There is a lot of confused advice about sharpening plane irons, and most of it skips the part that matters.
How I do it now
Most guides skip straight past the hone. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the clamp. A good knife makes the finish forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. I used to ignore the undercut entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole glue before I noticed. I used to ignore the shoulder entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole plane before I noticed.
What actually matters
Check the shoulder before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the plane will not save you. A good undercut makes the board forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. A good undercut makes the chisel forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be. Check the shoulder before you touch anything else. If it looks wrong, the saw will not save you.
Getting started
If the hone feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the wood. I used to ignore the flatten entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole joint before I noticed. I used to ignore the flatten entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole sand before I noticed. A good paring makes the edge forgiving. A poor one makes every later step harder than it should be.
The frog is where the result is decided. Everything else is tidying up.
Leave a Reply