Preparing a finish with hand plane and RO150

[brandon.nickel]

For someone with nothing (me), which grits of stones and PSA do you use/recommend?  If I'm using the diamond stones for shaping then teh PSA for honing, do I need the fine/extra fine?  Is coarse for completely reshaping a blade only?  What about tiny nicks?  Would they take forever with a fine stone? 

 

[Dan Clark]

I'm just starting with this system, but I have the Course/Extra Course and Fine/Extra Fine 10" DuoSharps.  I think that the Fine/Extra Fine + lapping film will be enough for normal sharpening and tuneups.  Nicks, shaping, etc. will probably require the Course/Extra Course.

Note that I like the Scary Sharp method, but I found that I went through paper very quickly.  The DuoSharp/lapping film method holds promise for efficient sharpening, but lower long-term cost.

Regards,

Dan.

 

[Jerry Work]

Hi Brandon,

First the disclosure - I was paid to write the manual for the Worksharp system.  That said, I only agree to write these things for others after I have used the tool long enough in my own studio to become convinced it is a best of breed device that will stand up to years of daily professional use.

I find the Worksharp meets those criteria and produces an exceptional outcome faster without the mess and fuss of my former Tormek system and the myriad of stones, plates, paper and guides I have used in the past to sharpen chisels and plane blades.  I do prefer a grinder or Tormek for sharpening a few of my really odd shaped lathe tools but that is off topic here.

The Worksharp system spins thick tempered glass plates with pressure sensitive adhesive disks to do all the work.  A positive angle and edge guide locates the plane blade or chisel in proper alignment and allows you to return to exactly the same bevel angle time after time so there is no need to resort to a microbevel.  I think if you try a Worksharp before going down the path you outlined you will find it will be more than satisfactory in keeping your plain irons really well honed for years to come.  Hope this helps.

Jerry

PS - most plane irons do not come well enough sharpened to use right out of the box.  LN may be one of the few exceptions, but I would have suggested flattening the back and properly honing the bevel angle on that blade before you get too far into your learning curve, even if you had not nicked it.

Wow, I don't check in for a day and receive a wealth of knowledge.  Thanks for all the responses. 

I was hoping I could use the #4 for a while before it needed sharpening, but sadly that isn't the case.  While learning the technique on my MFT, I managed to nick the iron in a few places.  Not sure how.  The wood (3/4" cherry) was pushed against the MFT fence and I don't think I managed to hit the fence with either the sole or the iron.  In any case, it now leaves tracks, so I'm researching the best way to sharpen it (and my poorly neglected chisels).  I don't own any sharpening equipment other than a Lansky system for knives.  I've been reading through the Fine Woodworking archives and it looks like a dead heat between waterstones and the "Scary Sharp" method of wet/dry sandpaper on glass.  I'm leaning towards the waterstones and a Veritas Mk2 honing guide (I can't hold an edge at a consistent angle to save my life (see Lansky system above).  Has anyone compared these two?

The first marks I need to remove are linear from the drum sander.  The RO150 on rotary takes care of those, but I wonder if the very aggressive action is leaving the problem marks.  I doubt it because they are "pigtails" which I associate with the random orbit mode (Am I the only one that thinks of the RotEx sander as ROtary / EXcentric?)   I follow the 80 rotary up with 80 eccentric.  Then go up through the grits on eccentric.

I own a cabinet scraper, but it's not a fancy sole-supported version.  I don't have the thumb strength to smooth multiple large panels that way.  Besides, the marks left by the drum sander would take a year and a day to remove.  Next time I do so, I'll mike the panels before and after removing the marks so we'll know how deep those grooves are.  Maybe I should consider another LN tool (like my budget needs that).  I was planning to go with the #60 1/2 block plane next (for chamfers and end-grain trimming).

So, to truly make myself happy this month, it looks like:
3000mm Guide rail - $250
Waterstone Set ~$200
Veritas guide ~$60
LN #60.5 - $150
LN #85 Scraper - $195
=$855

Ouch.  And that doesn't even account for the Sortainer and Vlies I want.  Good thing I'm putting in 80 hour weeks for the next 2 months.  I'm going to need the overtime pay.  Now I just need to figure out how to hide it all from my wife...