Sharpening A Plane Blade 2020
Sharpening Hand Plane Blades in just 32 seconds is a reality! Using Rob Cosman’s sharpening technique you can get a repeatable, razor sharp cutting edge, and get right back to work – NO JIGS NEEDED! We teach 1000 of students this technique and everyone can master it withing a couple of hours.
———
If you like our content please LIKE us, SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel, and RING THE BELL to be notified whenever we release a new video.
_______
* SEE ALL THE SHARPENING GEAR ROB USES HERE: https://robcosman.com/collections/sharpening
*FREE ONE MONTH CODE FOR ROB’S ONLINE WORKSHOP: 7dZHvNHb
* ROB’S ONLINE WORKSHOP – https://robcosman.com/pages/rob-s-online-workshops
* SUBSCRIBE TO ROB”S MONTHLY WOODWORKING TIPS NEWSLETTER – https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/WfTu6kP/Robsnewsletter
* QUESTIONS — Have a question about the Tools, Techniques, or Anything Else you saw in this video? Post your question in the comments section of this video!
* VISIT OUR STORE – To learn more or purchase any of the tools you saw Rob use in this video, please visit our retail store at https://www.robcosman.com
* SUBSCRIBE TO ROB’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL – http://www.youtube.com/c/RobCosmancom
* LEARN ABOUT ROB’S PURPLE HEART PROJECT: https://robcosman.com/pages/php-what-is-php
* DONATE TO THE PURPLE HEART PROJECT: https://robcosman.com/products/how-to-help
* FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/robcosman/
INSTAGRAM – https://www.instagram.com/robcosman_handtoolwoodworking/
Is that imperial 10 seconds, or metric 10 seconds?
Thank you
My father, a Joiner/Carpenter all his days always used an oilstone for sharpening chisels and plane blades. 🤗🤗
This is a gem of a video. Between you and Paul Sellers you have covered just about everything.
I have invested in a Trend 300/1000 diamond plate and broke it in on a seriously thin, old Naniwa Chosera 400 stone using the Trend lapping fluid for lubrication. I found that the Trend plate went dark near each end with a wider dark strip parallel across the middle. I suspect that the diamond coating was applied on a rolled plate which had not been finish ground. Also, once completely flat and washing in water, the green Chosera 400 twinkled all over with tiny diamond fragments, which I expected. In all, I spent about 4 or 5 minutes gently flattening the Chosera.
I hope this doesn’t irritate you but one technique that Paul Sellers uses to flatten convex blade irons is to lay it on the bench, convex side up and twat it hard with a heavy soft-faced hammer. It works!
Every now and again I chance upon a treasure of a channel. Yours is one such, Rob. Thank you for enriching us all. Paul
Thanks for the great video. Question about the blade geometry. With the 45 blade angle and 25 degree bevel, you’ve got 20 degrees of clearance. With less clearance, ,say 5-10 degrees you’d have a stronger edge. Is there a reason not to make clearance as tight as possible?
32 seconds…38 min video…
great info!
Great tutorial! Have you tried DMT diamond plates? If so, how do they compare with the Trend plate used here?
Rob great video thank you!
I have nothing but old Stanley stuff. I typically sharpen with sandpaper. One day I’ll get some decent stones. I typically shape my bevel at only 60 grit, and work my way through the grits up to 3000 and polish with compound. I use a guide because I’m awful at free hand sharpening. My latest strategy is no microbevels, everything at degrees, and I use the ruler trick on the back, or in my case the card scraper trick.
The wood loves Rob.
I wish the honing guides allowed you to rotate the little wheels for stones that are not quite wide enough.
why use a steel rule? it does nothing… it just bends into the stone.. i use the trend diamond sharpening system… good enough to chisel door hinges etc.. by the time you have sharpened your chisels and plane iron i would have fitted a fire door.. so over the top..
Fantastic Tutor, explained and demonstrated perfectly. No guess work required. Thank you.
I have watched this video like 1000 times. I have watched others’ sharpening videos. i have 2 problems 1) The 1000 side vibrates. I thought this was the stone so i ordered another stone. It did the same, so i assume it is me and is causing my second problem. 2) i can’t seem to remove all the scratches. I have been working on this over the last couple week in 30-45 min chunks. I don’t think i need to keep trying to remove the scratches.
