Woodworking requires the right set of tools to enable you to craft the best quality woodworks whenever you step into your workshop. But how to sharpen your woodworking tools?
Having the right tools is not enough, you must also ensure you give your tools all the care and attention they deserve. One very important way to take adequate care of your woodworking tools is by ensuring they are well sharpened using some of the most effective sharpening techniques.
In this post, we will focus on how to sharpen your woodworking tools using the sandpaper method.
Do not lose efficiency
Sharpening your woodworking tools is one thing you must pay attention to in order to ensure the efficiency of these tools while you work. There is more than one method you can use to sharpen your woodworking tools.
However, we will focus on the most modern widely accepted method of sharpening your woodworking tools. Most woodworkers now choose the sandpaper method of sharpening their woodworking tools because it is easy, effective and most importantly, less expensive.
Step 1: Understand why the sandpaper method is good for you
Before you decide on what sharpening option to work with, it helps to understand what makes that option a great choice for keeping your tools sharpened.
Some people might be skeptical about this sandpaper method and wonder how common sandpaper can produce very sharp chainsaw and chisel edges. So why the sandpaper method when there are other equally effective methods you can use to sharpen your woodworking tools? Here are a few reasons:
- 1. A good sharpening stone will cost you more than $100 dollars to acquire and you must have several different grits of whichever stone you decide to use for sharpening different tools. With sandpaper, you will spend less than $2 per sheet. This makes the sandpaper method a whole lot cheaper and more budget-friendly when you are just starting out with setting up your new woodworking workshop.
- 2. The second reason why the sandpaper method has become increasingly popular is due to the simplicity of the method. You won’t have to go through any rigorous process of setting up your sharpening equipment before you can sharpen your work tools.
- 3. The sandpaper method is as easy as it is efficient for all your woodwork tools sharpening needs.
This is the most surprising part. If you use the sandpaper method carefully, you will end up with the sharpest cutting edges your woodworking tools can ever get from any other sharpening method.
Step 2: Gather all the materials you need
Not every sandpaper is good for your woodworking tools. The level of sharpness you desire on your tools will determine the sandpaper grits you will use. There are different types of sandpaper grits in the market such as 600, 1200, and 2000; 800, 1500, and 2500. You can choose any of the two different sets of grits. You can get all the sandpaper you need in any hardware or auto supply store near you.
Step 3: You Need A Smooth Surface to Mount Your Sandpaper
You can easily tape your sandpaper sheets to the cast steel top of your workshop table saw. This works perfectly well, but you have to make sure the paper is right enough so your blades won’t tear it. If you can find sandpaper with some self-adhesive backing, they make it easier for you to attach your sandpaper tightly.
Gluing your sandpaper on your table saw works best and ensures you get the best results at the end of the day. If you can’t find sandpaper with adhesive backing, you can simply apply a thin coating of wood glue or spray adhesive. Make sure the sandpaper is flat and smoothly attached to the table before you start sharpening your tools.
You can make up some honing blocks of different grits and throw them away once they start showing signs of wear. A good honing block can be as cheap as 50 cents. This shows you can afford to buy as many as possible.
Step 4: You Need a Honing Guide
It is very likely you may need to get a honing guide to enable you to hold your chisel or blade at the right angle when sharpening it. Some people say they do not need any guide to hone, but if you are new to these things you may want to get a guide. A honing guide will make your job less stress-free and time-consuming.
Getting a honing guide is advisable because it will make your work a whole lot easier and save you the stress of adjusting your tools several times while you sharpen them. It is also a good way to go to ensure you do not waste the whole day on the sharpening bench.
Step 5: Begin With The Back of the Blade
You can begin the whole sharpening exercise by flattening and sharpening the back of your blade first. This is a process known as lapping in woodwork. Most people overlook this process not knowing how important it is. The two surfaces of your blades meet at the cutting edge, so it is important you sharpen the two surfaces to get the most satisfactory results.
The grit you start with when sharpening the back of your blade will be determined by the present condition of your blade. If the back of your blade is rusty, scratched, or uneven, you can begin with the 400 grit, then move on to the 800 before working your way up to higher grits like 2000 or higher.
Step 6: Hone Your Primary Bevel
Once you have your blade in the guide at the accurate angle, you can start honing the primary bevel. If you are not sure which angle is the correct angle, the next step will help you understand better. Most blades are either at an angle of 25 or 30 degrees.
When honing your primary bevel, the grit you use will also be determined by the state and quality of your blade. If the blade is very bad shape, you have to begin with a lower grit. As a rule of thumb, double your grit number for each consecutive step. What this means is that you can start with 400 grit, move on to 800, then 1500, before ending with 2500.
Step 7: How to View Your Honing Angle
It is always hard to tell if you are honing at the correct angle once the bevel becomes very shiny. However, it is easy to see the progress you are making if you know the right step to take. You can make a visible mark on your bevel area with a felt tip sharp marking pen.
After some strokes of honing, take another look at your bevel: any shiny area shows where you are removing materials. If the shiny area looks like a thin band at the tip, then you have your blade at the right angle and you are all set for the next level of honing.
Step 8: Hone The Micro Bevel
The micro bevel is the final honing stage. The micro bevel is about two to three degrees steeper than the rest of the bevel. It is right there at the tip. Your micro-bevel should be the sharpest and most efficiently honed part of your blade. The best part is that after the initial honing when you want to resharpen your blade, you only need to touch the micro-bevel
Some honing guides come with an additional setting for the macro bevel angle. Some craftsmen use their hands to accomplish this final stage. But you can accomplish it by placing some Formica pieces or any other suitable thin sheet material under your honing material wheel. You can raise the wheel to get an angle that is a few degrees steeper than the usual angle.
Step 9: Final Polishing
You need a morning compound to get the best final polish on your work tool blades. These honing compounds look more like heavy crayons. You can polish the tip of the bevel most importantly the tip. The tool will be very conspicuous when you hold the blade up. You need to hold the blade at a certain angle before polishing it with the honing compound.
The sandpaper idea of sharpening your work tools as a woodworker is the most budget-friendly way you can get your work tools in the perfect sharpened conditions you want them to be.
It is important to point out that the sandpaper method is not the only effective way to polish your woodwork tools. Its rising popularity is due to its ease of use, affordability, and efficiency. Other methods you can choose include the Water stone, oil stone, and diamond stone methods.
Conclusion
However, these other methods are a little bit on the expensive side. So you may want to consider your budget before choosing any of these other methods. Whichever method you choose to go with, the important thing is to sharpen your blades, chain saws, chisels and other tools you use in your woodworking workshop.
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