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Thread: Sharpening a finger plane

  1. #1
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    What is the best way to sharpen the blade of a curved sole ibex fingerplane? I was practicing with mine on mahogany the other day and it seemed incredibly difficult to use.

    Now i realize most of that comes from my lack of technique, but even when i was getting good curls (at least i think they were good, the spirals were really tight)it seemed like i had to push ridiculously hard, to the point where half the time the frog, blade, and thumb wheel all came out if the body of the plane. Technique aside, my guess was that the blade just wasnt sharp enough, or perhaps not set up correctly on my part (depth of cut, etc.)

    any and all advise on the above and possibly on keeping the area around the blade clear would be very welcome. Thanks!

    ps. sorry if my plane-part terminology isnt up to snuff, its a new tool for me.

  2. #2
    Registered User sunburst's Avatar
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    The "back" of the iron needs to be honed to get the edge sharp, and the beveled edge is sharpened much like a chisel, but you have to "roll" the iron on the stone as you stroke it along the surface.
    If you have trouble with chip clearance (some Ibex planes do), check out
    this little "photo-essay".

  3. #3
    Tony Bare
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    This has been discussed before but Sunburst is right . the back must be flat. It is hard to sharpen an exact angle on the small blade. I use a simple jig. A round head bolt that will fit in the slot on the blade, and two nuts. Put the nut on the bolt then the blade and then the other nut. Adjust the nuts till, with the bolt head and the blade sitting on the stone, the blade is at the correct angle. move the blade on the stone to sharpen. As the bolt head wears the angle changes so watch that.
    Tony Bare

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    awesome, great advice all around, and thanks for the link to that essay, i had seen it a while back but forgot about it. Lets see if i cant whip this little bugger into shape.

  5. #5
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    Once you have got the hang of sharpening the iron you have half of the battle won. The other half is technique. It is important to feel the resistance of the plane as you push it through the wood, to feel the direction of the grain, and to hold the plane so it cuts well and predictably. The IBEX planes are not made to be comfortable but they do cut well when sharp. Pinch the plane between your thumb and index finger placing your grip on the "works" that hold the iron. Your grip should be pretty much below and behind the thumb screw. This puts your hold lower and behind the nubs of the cap where they lock into the body of the plane. Move your grip around and try other holds as you use the plane until you feel where it is right.

    When pushing the plane along the surface of the wood, feel the resistance and always look for the easiest direction. This will be determined by the grain of the wood and can fool your eye. This is important as you cut into the figure of the wood, never force it, make the tool do the work. Otherwise, you run the significant risk of chipping the wood. If that happens you have a lot of work to even out the rest of the surface.

  6. #6
    Tony Bare
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    If it is hard to push and you can't get a relatively thin shaving without having to push too hard--- It ain't sharp enough. Set it to cut a shaving that you can almost read through and you got it.
    Tony Bare

  7. #7
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    Thanks to John for that little tidbit on flattening the cap iron, er brass.

    For those that don't want to blister, I use a tape made for wood carvers to prevent cutting your thumb. Keeps you from blistering while pushing on those litlle devils. You can get it from Wood Carvers Supply or any other carving supply.

    sledge




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