2 planes he recently gave me as he is now way to old to do carpentry anymore but he taught me years ago to use a oil stone. Whats the diffs between the oil & waterstones ? Something I would want to share is the backplate (plate that supports the blade) is I keep its end surface as flat to support the whole blade area and as you did sometimes like once in many years it might need some flatting to cover the whole blade area otherwise blade damage might ensue due to no support. Thanx for a great vid

[@SARSteam]

Awesome, thinks for the info.

[@ardvarkkkkk1]

People keep talking about "float glass". You will have to work hard to find a piece of glass that isn't float glass. It's used in your windows, doors skylights and anything else that is made of glass. It is the standard way of making glass.

[@quinn860]

I taught that, I remember watching a video on it, amazing process

[@whitexeno]

Where did the video on setting up the plane go?

[@LUCASviaKIMURA]

Yeah! I'm not seeing it

[@chrisporter8435]

@@LUCASviaKIMURA any replies on this?

[@vehiculeselectriques]

@@chrisporter8435 it never came :^(

[@Thom4123]

Awesome video still trying to figure out how to setup quicker. Recently bought two water stones a 8,000 & 10,000 & Veritas jigs I’m getting use to the water stones but like the idea of small circles freehand. Take care my friend.

[@JakeThompson]

Great video!! Takes the intimidation out of sharpening!!

[@grantdavidson5069]

Thanks buddy. This is the best sharpening vid I've watched. I'm starting dovetails and this was really helpful.. PS. You've got your concave and convex muddled up.

[@brucestuart8180]

Great explanation Chris!! Really well done, not many guys "get it", your not one of them. Cheers

[@scillyguy]

Did you ever do the video on setting up plane blades? Couldn't see it in your videos, love your channel btw, keep up the good work.

[@MakeBrooklyn]

I started out with those same wet stones and while they work great, it didn't take me very long to switch to diamond stones just for the ability to get sharp and get back to work quickly!

[@cristijndevin2900]

nice video! axminster in the UK sells stickback paper up to 2500 grit

[@arthurcamargo3430]

Are you using just a regular metal ruler? Or is there a certain thickness to work with

[@paulglennon6095]

Great Stuff Sir. I may have missed it but how did you set those three ( different angle ) jig stops for setting the blade in the honing guide?

[@user-in9xo6zo9p]

Hi Chris greetings from Suffolk UK. Could you post a vid on chisel sharpening? or do you use the same technique?

[@chrisb1029384]

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@FredMcIntyre]

Thanks for the info Chris! 👍👊

[@haukebahr3153]

This video is old and you may have found a place that sells stick back sand paper (other than online) but if you haven't then check if you have an auto detailing supply story in your area. The one in my area carries several different types of stick back sand paper. Many different grits, circular shaped pieces, rolls like the one in your video, etc.

[@MintStiles]

I think it's worth saying that feathering isn't for all (but most) applications. In fact, feathering is good for general smoothing (which also happens to work well with free hand sharpening). But just my two cents that you should keep one plane with a perfectly jig flattened edge for that perfect finish that you have to take a slight overlap to clear off.

[@ZacJones]

great video Chris! I like the ruler trick, never knew you had to put a bevel on the backside of a blade, looks scary sharp!

[@ThirdCoastCraftsman]

you dont have to put the little back bevel on there but i definitely like it

[@afsharisohrab]

Hi,! Perfect information, thanks.

[@ryanstieglitz777]

Love the information. Super helpful. Is the plane setup video still coming sometime?

[@chrisporter8435]

Have you made the plane set up video yet? Been looking for it and haven't seen it.

[@lightning4871]

Good job.

[@cadeuseus]

12:22 "I would recommend learning how hand sharpen." Bruh, that's why we're watching THIS vid.

[@paulmouradian8968]

great job

[@GiedriusT1]

Nice job! Where is that another video about properly adjustment? I’ve just got that 100 y plane and trying make him work ;)

[@stevensrspcplusmc]

You can get a Trend diamond plate it a 300 side and a 1000..they aren’t expensive ..they work great.. Amazon .. thanks Chris 👍😊

[@나무노래-v1k]

very gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!

[@jamescreek8967]

Did you ever make the video setting up a hand plane?

[@artiefufkin3292]

What distance is the wooden gauge set too for 25 and 30 deg bevel set to please?

[@Generalms02]

Great video! How do you setup the blocks on your sharpening board to set the correct angles with your honing guide? Thanks for sharing!

