I was aware of the ruler trick before making this video. And I knew it wouldn’t work on this particular iron for all the reasons I mentioned in the other video.

Great advice. I made a judgement call and, for better or worse, decided not to back-polish the bevel. I lay out my logic for that call here - kzfaq.infoUgkxcHJk6gSL8DELE7dH9DZw-GrkMyFIx-Zp

Have you heard the story of "The Two Woodcutters?"

@@woodshopnerdery Nope… lay it on me.

@@sassafrasvalley1939 There are lots of variants, here is one. screeble.com/blog/2017/03/07/story-of-two-woodcutters/

@@woodshopnerdery that’s good! I carry a sharpening stone, with a handle on it, in my back pocket when I’m using my drawknife. (I used to do it when I used my scythe… years ago.) That few moments spent sharpening them is worth its weight in sweat, productivity and rest! I told the story about my dad’s two blade axe a few times. The long and the short of it is… one blade was for splitting. It was rather dull. That way it didn’t cut into and stick in the end grain when he hit it. The opposite blade was for felling and it was razor sharp. He kept a smooth mill bastard in his pocket to keep it that way. The sharp blade had a hollow ground in both sides so the white paint didn’t wear off. Woe be it to the dummy who chipped or dulled the white blade. You just might get a lesson in cutting a hickory switch! But still, I am not ready to tackle sharpening hand planes! LOL

You're welcome Bob. Glad you liked it. There are some real pros that have some expert level videos on KZfaq. If you not familiar with Rob Cosman or Paul Sellers, I recommend giving them a search.

Thanks for the tips Dana. I've heard of Hock blades but did not what to spend another $60-70 on this plane. The knobs are already cracking and the frog is just not right, the yoke is too small, and the yoke adjuster is just hard to use. I was about to throw it in the trash when I saw this blade on sale for $8 and thought I would give it a go. I ended up buying a 5 1/2 from Taylor Tools which works well right out the box with the same blade I tuned up in this video. I also bought a 2 3/8 inch blade from Veritas because I was curious about the PM-V11 steel they have. Again, works great in the 5 1/2 and poorly in the Stanley. That's why I think the frog on the Stanley is a problem. Taylor Tools offers a 4 1/2 too, probably end up buying one eventual. I'll get the time to do a video on it some day. BTW - I made can oiler based on Paul Seller's tutorial, works really well!

@@woodshopnerdery after I watched this video I ended up watching another one with your adjustable table and seen it on the table, I would be interested in seeing a review on that 5 1/2. I collect and use Stanley hand planes I have No. 3-8 with all the 1/2 and 1/4 sizes too that’s what drew me to this video, keep up the great work and thanks for sharing!!

Chad, you nailed it. The Stanley blade is pretty thing and only getting thinner as I tried to lap out the bends and crinkles. That's exactly why I said I was not sure I would ever be happy with it.

Thanks John, whipping a couple of bench planes into shape is a great winter project!

Let me guess… he had made them with a wooden plane?

@@sassafrasvalley1939 As I recall yes - the plane was made of wood.

Great suggestions. I think next time I will try a new Wood River. I have had used (antique) Stanley bailey planes in the past, and they were no picnic either. BTW, I think the steel in the new Stanely plane is just fine, it's the geometry that was the problem. I was afraid no matter how much I ground off there would still be a belly. If it was hollow, that would have be perfect. Maybe I should have reversed the bevel to the other side? Hmm... thinking really IS dangerous.

Thanks, FW!

Great suggestion Ben. I was aware of David Charlesworth’s ruler technique before working on this blade. It didn’t seem like a good match for this particular blade and my sharpening system. I give some detail on that in post on my community tab.

You're welcome, glad you liked it. I totally agree, if the blade did not have a big hollow I would have ground the bevel passed the defect in the corner. But the defect went away as I made the blade flat. Sometimes people forget the other advantages of having "reasonably" flat front and backs beyond sharpening. A flat front offers a better matting with the frog and a flat back offers a better matting with with the cap iron. The rules trick can't address these. In my read of the David Charles worth ruler trick, it saves time in the polishing step, avoiding the need to polish the entire back. In my opinion it requires a "reasonably" flat back to start as the back bevel is so small it can only compensate for small imperfections in flatness not large ones. If you notice in his videos on sharpening he looks to be using premium blades, Hock would be my guess which are shipped already flat. The other snag I have with the David Charlesworth trick is that I use 3 diamond stones and a strop. Basically, I am emulating the Paul Seller's system. Charlesworth, uses his final water stone (10K grit or there abouts I think) to apply the back bevel with the ruler. I don't think the ruler trick is well suited for strops. I recently switched from 4 water stones to the diamond/strop system because I don't have a permanent way to keep the water stones ready to go. It is so ease to hit that strop and get back to work, not setup and no mess. Has been a game changer for me.

