Hand Plane Sharpening or toss it......

[bremen68]

I have an small Stanley "starter" plane that I've been tinkering with and trying to get a little feel for how to and so forth.

While working on a project I foolishly didn't recheck what the guy helping me said was clear wood......Lesson #1 Only believe half of what you see and nothing that you hear......I took my second pass and caught a set of staples that put a lovely set of notches in the blade.........Lesson #2 Planning staples is a bad thing..........

Is there any hope of salvaging the blade or should I just chalk it up and get another one? The notches are probably are small but leave wonderful little railroad tracks when the plane is used now.

Also any advice on some decent basic hand planes to start out with. This one was a gift a while back..........

Thanks in advance for the help and advice...

[Leon]

Owning hand tools is all about keeping them sharp and maintained. Getting nicks goes with the territory. You should pick up some books at the library, go ahead and learn how to take out nicks, flatten the backs and add micro bevels to the cutting edges. The iron you are talking about now will be a great one to practice on. After you learn the process replace the blade if you want. And remember, about 90% of all new planes and chisels need to be sharpened before you use them.

Also, I have always thought of "clear " wood as wood with out defects or knots.

[Lawrence Wasserman]

Just grind the notches out and resharpen the blade. Take care not to overheat the blade when grinding.

[Bill D]

Yep, Think you should throw it away in my direction.

[Patriarch]

"bremen68" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

3 minutes with some 320 grit wet & dry sandpaper will remove those nicks. Another 5 minutes work, and you're ready to go again.

Google "scary sharp" in rec.woodworking archives. Have a good read.

Then google "starter handplanes" or similar in the same archives.

Then go look at Lee Valley's site, at the apron plane, and the adjustable mouth block plane. Go visit Lie Nielsen, and read up on their block planes.

Then grab you hat and wallet for the ride down the slippery slope.

An informed addict is still an addict. ;-)

Patriarch, new owner of a sweet, newly arrived, Steve Knight microsmoother in cocobolo & ebony, with the new Hotley style brass cap. (micro gloat)

[AAvK]

umm... time to fully sharpen the blade... low grit 'til those nicks are gone, then to the higher grits to the finest.

Do you know anything about sharpening?

But keep the blade, and do that I suggest. Blades cost money.

[AAvK]

u-huh... and you sssssssssssssssssssssuck!!

congrats on that, does it work like a dream?

[Patriarch]

"AAvK" wrote in news:einwe.10267$ro.2058@fed1read02:

It got here 36 hours ago, and I've been really busy. But it looks tres cool!

Patriarch

[Tom Banes]

Patriarch, you are WAD the clearest, honestest (is that a word!) wrecker I've read!

6 weeks ago I had one 25 year old "Companion" plane (Sears cheap stuff, not even a Cra(ft)sMan that I had never touched with a stone, much less a file. I now am the proud owner of 7 planes, all off EBay, including a couple of LNs. TLOML is convinced I'm nuts, my wallet is short a buck or two, and a tuned old Stanley makes really neat curlies on a cherry board. Try to explain that to SWMBO. The slope is greased with honing oil.

I just read the Handplane book by Garrett Hack (Rockler store had a clearance at 14.95) and I now begin to understand that I am not alone in having a Problem.

Such is life heading into retirement.

Regards.

Tom

Adding traditional message to sig -

Venatus sum itaque dicet mendacium

[Patriarch]

Tom Banes wrote in news: [e-mail]:

The first step is understanding that you have a problem... ;-)

For grins, you may wish to google the wReck archives on variations of the phrase "van by the river".

?

Patriarch

[Tom Banes]

"I am a hunter, therefore I tell lies"