Hey there,
I recently got into woodworking and because I’m living in Japan I’m going with Japanese tools.
I decided to set up my Japanese plane. I set up the body and moved to the blade. With the blade I started with the back and then moved to the bevel.
The bevel was quite rounded on top so I took me quite a while to get that flat. Only to notice I got the angle across the blade wrong. So now the right side of the blade has a slightly longer bevel than the left side. I was wondering how much this would affect the performance but when I took it o my shootingboard, I soon noticed that that wasn’t shooting straight anymore.
Did I ruin this blade or can I still salvage it with a lot of work on a diamond plate? If so how can I find the correct angle again?
Or should I save myself the trouble and look for a new plane?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Sven
Replies
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Did you use a grinder? If you use a grinder with a quality guide (either carefully built square or the LV grinder guide), I think you would have better results. I know that is what I need. You'll get more ideas for your question. and I'm interested in the answers too. If you use a grinder, be careful not to overheat the steel, and dip it frequently in oil or water.
Thanks ecyor,
I've really just started out and I haven't got many tools at all. I was kind of planning to go the hand tool route because of space and set up cost considerations.
So far I have a plane, a chisel, a ryoba saw, a drill, marking and measuring basics and a 400/1000 diamond plate and a fine grit oil benchstone for sharpening.
Still wondering what my next aquisition should be. Also because the plane is one of the few tools I have it's an extra bummer it's not doing what I want at the moment 😅
But maybe down the line I'll have a look for some power tools that can make my life easier. Maybe a grinder would be a good option.
Sven
If you got the blade out of square with only that equipment, it shouldn't be too hard to get it square again. Use a square to check the edge and go back to your coarse stone. A little elbow grease should fix it
you got a lot of steel yet. just keep at it and you'll get it sorted. keep in mind that the sides are tapered, so if using a square, you have to check from both sides and keep grinding until you are approximately equal on both sides. lateral adjustment can make up for any imperfections.
a grinder, be it wheels or belt is an amazing tool to have. you can make your old tools do new tricks. you can also put buffers and things of that nature on there.
With space and/or budget an issue, you might want to consider a hand cranked grinder. I've used this one for years, it takes a bit more time and muscle than a powered machine but you'll end up with a forearm like Popeye.
Looks just like mine. I like your guide. I need to make one.
I think I got the concept for the guide from one of the Krenov books. It uses a long (8") wedge on the bottom to adjust the grinding angle.
Agree with others that you have plenty of steel to work with and a fix can certainly be achieved. I would be very cautious if you go the grinder route as they can remove a lot of steel in a hurry if you aren’t familiar with their use. Alternatively there are jigs designed specifically for Japanese plane irons that could help until you get the hang of free hand sharpening. Don’t be discouraged or dissuaded by a learning curve. That’s part of the fun. Enjoy the process and all the best
Edited to add that it might be a negative to hollow grind on a Japanese plane blade. Obviously it’s the way to go on western chisels and plane irons, but Japanese planes and chisels are a different animal. Not claiming to be an authority, just throwing out cautious food for thought.
Sven,
Here's a Youtube video that may be of some help (there are many others, of course):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7cDLbAGv_M
Japanese irons and chisels have to layers of steel forged together. The hard layer for long term edge holding and a soft layer for easy sharpening. Both lend to hand sharpening. Use what you have and if you want to square the blade on course media then use some sandpaper on a flat granite scrap. Mark the blade with a square line scratched in magic marker with a square as mentioned above. Then hand sharpen square and sharp.
I used mostly western planes but I own two Japanese planes. On my western planes, I always use a micro bevel. If you have a true Japanese plane, the blade is laminated. Most of the metal you are working on is soft hence it is easy to rework the blade. I don’t use micro-bevels on my Japanese tools.
Get a course diamond stone for “grinding” your blade. You should be able to rework the bevel of the blade and the angle of the cutting edge relative to the sides in a few minutes.
Don’t give up on your existing plane
Nothing ruined about it, just time and elbow grease to fix it….a lot of comments say to mark with a square and grind to that…don’t do that, Japanese plane blades are tapered in both directions so the cutting edge is square to an imaginary line down the centre of the blade, not square to the sides of the iron, best way imo is to set the iron in the kanna see which side is high and grind accordingly, go slow you’ll get there
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