"Tormek trick" for plane backs

[Ken S]

This is just in the idea stage........  David Charlesworth has championed his idea of "the ruler trick".  By that he means using a thin ruler to elevate the back of a plane blade on the far side of where the cutting edge is.  This in effect puts a very slight back bevel on the blade.  The main reason for doing this is that is dramatically lessens the time and work involved in flattening/polishing a plane blade.  (He does not recommend it for chisels.)

In the spirit of David's ruler trick, it seems it should work to use the leather honing wheel on the Tormek to polish the back of plane blades.

Thoughts?

Ken

[Herman Trivilino]

I don't remember if Ron Hock credits Charlesworth in his book for this idea, but he does mention it if I recall correctly.  It seems to me that the Tormek honing wheel accomplishes the same thing, but in a much more refined way as it's equivalent to using a very thin ruler.

[mike40]

I saw a Tormek video that recommends removing the machining marks on the back of the plane iron against the side of the grinding stone and then polishing it on the leather wheel. Have you tried this or do you recommend it?

My thought on the Charlesworth ruler method; I like to polish about 1/2" of the back of my plane irons. Once done it doesn't have to be renewed each time I sharpen, which you would have to do with the ruler method. Seems more effective to me in the long run.

[Rob]

I do use the side of the stone to flatten my chisel backs.  Having said that...I don't have Lie Nielsen or Veritas or Ashley Iles chisels and so I'm quite blasé about what I do to them.  Ive found the side wheel method really useful but others are a little concerned about how aggressive it is (against their expensive chisels...which I have some sympathy with)

[mike40]

Thanks for the warning Rob. I will try the method with one of my old Stanley blades first. I just bought 3 new planes from Dictum in Germany and I don't want to mess them up. They are the same as the Wood River brand from China, but with Beech knobs/totes. I haven't even honed the blades yet. I bought a #4, #5 and #6 for the same price as one Veritas Jack plane (Norway prices). The quality of these planes are astounding to me. I know they aren't as perfect as Lie Nielsen, but they must be darned close! I wiped off the grease off the #4 and adjusted the mouth and got a gossamer shaving from it without further ado, admittedly on a fairly soft wood (Linde). I can't wait to see how they perform after proper honing as soon as I can get away from the garden and into the shop!

[Rob]

well they sound fab.....Lie Nielsen is one of the only company's that claim their planes are ready to use straight out the box so your Swedish models must be superb.

[mike40]

They are Chinese actually and I bought them from a German vendor. These planes are not quite good as LN planes, but they are pretty close and at slightly more than 1/3 of the price.

[Rob]

wow....whats the brand Mike? I might well consider one of those myself.

[mike40]

They haven't got one name. They are marketed in the US under the name 'Wood River'."A review here": http://flairwoodworks.com/2012/01/19/woodriver-5-v3-bench-plane-review-unpackaged/. They are also available from Dictum in Germany under their own brand name, 'Dick' "here":http://www.mehr-als-werkzeug.de/category/Bankhobel-Bauform-Eisenfase-unten-3593_3867.htm . That's where I bought mine.

The plane blades are A2 steel 3.2mm thick as you will see in the link. I bought the three planes pictured for BP296,- including VAT, shipping and customs duties. These planes were much better quality than I even expected and very close to LN. The steel quality is one of the reasons I'm considering a Tormek as they will require a even more effort to hone than my Stanley blades.

I promise you Rob, you won't be disappointed with these planes.

[Rob]

with a name like "dick" they had better be good :-)

[mike40]

I have to agree Rob, not a great name for English speaking people. I have bought a lot of stuff from them and they are very reliable. I would imagine that some company in the UK will be selling these planes too, under yet a different brand name, but I don't know who. You might google some of the tool stores to see if they have anything with the same specs.

[pitonyak]

I have seen plane blades flattened on the side of a Tormek wheel. It was commented that this is very aggressive and you may not want to do this with say your LN blades. Well, I would say that you probably do not need to place a LN or Lee Valley blade on the side of the wheel because they are already plenty flat. By the time you get them, all you really need to do is polish them, so, you may consider using the leather wheel, but try to not round over the top as you do so.

[Ken S]

I agree.  I would not use the side of the wheel with any Lie-Nielsen, Veritas (Lee Valley), or comparable blade, plane or chisel.  With their quality control, all you would do is degrade the flatness. I would only use a carefully flattened water or oil stone or abrasive paper on a flat glass or granite surface.

I have used the side of the Tormek wheel for a nice old Buck chisel with a belly (the mid section of the back projected).  That kind of situation is where the Tormek really shines, lessening the drudgery of rehab sharpening while eliminating the risk of overheating the tool.

I would do any final flattening and polishing with a flat surface, most likely my water stones which have been flattened on a diamond plate. More experienced Tormek hands might feel comfortable completing the process with the honing wheel.

Ken

[Herman Trivilino]

The side of the Tormek grindstone is good for flattening the backs of chisels that need it.  By that I mean they show machine marks from manufacturing or have a belly or are spooned.