I have tried to move to the bevel, but i can’t get a burr. I assume this is related to issues 1 and 2 above.
I need some hjelp. any suggestions.
Best advice in the video… If it doesn’t work the first or second time, Just keep trying. It’s taken me time to learn to just keep trying until things come out right. I notice it takes me fewer and fewer tries as I repeat the processes.
Thanks for the excellent video. I watched your video on building the sharpening bench and I couldn’t find where you state the optimal height for the sharpening bench. I didn’t hear that in this one as well. Am I right in assuming it should be slightly above knee height? Also, the heavy duty rubber stone holder elevates the 16,000 stone 2 inches higher than the coarse stone. Seems to me that the difference in elevations could lead to some in consistencies in the pivot angle from your shoulder. Am I being over-analytical here?
Great video, thank you for sharing your knowledge. TOUJOURS PRET Always Ready!
Enjoyed your video. Will try this (several times)
What plane are you using please??
32 seconds to sharp and the video is 40 minutes long. Bro we seek these out bc we’re in the middle of something and we need help. Usually fast!!!!
I am from Srilanka. Excellent video. Pleasure to watch you woking. Carefully explained slowly step by step. Thank you so much.
Look forward for a chisel sharpening as well. Thanks
I’ve been trying to work your method with the equipment I already own with limited success. I finally broke down and purchased the Shapton 16000 and wouldn’t you know, three blades in a row with 0.001" shavings. What a blast! I finally get the type of shavings I’ve been watching you get for years. Thank you Mr. Cosman!
Thank you Rob for all your efforts and experience, I am 75 years young, wish that I had learned how to use the computer and internet earlier, that way I might have had the pleasure of your sharpening a plane blade knowledge earlier in life. But again, thanks so much. Better late than never, Denny
PS: what thickness is the steel ruler that you use to put the bevel on the small portion of the back of the blade?
Hello, i have watched thé videos you made about thé sharpening process. I did not see a clear explanation about how to remove thé burr efficiently, being sure it is removed. May bé i misses something. Would you mind answering this issue before i test your sharpening method pls? Thanks.
Would a hacksaw blade work as the steel ruler ?
Your talent and finesse are truly extraordinary! I just love that direct, here’s how it do it approach and the feedback to indicate if its done correctly. A heartfelt thank you for sharing your knowledge. I am most grateful, Frank from MI
You’re a great teacher.
Rob, it’s okay to keep your glasses on.
Good video, as someone who used to earn a living from furniture making I have spent a vast nunber of hours and hundreds of pounds sharpening tools and looking for a better way to do it. I will try some of the things you suggest. One thought I would like to hear your views on; I was told that heat, from friction, was a major cause of blunting in plane irons and that one way to reduce heat was to lift the plane back to the beginning of the stroke rather than sliding it back. I got into the habit of doing this without thinking, so I have always done it since learning about it. Do you think it makes much difference. Chhrs, David Hands UK
We usualy use 1000 grid for finishing here🤣
Finally got around to doing this today. Note to self – keep finger tips off stone. I thought I cut myself on the edge of my blade. Nope, just sanded my finger tips off lol
Rob, further to some comments I made 11 days ago, I have a few more. Sharpening is, as you say, the foundation of any kind of accurate work. It is THE most important skill to master and yet there is more BS talked about this subject than possibly anything else on YT. 95% of what I watch is filled with errors and downright garbage.
I am really grateful for the time and effort you have devoted to this subject and you have provided some real insights into the basic, essential truths about sharpening.
1) Your comments about correct position (including height of the table) and posture are invaluable.
2) The need for a flat stone is frequently understated but is so important.
3) The need to cover as much of the stone as possible when working it.
4) You have provided a fast way to attain a fine edge, nobody wants to spend hours sharpening when they could be making things.
I imagine that many of your subscribers are, like me, part-time woodworkers. What you do here is great for the aspiring joiner and I truly admire your tenacious and uncompromising quest for excellence. I simply don’t do enough sharpening to go freehand so I use a jig.
