109 - Fast & Easy Sandpaper Sharpening.pdf

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FAST & EASY
SANDPAPER
SHARPENING
© 2007 August Home Publishing Co.
W
oodWorking
T
echnique
S
andpaper
S
harpening
Once you try sharpening with sandpaper, you might just give up on other
methods. It’s quick, inexpensive, and the results can’t be beat.
nitty-gritty, so to speak, let me tell
you why sharpening with sandpa-
per and glass is a favorite of mine.
First, the plate glass gives you a
large, flat, wide-open sur face to
work on. So unlike working on a
small stone, you’re not limited to
short back and forth strokes, and
the work goes much faster.
A second plus is the wide range of
sandpaper grits available for sharpen-
ing. Standard aluminum-oxide paper
is perfect for the coarse work at the
early stages. Then wet-or-dry silicon-
carbide paper (up to 2000-grit) takes
over to put a fine polish on the edge.
the setup.
Now, let’s look at the
setup I use, shown at the bottom
of page 2. At the heart is a piece of
1
⁄ "-thick plate glass. This can be
4
whatever size is handy, but mine
is 10" wide by 36" long. This gives
me room for two half-sheets of
sandpaper across the width and a
variety of grits along the length.
A large piece of glass lying around
the shop could easily get broken.
{
Start with the Back. A sharp edge requires both a flat,
So I fastened the glass to a plywood
polished back and a polished bevel. So I start sharpening
base. This makes it much easier and
by working on the back of the chisel blade.
safer to use, and to store.
1
www.Woodsmith.com
When it comes to putting a sharp
edge on a chisel or plane blade,
woodworkers have a lot of options.
But there’s one tried-and-true sharp-
ening technique I like that’s often
overlooked. This method involves
using sandpaper fixed to a piece of
glass as your honing “stone.” It gives
you a sharp edge in short order with-
out a big investment.
Why I LIke It.
Before we get into the
sandpaper.
As I mentioned, I use two
types of sandpaper. A couple strips of
self-adhesive, aluminum-oxide paper
(80- and 180-grit) get me started. It
comes in rolls and has a nice, heavy
backing. The remaining space is
filled with four different grits of wet-
or-dr y silicon-carbide sandpaper
— 320-, 800-, 1500-, and 2000-grit.
This gives you a steady progression.
A light coat of spray adhesive holds
this sandpaper to the glass.
a razor-sharp edge.
With the sand-
paper in place, you’re ready to go.
Set the sharpening platform on
the benchtop, clamp it between the
dogs, and grab a chisel or plane iron
that needs attention.
FIrst, the Back.
Before honing
the bevel, you want to make sure the
back is flat and lightly polished
(left drawing). This is done using a
circular motion from the side of the
platform. At this point, I rely on 180-
grit to do the job. All I’m looking for
is an even scratch pattern.
honIng guIde.
Now, to work on the
bevel, I clamp the tool in a honing
guide. This simple helper holds
the blade at the exact bevel angle
© 2007 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
I’m after. I find it makes the work
go a lot faster and the results are
more consistent. The drawing at
right shows how to use the guide
notches I cut into the platform to set
the bevel angle. This gives me an
accurate setup in short order.
the BeveL.
The grit you start with
depends on the condition of the edge.
If it’s badly nicked or out of square
(upper photo in the margin), I’ll start
at the coarsest grit. Think of this as
the grinding stage. You can save time
and effort later by getting the hard
work done here. But if the bevel only
needs “touching up,” you can start
honing at a finer grit.
{
Long, back-and-forth strokes with
firm pressure on the tip will quickly
flatten the bevel and remove nicks.
There’s no great secret to
the technique. Just lay the
guide and tool on the surface
of the sandpaper and take
long, back-and-forth strokes
(lower left photo). To keep
the work going quickly, con-
a.
centrate the pressure near
the tip of the tool. I also like to
take advantage of the entire
{
This edge is
honing surface by moving
badly nicked
the tool around. Finally, it’s a
and the bevel
good idea to keep the sand-
is too shallow.
paper clean by brushing or
{
No Guesswork. Guide notches in the corners
blowing it off regularly.
of the sharpening platform make setting the
Move on.
When you see
honing angle painless and accurate.
a perfectly flat bevel and
a straight, nick-free edge,
keen edge. For a lot of work, this
you’re ready to move on. Simply is probably good enough. But for a
step up to the next grit and repeat the mirror-like bevel with a “hair-splitting”
same process. You’ve done the hard edge, keep going to 2000-grit.
work, and now you’re just making
When I’ve reached my stopping
finer scratches and a sharper edge.
point, I take the tool out of the hon-
Wet-or-dry.
When you get to the wet- ing guide for one final step. I finish
or-dry sandpaper, one thing changes. polishing the back of the chisel to
This type of sandpaper cuts more effi- match the bevel. This ensures the
{
But a short
ciently when lubricated with water. sharpest edge possible.
while later,
So I like to have a spray bottle handy
hoW Long?
My sharpening goal is
it looks like a
to keep the sandpaper wet and cut- to get the job done as fast as
new chisel.
ting fast (main photo on page 1).
possible. And on that score, this
At this point, the work goes quickly. method is a winner. If you make it
A minute or so at each grit does the a point to replace the sandpaper
job. As the scratches get finer, you’ll when it starts to wear, you’re talking
see the bevel shine brighter. At 800- a few minutes from start to finish.
grit you’ll have a dull polish and a That’s not bad in my book.
W
ALL-IN-ONE SHARPENING PLATFORM
Here’s how to put a sharpening platform
together. First, ask a glass supplier to
cut you a piece
1
⁄
4
"-thick plate glass and
soften the edges. Next, use rabbeted
cleats to fasten the glass to a
3
⁄ " plywood base,
4
as shown in the drawing below. This
makes the glass easier to manage. A
couple of angled notches in the cor-
ners of the base act as set-up guides for
sharpening. Finally, a hang hole in the
end makes storage easy.
a.
{
Nibble Away Waste. A tall fence attached
to the miter gauge allows you to cut the
“guide” notches in the plywood base. A
hand saw could be used to do the job.
2
www.Woodsmith.com
© 2007 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.

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