I recently received a new #4 smoother as a gift. I’d like to slightly round the corners on the iron. Any tips on the best technique to do so?
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Replies
Sandpaper
F.
Actually what I found (and heard from Frank Klaus) is that if you sharpen your blade with stones, the movement of your wrist will put a very slight camber onto the blade. You sharpen the blade side to side and not forwards and backwards to achieve this. I checked my results with a ruler and sure enough there was a very slight camber when I was done.
http://www.mvflaim.com
Hold the blade in one hand and use an oilstone or diamond plate in the other to round over the tips of the blade. The amount of steel to remove is miniscule, and by doing it that way you still get a sharpened radius rather than a blunt edge which can still leave tracks.
I have seen folk use a hammer, or simply bump the blade against some steel or iron. Obviously then the next move is to smooth the back over.
You can also just use the edge of your stone, especially if it is not a soft water stone.
No big deal.Philip Marcou
Edited 12/11/2009 7:53 pm by philip
Thanks, Phillip. That's what I was thinking of doing.Michael, Derek - I'm thinking I want this one straight, rather than cambered. Thanks, though.
Hi Ralph
Why not instead hone a fine camber on the blade? This works better than a rounded corner.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Derek, a fine camber still requires the edges to be reduced....Philip Marcou
Hi Philip
Yes, but it does so so gently with ends that feather away to nothing (if done properly). A rounded edge on a straight bevel does not prevent the shaving having a step-like effect on the surface.
Long time no chat!
Regards from Perth
Derek
Just "dub" the edges as the last part of the honing process.
No need to make this process into a science project.
I like the word "dub" and I predict it will become the next hand tool buzzword, supplanting such popular internet woodworking terms as "patina," "chatoyance," "rooey, interlocking grain," and "fettle."
It's short, and self-explanatory. If you don't know exactly what it means, just give it your best guess at the end of the (short) honing process. "Dub the corners!" You'll probably get it exactly right!
Quick finish after planing with a scraper. I don't make scraper-ology into a science project, either. Notice a trend?
Good luck, Ed
But, what if one flubs the dub, Ed? And, should the dub be at the angle of the micro-bevel, or that of the primary bevel? Surely, there must be considerable science behind such an elegant term as "dub". ;-)
>considerable science<Perhaps. But I love practical things and stuff that works.My experience as a helicopter pilot was that people who had the kinds of minds that made everything they were faced with into a science project were terrible pilots. I knew a guy who did no end of studying night vision goggle flying and low-level, nap-of-the-earth flying in mountainous terrain. Nobody could talk about that stuff better than him. He was known as a mediocre pilot, though. You wouldn't want to be in a helicopter with him. He eventually flew into the side of a mountain and killed four people.I think being passionate about woodworking and tools is one thing, but I frequently poke fun at folks who contribute to such a great wave of internet "static" about hand tool work, and people who eschew simple, proven, commonsense solutions.And, also, "knots" is generally good for a bit of time wasting, procrastinating, and coffee drinking.Have a good day.
Time is to keep it from all happening at once. Space is to keep it from all happening to me. - attributed to various people
Ed, " stuff that works"
One of my favorite Guy Clark songs.
I got an ol’ blue shirt And it suits me just fine I like the way it feels So I wear it all the time I got an old guitar It won’t ever stay in tune I like the way it sounds In a dark and empty room I got an ol’ pair of boots And they fit just right I can work all day And I can dance all night I got an ol’ used car And it runs just like a top I get the feelin’ it ain’t Ever gonna stop Chorus Stuff that works, stuff that holds up The kind of stuff you don’t hang on the wall Stuff that’s real, stuff you feel The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall I got a pretty good friend Who’s seen me at my worst He can’t tell if I’m a blessing Or a curse But he always shows up When the chips are down That’s the kind of stuff I like to be around Chorus I got a woman I love She’s crazy and paints like God She’s got a playground sense of justice She won’t take odds I got a tattoo with her name Right through my soul I think everything she touches Turns to gold Chorus[ More Clark Guy Lyrics ]
Good songwriter. That Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt CD "LIve at the BlueBird Cafe" is one of my favorites - one of those ones you never get tired of.
"Dub" Double Uniform Bevel. Gee now you are famous. mebe consult for LN, LV.?Going to do the WW shows?Helicopter pilot? lucky begger. I only had a one day ride in a small Bell doing pipeline inspection. Loved it. Went over some land I was familiar with and what a blast seeing it from above.Why do I shake on a 10 foot ladder, but happy as heck in a small Cessna or helicopter?Wintershoe
>mebe consult for LN, LV?<
My door is always open.
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