The final word on sharpening?

[Michael]

So what actually gets a hand plane blade the sharpest? Wet stones? Arkansas stones? Scary sharp system? Strop and compound?

Thanks,

Mike

[Dave Balderstone]

Yes.

[Puckdropper]

Michael wrote in news: [e-mail]:

You.

Puckdropper

[CW]

So what actually gets a hand plane blade the sharpest? Wet stones? Arkansas stones? Scary sharp system? Strop and compound? ===========================================================================================================

All of the above. Take your pick.

[Roy]

stones? Scary sharp system? Strop and compound?

Yep. Finish up with the stropping. It is the finest and final honing step.

All these methods work, you have to decide how you want to spend your money, and that is strongly influenced by the method that works best for you.

Some folks have over a grand tied up in a tormek with all the jigs and bells and whistles. Others use glass plates from the thrift store and 1/3 sheets of w/d sandpaper with a total cost of $5-10. Other folks like waterstones or oilstones. Depends on how your stick floats. They all work if you do your part.

[Nick]

All of the above (or below) plus time and experience.

[SonomaProducts.com]

as stones? Scary sharp system? Strop and compound? Thanks, Mike

They are all fine as long as done correctly. I find stones a huge hassle an= d a whole new art to learn all on it's own.

I moved to a Work Sharp system and it is fricking nice. Kind of like scary = I guess from what I know. No muss, no fuss. You need to be pretty careful f= lattening backs (wish the had a better method) but adding, freshining, micr= o bevling edges all super easy. I think nothing of freshining an edge in th= e middle of using a tool. I would never think of that with using a stone sy= stem.

[Swingman]

+1

[Existential Angst]

That glass/paper idea is great. Mebbe scrap polished granite, as well, can get tons of it free at a granite place. Emory cloth comes, iirc, up to like 2400 grit, which ought to be like stropping.