[@ThirdCoastCraftsman]

the little honing guide gives you distances so I added blocks for quick set up if I need rather that trying to measure

[@Generalms02]

Third Coast Craftsman thanks! That’s a great tip. I just got my honing guide a few days ago and I’ll be doing the same kind of setup. Seems easier that way.

[@randypowell4799]

Grerat info. Thanks

[@Myrkskog]

Thank you for taking the time to make this. It's always good to see folks' sharpening procedures to pick up a valuable tip here and there. Any news on the TCC caps? I've just seen the mugs you've got up too, they look nice!

[@alextiganik]

Thank you very much!

[@thomaslokken1555]

Nice job! Perhaps you should have acknowledged David Charlesworth as the developer of your ruler trick.The use of this technique would seem to make the flattening of the back of the blade unnecessary.

[@therealsparkman]

One thing that you didn't mention, which might be important to others because it happened to me. And that is make sure that your plane blade is NOT cupped. While I farted around trying to fix the same gap between the cap iron and the blade, and as I spent time trying to make the cap iron end level, it wasn't until I realized that I should put a straight edge on the blade, and that is when I discovered that IT was not straight. So I just wanted to mention that to anyone who has the intention of restoring an old hand plane. Cheers!

[@MintStiles]

You have to flatten the bottom of your plane blade first. If it's warped too badly, just toss it, it's no good because it will be too much effort to fix.

[@MrWoody135]

Have been down this route.....almost exactly in your foot prints but once again I've learned something ! The feet on the bottom of the stone's boxes are to be used for holding the stone ! OH MY GOD.....do I feel an idiot or what Ha Ha. And this gives you plenty of height with which to hold your blade. Moving on !!

[@andyiliff7793]

I've probably watched this video half a dozen times and every time I get something out of it. This video is great for anyone struggling to get their plane blades sharp (like me😏). I was finally able to sharpen a blade well enough to shave my arm, but I was worried about the slight convex curve that I saw. I'm glad to know that is okay to have. However, I'm still not getting a good clean pass with my block plane. Am I missing something?🤔

[@ThirdCoastCraftsman]

block planes are not great for regular planing, better for chamfering, and small clean up jobs, But a tight mouth and super sharp blade should help

[@andyiliff7793]

@@ThirdCoastCraftsman Thanks, Chris! I resolved not being able to get shavings by skewing my plane a little more as a ran across the wood. I also free the blade back quite a bit and that helped a lot. I will have to restore an old Miller Falls jack plane I purchased a while back to get better results. Thanks again for the reply and tips!👍

[@davidosullivan3432]

Great info, how to you re-grind to 25 after so many hand sharpening sessions? Do you electric grind ? Great channel . Going through the back log. I don’t use the ruler trick because you have to continually do it .

[@moaski]

For your float glass, look into PSA-backed lapping sheets by 3M. They come in 60 grit up to 6000.

[@gcdrummer02]

Your whiteboard drawing just made me realize I had been putting my blades in upside down.

[@rickd1369]

The Noob Woodworker hahaha noob... Me too lol

[@SteS]

You're knot the only one!

[@seanjoseph8637]

I use a Prit Stick to secure sandpaper etc.

[@jeremywhiner]

This is kind of random, but you might look at metallurgical lab supply companies for adhesive-backed abrasives. No one really uses rolls of emory paper anymore, but lots of companies sell adhesive-backed sandpaper discs... They range in sizes from 8" to 12" (diameter). Probably not a cheap option, but you get quite a range of grit sizes in availability (60, 80, 120, 240, 320, 400, etc... to 2000). Buehler is one company that sells these, for sure.

[@hyljeksitty]

Thanks for a great video! I learned many things from this one and I'm sure that your plane set up-video will be very useful too. Do you do similar sharpening process with chisels too, or does chisels require different tricks?

[@ThirdCoastCraftsman]

I sharpen my chisels with the same stones, but I do things a little different. Ill have to do a video on that before too long

[@CafeenMan]

I've found the fastest and most economical way to flatten my stones is using silicone carbide (wet and dry) sandpaper on my granite block. Any flat surface such as your float glass will work. The sandpaper lasts a very long time and you aren't wearing out a second stone to flatten the first stone.

[@South3rnWoodworking]

On that brand and grit (type) of wet dry sandpaper. 3in1 oil works much better than water