One of the reasons I find it enjoyable to watch your videos (appart from content) is that you present on the basis of "this is what I do /what works for me" and the caveat that everyone "needs to figure out what works for them". Also, you make non-judgemental budget appropriate recommendations. Thanks for another interesting and informative video.
A high school chemistry trick to clean the diamond plate is to apply a light oil generously on the surface you want to clean. Rub it in until it turns dark with the swarf, now suspended in the oil. Then a couple of drops of liquid dish detergent. Rub that into the oil until you have an even "grey" cream-looking liquid. Then rinse under hot water. The stone is much cleaner than it was, and there is no fiber debris from a paper towel or cloth. Works great to clean your hands after working on a car engine too.
@@florpdorp7190 I use a light oil too. But, I have been known to ignore lubricant when in a hurry. That can clog the cutting surface with metal swarf. The oil, then detergent, then water takes care of that build up. I do occasionally just to clean up the cutting surface. If you let the oil dry on the stone, it can make a sticky varnish that slows sharpening. So, I periodically clean them all.
I'll bet you'd find that diamond stones don't actually lose whole diamond particles as they age, but rather the particles on the plate break and the unbound portion is lost. I did research with synthetic diamond powders and quickly learned that diamond, while quite hard, is also quite friable. I'm glad to learn I'm not the only one who misses the mirror brightness I used to get from the scary sharp system. It's taken me quite a while to realize that I don't need to see my reflection in order to have a sharp chisel. Excellent video. Thank you.
Depends on the type of diamond. There's two main ones used in abrasives, polycrystalline and monocrystaline. Monocrystaline doesn't break, it just dulls over time. It isn't friable, it lasts. Down side is, if it's going to move, it's getting torn away from the plate. Polycrystalline do break, it takes a little use to get them to break, but they do it to maintain sharp points. They are friable, they don't last as long, but they are more durable in the sense that they don't just get torn from the plate. DMT, the plastes he uses, are Monocrystaline. Lots of other high end ones are too. The cheaper ones like the no-name china ones are Polycrystalline. Both will be fine for sharpening, both will last a long time if treated well, Mono just lasts longer.
I splurged on xx fine DMT stone and have found that a few quick strokes plus a few alternating ones on the strop will quickly bring back an edge. It's so fast that I'm almost disappointed since I actually like sharpening. Go figure. 🤷
@@autumn5592 We were packing columns with 3-5 micron diamonds. Basically, you put a suspension of the diamonds in a solvent into a steel tube with a 0.5 micron porous filter at the far end and apply a few thousand psi of pressure at the near end. Monocrystalline or polycrystalline - they all fractured when they collided with one another. It's been twenty years, so I can't recall whether we saw a noticeable difference between the two forms in terms of fracturing. I have no doubt that you're correct in saying mono lasts longer for sharpening. But monocrystalline diamond does fracture. How else do you explain "...it just dulls over time." And the observation James makes - plates have a breaking in period. This is all due to getting torn away from the plate?
@@johnford7847 Sorry, but your comparison is apples to oranges. You're talking extreme pressures to specifically cause fracturing of diamonds. That is completely different to just abrasive wear. Now, I get the point of what you are saying, and it's not wrong, though not applicable in this scenario. Mono diamonds wear, burnish, their points go dull. That is what causes them to stop cutting, they will fracture a little, but the vast majority go dull. Break in period on plates is mostly just abrasive media breaking away. The initial uses remove the loose(r) diamonds, the ones that are exposed to much, or haven't had proper adhesion/embedding in the nickel plating. Once all of these have been removed, the plate will be 'broken in', and remain that 'grit' (level of abrasivness) for a good while.
Ha! I started as a woodworker (and still am when I have the time) and found I enjoyed the act of sharpening and restoration so much that it's now what I do for a living. I'm a professional sharpener. Your videos got me there.
Ha, yes, when I got my DMT I was worried about how quickly it seemed to be wearing... but once broken in it was great, and it's still going strong about 12 years later.
Ways like these videos from you. You make sure that people understand that there is more than one way to do things. And you remind them regularly. I appreciate that very much.
Another home run and, for me, this video and your previous bevel video answered so many questions. I admit that I cheat and use the MKII, as I’m still not confident in my freehand sharpening. But these last couple videos help me inch closer to that goal, while not feeling pressured the way others have with their sharpening posts. Appreciate you!!
the way you described the different ways of doing it via how people make coffee made me feel great about my decision to go diamond because that's exactly how I make my coffee: the night before with an automatic timer so it's hot and waiting for me as soon as I wake up!
Pretty much the system I've settled on for sharpening, although I do use the Veritas honing guide religiously. I just have never gotten the hang of freehanding it.
Wonderful video. I have a honing guide, but I much prefer the free hand sharpening, it is what works best for me. I have a similar set up to yours, but I followed Rex Krueger first for the set up, and used leather from my old work boots as the strop (I just seemed like the right retirement for them). Thank you for the link to the wave plates, something I will definitely look into. Thank you for sharing, your videos really do mean a lot to me.
I have a very similar three diamond plate setup to you. The one addition I've made recently is to add a second strop loaded with jewelers rouge, that I now regularly go to after the first strop. The result is a lovely mirror finish with little extra effort. I'm not sure it cuts any better, but there's a certain satisfaction to getting the mirror effect.
