Blum hand planes

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 2:37 pm

I was wondering if anyone has and uses a Blum hand plane. I'm also fascinated with their sharpening system. It actually makes sense instead of trying to develop something to keep the blade at the correct angle while slidding it over the sharpening stone. They simply build a jig that holds the tool at the correct angle and then slide the sharpening stone flat on a flat surface that passes over it. http://www.blumtool.com/pages/sharpeningjig.html

Check it out for all their products at http://www.blumtool.com/index.html

Also their work bench is excellent for small shops and people that use their garage for more than tool storage.

tdubnik · Post by **tdubnik** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 4:45 pm

This looks like a very interesting product and should work much better than most honing guides that attach to the blade you are sharpening. This system should be much more stable for hand sharpening.

I recently became the owner of a Worksharp 3000 (Monday this week). This tool has got to be the easiest most intuitive tool I have ever purchased. I took it out of the box, applied abrasives to the tempered glass wheels and started sharpening. Within an hour I had sharpened all of my hand chisels and plane irons to "scary sharp". I had a couple of "prying chisels" with pretty severe nicks. I started these at the 120 grit level and finished up at 6000 grit micromesh. The bevel and back looked like a mirror. This thing was so sharp it will split a hair.

It is so easy to use, I don't think you can screw it up. It lists for about $200 compared to $149 for Blum sharpening jig but I got mine for $175 shipped on eBay.

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 9:29 am

tdubnik wrote:This looks like a very interesting product and should work much better than most honing guides that attach to the blade you are sharpening. This system should be much more stable for hand sharpening.

I recently became the owner of a Worksharp 3000 (Monday this week). This tool has got to be the easiest most intuitive tool I have ever purchased. I took it out of the box, applied abrasives to the tempered glass wheels and started sharpening. Within an hour I had sharpened all of my hand chisels and plane irons to "scary sharp". I had a couple of "prying chisels" with pretty severe nicks. I started these at the 120 grit level and finished up at 6000 grit micromesh. The bevel and back looked like a mirror. This thing was so sharp it will split a hair.

It is so easy to use, I don't think you can screw it up. It lists for about $200 compared to $149 for Blum sharpening jig but I got mine for $175 shipped on eBay.

I have heard good reports on the Worksharp, however being the eternal skeptic and knowing I have the ability to screw up when it comes to sharpening I'm cautious about .

The thing I liked about the Blum sharpening jig was all you really had to do was hold the sharpening stone flat on the jig. I have a few of the sharpening jigs that connect to the tool being sharpened and all claim to be foolproof but none are Ed in Tampa proof. Some tip rounding over the corner, others slip changing the bevel angle, others require a sharpening stone a foot long (expensive), others use only one spot on the stone quickly hollowing it so that unless you flaten the stone fairly regularily you end up with a curved tool.

I have the SS sharpening guide which works well for me but is limited to fairly long tools. I have considered a strip sander but that is a huge investment in money and storage space for merely sharpening. Yes I know the strip sander works well for sanding wood also but after 30+ years of woodworking I haven't needed it for that.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 11:39 am

Ed in Tampa wrote:
I have considered a strip sander but that is a huge investment in money and storage space for merely sharpening. Yes I know the strip sander works well for sanding wood also but after 30+ years of woodworking I haven't needed it for that.

How have you been sanding INSIDE hole surfaces??

Or do you NOT make holey projects?:D

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 11:49 am

jpg40504 wrote:How have you been sanding INSIDE hole surfaces??
Or do you NOT make holey projects?:D

Actually I make a lot of holey projects, people are constantly saying, "Holey cow what is it?" when they see one of my projects.

I really don't know how I sand most, I know I have used sandpaper wrapped around a dowel, in others I have just used my hand, and in some I declared the inside of the hole has been intentionally left rough to make a statement.

Seriously I had one of those detail sanders that came with a gazillion different rubber forms to wrap sandpaper around and they usually worked. Other times I used drum sander and still others I used form fitting sanding pads.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Fri Feb 06, 2009 4:47 pm

Ed in Tampa wrote:Actually I make a lot of holey projects, people are constantly saying, "Holey cow what is it?" when they see one of my projects.

I DO appreciate your healthy sense of humor!