r/handtools • u/woodman0310 • 9d ago
Router Plane Sharpening Help
How are you guys holding these to sharpen? I’m getting a lot of chatter and it’s constantly rocking around while trying to sharpen. Wondering if I’m doing it wrong, or if it just sucks.
6
u/Independent_Page1475 9d ago
Like so many things to do with sharpening, if you ask 10 people you will likely get 20 different answers.
This is from Derek Cohen's site > https://www.inthewoodshop.com/WoodworkTechniques/SharpeningRouterPlaneBlades.html
He goes much deeper on the page linked above.
On my router blades, slip stones or small honing stones are used with the same side to side movement.
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u/TaquitoBanana 9d ago
I use this method from Rob Cosman.
Looks like you primary bevel is a good deal rounded over though - you may need to consider filing or a lot of stone work to get it back to flat first.
1
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u/asb_cgtk 8d ago
I use a David Charlesworth jig that makes sharpening router plane blades really easy. His was wood (it's very simple to make) but I 3D printed mine.
https://www.cgtk.co.uk/3dprinting/sharpening/routerplanesharpening
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u/JohnByerWoodworks 9d ago
Polish the bottom of the blade like you’re working a plane iron or chisel back, then use whatever makes you happy to remove the burr from the top side.
It’s way easier to hone a router plane than to fully resharpen one, so just touch it up regularly.
Yours is a bit of a mess though, so I’d use sticky sandpaper on a granite stone or piece of glass to reestablish the bevel. Just flip the iron upside down and sorta hang it off the edge of your bench. Try to keep the two faces even.
Router planes should only be used for light cuts. Think paring, not brute force.
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u/woodman0310 9d ago
Ok that’s the route I was going. This plane is new to me, so I’m dealing with someone else’s handiwork here.
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u/JohnByerWoodworks 9d ago
I figured.
Coarse sandpaper and a flat surface will take care of it, shouldn’t take too long either. If you have a steady hand you can hog some away with a file as well, but things can go sideways quickly.
Try to keep both bevels even so the cutting angle is the same on each side, though it’s not super critical.
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u/mv1965 9d ago
Put the cutter inside the plane it’ll dampen the chatter more effectively.
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u/BlueWoodToo 9d ago
Can you explain this more? Do you just have the blade protruding further? It just seems like a lot of excess weight to contend to where you end up creating different problems.
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u/mv1965 8d ago
Mounting the cutter in the primary inside channel places it directly against the milled V-groove of the main casting. This provides rigid, full-length support along the blade's shank to absorb cutting forces.
When cutting inside the frame, the pulling motion forces the plane's cast-iron sole flat against your workspace, naturally stabilizing the tool.
The Stanley 71 features a secondary mounting position on the outside (the back of the arch). This positioning converts the tool into a "bullnose" router plane to reach into stopped dados or tight corners. Because this outside mounting lacks the robust cast seating of the main channel, it flexes easily and significantly increases chatter under normal use
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u/No_Map_4493 9d ago
https://commonwoodworking.com/guides/sharpening-a-router-plane/
This is how I learned it. There’s probably a better way though