I am Having Problems with sharpening My Plane irons and wood chisels. first of all I use
waterstones and I have them from 200 grit up to 8000 grit.
I see that a lot of you out there use dimond stones, is it better to use dimond stones, or maybe,just maybe I am to much in a hurry, and hone a little longer.
thanks for any and all help, you can give me.
ebec, Canada
Replies
If you can give more info, will try to help. What brand stones? What steel are your tools? O1, A2, pmv11, etc? If you can give specific brand of tool, eg What brand/model of chisel? Do you use a sharpening jig?
If you can not get an edge from waterstones, diamond will not solve your problem, you have to work on your technique. The basics is grind the bevel on a grinder to the desired bevel angle and by doing so you get a concave surface. Then you start the honing process by going from a rough to a fine grit, I go from a medium oil stone to a hard arkansas and can shave the hairs from my forearm.
If you raise a burr that you can feel by touch, then you’ll absolutely be able to get a tool sharp.
Most people who “can’t” get a tool sharp simply don’t go far enough to raise a burr (which indicates they’ve created a fresh edge which can then be polished to a sharp point). In fact you can definitely cut at practically any grit if you’ve raised a fresh edge, it just don’t last long if you’re <1k grit.
Its not the stones, it's your technique. We don't have enough information to really say more.
I don't think it matters to be honest.
Sharp is sharp, and how you get there is your own lookout.
Diamond stones have a distinct advantage in that they are always truly flat, avoiding the need for a lapping stone, but otherwise they are just another way of abrading metal.
Personally I use both, with diamond stones to start with and a finish on a very nice 8000 grit King waterstone. This latter one loses it's flatness very quickly so since I needed a lapping stone, I bought a set of 3 diaflat from Amazon. Cost me less for three than the King stone...
It's not that one is better than another, each has a different feel and in the end, if you are getting a mirror polish on your tools and they are sharp enough to shave with, it would be foolish to change.
Mike pekovich did a video series on sharpening handplanes chech it out I’m sure it will help you out. Cheers from Ontario Canada.
I'm going to echo what others have said, it's not the stone(probably) it's your technique, but more info is needed.
Do you use a honing guide? If not get one. I stongly suggest the Veritas set but, have had good results with the $10 Chinese clamp style guides as well and I believe Lie-Nielson makes a supercharged version of this as well. There is no shame in using a honing guide.
Do you flatten your stones often? Depending upon the brand of stones some of the coarser grits may need flattened after every use. A stone that is hollowed will never be able to give you a good edge.
Are your stones appropriate for the steel you are trying to sharpen? Some water stones are better suited for specific types of steel than others. Read a good stone review like some here on FW and try to determine the best stones for your needs. Better sources like Lee Valley will also give helpful information in choosing stones as well.
Have you lapped the back of the tool to a perfectly flat mirror polished surface, at least at the cutting edge? Few tools are manufactured ready to use out of the box and no cutting tool, be it a plane blade, chisel, or something else will ever be truly sharp if the back is not perfectly flat. If you aren't familiar with this process search FW and you will see many articles devoted to how to tune up your tools.
In summary. I've tried just about every sharping method out there, from Scary Sharp, to machine methods and diamond stones, and while it is a very personal decision, I keep coming back to good quality waterstones as my preferred method.
PS. I will disagree with an early comment about diamond stones always being perfectly flat. Testing has shown just the opposite a low quality diamond stone is likely to be anything but flat so if you do make the the switch do your research first. There is no way to flatten a diamond stone after purchase.
Does not matter. Pick one and become proficient with that. I suspect that you may be suffering from too much honing. It is not always needed and a quick hone is best. Too much and you tend to round over the edge you worked so hard at in the sharpening process.
Sharpening is a is critical but one of the more frustrating things to master. Keep practicing and don't throw them. LOL
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