Wooden spokeshave – how do I sharpen the blade?
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Tagged: blade, sharpen, wooden spokeshave
- This topic has 12 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 1 month ago by nljsellers.
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8 January 2014 at 7:23 pm #25539
I recently bought an old wooden spokeshave on ebay. The body/handles are in nice condition but I need to sharpen the blade. Flattening and polishing the bottom is easy enough, using the usual techniques, but I can’t figure out an easy, effective way to sharpen it. I have diamond plates etc but nothing narrow enough to grind/polish between the prongs.
All suggestions welcomed!
8 January 2014 at 8:18 pm #25540What you need is is diamond plate that will can over hang your bench top a little place bevel of blade on edge of plat at Desirered angle and use the post of blade on side of plate as this will help maintain angle move blade up and down edge.
I am not the best at explaining this but I hope this helps.9 January 2014 at 12:29 am #25550Some fine grain wet/dry sandpaper glued to a piece of wood would be quite effective as well, I would think.
9 January 2014 at 7:34 am #25573Thanks Mark and Greg. Both options I hadn’t considered. I’ll let you know how I get on.
Here’s a person who sharpens like Greg says, with a block and sandpaper. It’s a good link to a video and some text:
http://www.ncworkshops.com/sharpening_tips.html#sharpening
15 January 2014 at 5:26 pm #26015Hi Nick,
All good advice. EZE-Lap has sets and individual diamond files 1″ wide in all the grits. I use them for everything these days as they are so effective. Abrasive paper works well too. Here is the link for Chronos:http://www.ezelap.co.uk/tools/Diamond-Hone—Stone.html
15 January 2014 at 8:57 pm #26027Hi Paul
When using the !” diamond files for sharpening do you clamp the blade and move the file or clamp the file and move the blade?26 January 2014 at 3:27 pm #26566Sorry I’ve been absent so long – I’ve only just got on to doing this. I used both Mark and Greg’s suggestions. An oilstone I have provided a coarse grit start. It’s a bit wider than the blade opening but I was able to use the corner to get started. I then moved to the abrasive paper suggested by Greg – i cut a piece of beech to create a piece a little narrower than the blade and about 6″ long. To this I glued pieces of 400, 1000 and 2000 grit paper. After this sharpening was easy. Thanks!
I think I’ll be investing in Paul’s recommended EZE-Lap 1″ wide sets for the long term. Sounds like a permanent solution. Thanks Paul.
26 January 2014 at 3:53 pm #26575Glad you were able to get your spokeshave sharpened. The EZE-Lap set is the best long term solution for sure.
14 February 2014 at 9:02 pm #27859Hmmm. I’ve never felt comfortable using diamond plates, not that I’ve much experience of them and certainly not the expensive ones. I sharpen my spokeshaves by turning my oilstone on it’s side, and using the narrow face. This also raises the surface above the bench sufficiently for the tangs to hang down each side.
Of course, this is no help if you don’t have old-fashioned oilstones.Since I’ve recently been learning sharpening along the bevel for curved blades, like my gouges and my hook knife, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for a spokeshave blade. Maybe the tangs would get in the way of achieving the correct angle though?
7 March 2014 at 7:59 am #28664Thanks, Ian, that’s a great suggestion. I do have an oilstone but it’s one of the two-sided ones with coarse and fine grit on either side. The side is where the two meet so it may not be suitable.
I’m going to go take a look at that, thanks.
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