Plane Sharpening Practice

The 12-night hand tool class at Woodcraft has started. Following instruction from our wonderful teachers, the shop tools are going through trials and tribulations no matter they want it or not. Let's start from this Stanley plane. 

This beautiful lady belonged to Tom Rourk, our piano technician friend who passed away last year. Hope he doesn't mind that I practice on her. The blade is so chewed up. Can't make it worse, maybe.

Pictures of plane taken partially apart to remind myself how to put it back together.

On a coarse sharpening stone, flatten the bottom blade surface. When lifting it to check, lift away from the honing edge so nothing is damaged. As a newbie, it took more than 2 hours to do this job. How long does it usually take for average woodworkers? 

Here is an attempt to shape the bevel by hand on a wheeled honing guide. Didn't feel good and the bevel looks strange. Will try again when gaining more experience.

It is way easier to shape the bevel on Tormek, a water-cooled sharpening system. It is slow but does not heat up. When the bevel is shaped, 4 hours have already passed by, and it is not finished yet. 

Now it is time to hone the bevel till very sharp. Feel that the bevel side is flat on honing stone, move steadily stroke by stroke, not to tilt over, until the cutting edge is shiny all the way across. A bur appears. Work on the flat side to get rid of the bur, then move on to finer stones till the blade is sharp enough to use.

Screw the chipbreaker tightly on the flat side of blade leaving 1/32" room, put this couple above lateral adjustment lever, then put the cap on tightly. Tom's old plane is ready to work now. So happy.