Being the skinflint that I am, I hate wasting money on "fad" purchases that will just sit in the cupboard, so I strop. This is not a subject for here but for the most part I get a superb polish with the exception of the tool edge, the most important bit! What you call the fluorescent light effect. (It’s there on the sides of the bevel too). I can mitigate this by v gentle stropping on MDF or a very thin leather substrate. Be that as it may, you’ve talked me into buying a 6kHR!
Q1. Does the miniscule fluorescent tube effect matter on the sides of the primary bevel or the underside of the chisel?
Q.2. How can you be sure that flattening the 16k stone with the 300 diamond plate is not burying 300 grit diamonds into the highly expensive Shapton?
Something you might consider, I’ve bought a Plugable 250x microscope (£50/ Can$80) to learn where I’m going wrong, a great investment as I can take photos with it for reference as well.
Again, many thanks for your prodigious and generous contribution to the craft. Paul
Very informative. I really like your teaching style. I can see that this is technique driven. I need to work on mine, but traveling up the learning curve. Thanks
whats a good plane to start with? one that would be good for both squaring and truing, and also finishing?
Rob. I saw you in Ottawa some long time ago when we had a woodworking show. I was already very impressed with the way you communicate. But now. wow the clear description of tools, tecknique, reason why etc… you are way ahead.
32 seconds to sharp… video is 40 minutes long…lol
stupid
As a Fitter, machinist/Toolmaker, i can totally appreciate all the cutting angle geometyry diascussed Rob, however i still can not cut tight dovetails for the life of me, you have a real skill and it is beautiful to watch! keep it up.
great video, do you not use your Shapton flattening plate anymoe?
That was pretty funny watching you trying to get that incredibly thin shaving off of your hand. Do thin, it just wouldn’t let go. I thought those shavings were amazing. Very impressive.
I notice that a knife edge is being formed on the chisel. I prefer the back of the chisel tobe flat. I lay the chisel flat on the stone with the front being angled.
Rob, Excellent video as always – clear and concise information. I have a question – at your sharpening station I see that you have what appears to be a rubber mat which collects waste liquid from the sharpening process. Can you tell me where you obtained this rubber mat / tray? I’ve been looking for something similar but have had no luck in finding one like yours.
MVH
First of all, I love your videos and this one has made a huge improvement in my sharpening! I’m currently working on a solid cherry cabinet project which I am planing to finish, and have a couple of spots in my panel glue ups where the seam mates opposing grain and I’m struggling slightly with tear out when crossing the threshold on my smoothing pass. My plane irons are razor sharp but wondering if it’s worth dedicating an iron to make it a high angle or if there is another way to go about it? Currently taking the lightest of passes with throat closed and chip breaker 1/32” from the cutting edge but still having a few problem spots.
37:15 The fine shavings loves you so much you can’t get rid of them. 😄
Discovered your information today. Former 173rd Brigade member-/ forward observer vet, RVN ‘67-68 … buy you a beer sometime. Robert R.
Thanks great video, but I have one problem with the sharpening? In order to prevent side train tracks from plan when planing on a flat panel wider than your plane. If I sharpen truly square and set my plane perfectly parallel to mouth I cannot see how I would not get “train tracks” ? I was taught the only way to avoid this was to push down on each outside corner of blade while sharpening thereby creating a very small radius edge like an extremely fine version of a scrub plane blade? Are your blades truly sharpened square and then projects the same amount across the whole mouth? If so I get tracks with that setup
Putting the blade on the rule gives you a double edge bevel. I lay my blades flat on the backside of the blade this will gove you a flat back.
After watching this video many times, and practicing for a few weeks, I am starting to get a great edge on my plane blades. Like anything else, it takes some practice, so don’t give up!! As recommended by Rob – lowering the sharpening station below the benchtop is a substantial benefit – at least it was for me – it results in more consistent sharping motion. Also – buy the recommended sharpening stones, they are worth it… call them an early birthday present, whatever it takes. Thanks for all the great tips, Rob!!!
Spot on – thanks, Rob, you make me feel I can do it, too 🎉
Wow! Finally a channel I can learn somerhing from. And this is so quick and easy. Plus, you explain why you are doing every step. Bravo! I’m a retired veteran and will have to check out your school and your purple heart project as well.