You’re right, I’ve encountered a few more of the low cost irons since this video. They all needed a lot of work. I’ve since purchased several premium irons from Veritas. Bought back some of my precious time and getting better results.

That's the trick with hand tools and lathe chisels. You have to know how to keep the sharp. I had that skill at one time, now I am rebuilding my chops.

@@woodshopnerdery yep!

Thanks John. I think the steel is okay. The product page on the Taylor Toolworks site gives it a Rockwell 55-60. From what I have read that is a good balance between holding and edge without being tool brittle. But, I would like to use it for awhile before reaching a final opinion.

@@woodshopnerdery Tom, it will be interesting to see how your evaluation goes as time goes by.

Michael, you're right the blade was a bad purchase. But, the plane was so bad to start with I didn't want to put any more money into it. I should have returned or thrown out both.

I agree completely. In hind sight I would have not purchased the Stanley Plane nor the Taylor blade. I would have bought a Wood River instead. But, I did get a chance to practice my sharpening skills on a through-away blade, I guess.

Great tip, I’ll keep practicing!

I agree. I was experimenting with this Zulu’s vise at the time. I have since gone back to wooden holding methods. I’m not good enough to avoid the metal 100% of the time.

@@woodshopnerdery I know that I wouldn't be good enough to avoid it even if I was constantly reminding myself.

Yang, great advice on the Veritas blade. I paid about $8 for the Taylor Toolworks blade on sale. Honestly, I was very frustrated with the plane and was ready to throw it in the trash, $8 was about all I was willing to risk. But I agree with your premise, if I had more faith in the plane itself, the extra $45 would have been money well spent. Also, good call on the back bevel. But, I made a judgement call at the time and, for better or worse, decided not to back-polish the bevel. I lay out my logic for that call here - kzfaq.infoUgkxcHJk6gSL8DELE7dH9DZw-GrkMyFIx-Zp

Not yet. But it is on the to do list. That is that main reason I dressed the sides of the plane in the earlier video.

@@woodshopnerdery I plan on building one for use with a block plane for dialing in miter joints.

Great question. Of course, I do not flatten my diamonds stones. When using waterstones I flatten them after every use while they are still imbedded with water so they are ready to go next time. I have a dedicated diamond lapping stone for that purpose. For this blade, I did revert to my 250 grit waterstone so I could remove material more quickly. I lapped the stone every 5 minutes or so because I was being aggressive. And yes, I do realize the importance of maintaining a waterstone, which is one big reason I have switched to diamond stones.

@@woodshopnerdery A good thing, that. :) I have been using sandpaper grits going up and up and up on a very flat piece of stone, though I do not think it is granite... but it has so far proven to be very effective. One day I can move to things like diamond and whetstones. :P Just was something I was curious about since I do not remember seeing it in the video itself. ^_^

@@kimpanattoni I started sharpening with sandpaper on the back (where it was smooth) of a glass cutting board. Then I went to waterstones, because back then diamond stones were very new and crazy expensive. I really like Paul Seller's method using a 3 stones and a Strop for polishing. I can quickly tune up an edge on the strop and then keep working. I can polish with the strop many time before needing to re-grind or re-hone. You could consider replacing your top sandpaper grit with an equivalent honing compounds. If you don't want to get a strop, you can even apply the compound to common printer paper. Either way could save a lot of money in sandpaper. Over time you could replace the sandpaper grits with diamonds stones as well. Here is the compound I like, has the right "grit" for me. (not an affiliate link) www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0855M8B3C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

@@woodshopnerdery Eventually I will make my move from sandpaper to stones both diamond and otherwise, somewhat akin to what Rob Cosman does, though with some slight variations based upon my background in sword sharpening and polishing... but it will take some time. Funds are a serious issue right now, so things have to come along slowly. :P I will look at your compound, thank you for the link! :)

@@woodshopnerdery Right now my solid flat surface is actually a small mirror I picked up. Perfect size for using sandpaper for a tool blade. ;) I cannot wait to set up a real sharpening station. :D

Great advise Bill. I admit I was sucked in by the cheap price. I eventually bought 2 veritas irons. I went with these instead of Hock because I was curious about the PM-V11 material. Absolutely love them!

@@woodshopnerdery Veritas makes great stuff for sure.