I do find sharpening peaceful. When I get frustrated in the shop (that can happen) I sharpen tools. I bought a very expensive set of chisels every on and they are wonderful but I tend to use my Dad's and a friends Father in law's old Craftsmen chisels. Also almost all my hand planes are old ones. Nice video.
I’m not keen on sharpening either to me it’s just a need rather than a want to do The only thing I do differently is my stropping I don’t use leather instead under my bench always ready is a small bench grinder fitted with stitched cotton buffing mops a little compound applied gives a razor’s edge in seconds and it copes with any shaped gauge or chisel just as easy as a flat chisel or plane iron As usual a great easy going video Most enjoyable to watch K Yorkshire England
I'm actually a big fan of a light oil on diamond, no risk of rust on anything and you don't really need to worry about cleaning very frequently since it doesn't really dry, the tiny amount of oil left on the blade also seems to be slightly beneficial for the strop too
I have purchased a Dimond Set of stones, I have not used them yet, because my chisels are still shart from the first time I sharpened them (they do not get enough use)
You answered a question I've been meaning to ask in your Q&As (except my Tuesdays have been occupied for many months) - why window cleaner over water for the diamond stones.
It's actually because he's addicted to the window cleaner. He sprays it on his arms, waits for it to dry in and then licks them. That beard he's sporting is actually entirely made up of arm hair that's detached while he aggressively gets his window cleaning hit. He's a sick man.
This is my favorite woodworking channel (stavros gakos and mr. chickadee being a close seconds). I like the way you give the most information possible, understanding that different people will have different preferences in tools and techniques used while woodworking. Most of my tools are different from yours (euro wooden planes, japanese saws, waterstones, stop boards instead of bench dogs, power router instead of plough plane because somehow routers with complete bit sets are cheaper than the handtool alternative). But there is no other channel that helped me learn as much as yours, the freedom of trying different things and not being locked into one certain way to do things perspective few other channels have. I would probably never built my workbench 2.0 without your videos and I would most likely buy some janky power planer instead of learning how to dimension stock by hand. The idea of having having a goal project but leaving the steps on the map for everyone to figure out instead of having to follow a step by step plan works great on several level, I can choose what works for me, and since I live on another continent I can get a rough idea about necessary tools, while finding alternatives that are actually sold here. So a big thank you for your work and keep the videos coming. PS: if you ever run out of ideas, would you try sharpening a japanese saw with diamond feather file? I heard about some people doing it, but I've never found a comprehensive video on the subject.
Using window cleaner was a godsend for me. I had previously bought lapping fluid from trend, and I treated that bottle like it was 40 year old Scotch. A rubber eraser makes short work of cleaning the plate out.
After a decade of water stones and a four-year journey with the smaller DMT diamond stones, I've got an X-Coarse/Coarse flippable plate, a 600 grit equivalent DMT plate, and an extra-fine stone of unknown grit equivalent (maybe 1200), followed up with green goo on MDF. They work. I still use a sharpening jig because my muscle memory plays piano, not sharpening tools. My chisels and other cutting irons get a cathartic sharpening effort upon completion of each small project. $0.02 I wish it was as effortless as you make it seem to be.
I use the same system. 2 things I love about it: 1. Never needs to be flattened. I hated that with waterstones. I barely want to sharpen things, I really don't want to be out there flattening stones so I can then sharpen. 2. Diamond does not care what steel you bring it, it will devour any and all. I had dull high carbon stainless steel kitchen knives that I couldn't get sharp until I had an (overdue) epiphany - I have diamond stones for chisels...I can shave with those kitchen knives now. NOT hard to sharpen stainless on diamond stones. Are my edges perfect? No I'm not that good at freehand knife sharpening. Are they really sharp? Yes, yes they are.
Yep. Don't need to be pfaffing around with sharpening. I have the Mpower three plates on a stand thingy with the strop covers. Gets me a an edge that will split atoms in a matter of seconds. Match that with the Veritas MK2 and good to go.
James, I'm restoring an old chisel and find I eventually get a nearly mirror polish even with my atoma plate. Am I not clearing the swarf often enough and letting the filings polish the metal or does that happen?
The 'coarse' diamond plates get a bit less coarse with use not badly so. I had a similar 3 plate board but I cut the edges flush after a while to help restore my spear points, router plane cutters etc.
That was awesome. Im with you on the I want to get things sharp and onto making and yep I want my coffee ready to go as well. Grab coffee on way to shed drink coffee while sharpening finish coffee and sharpening same time now lets rock. Great vid
I have seen in the past fifty plus years a but load of sharpening videos. I much have used everything that was on any market between here and the moon - every jig - a fortune. Surprisingly I have landed on everything you are using minus the Veritas jig (even thought I do have it). Good video.
@@jean-pascalbeaudoin7579 I am trying to us the Rob Cosman hand only method - no jigs. I also use the Lie Nelsen jig. I do have the Veritas setup for unusual things. Rob makes sharpening look easy and very quick. Lots of videos out there of him teaching you how to hand sharpen only with diamond plates. And yes I have the ceramic ones, oil ones, and water stone. Grinders, and Tormek. Freeken fortune.
I really liked your allusion to having a Zen moment when sharpening. I too enjoy the process of sharpening whether it is a saw blade, a plane iron, or a chisel. I have a full set of DMT stones. I like to watch the bevel develop and ultimately become a mirror finish. I have a question on a different woodworking issue on which I would appreciate your thoughts. I want to take one of my wooden planes, say 12-16" long and square up one side and the sole, and use it as a shooting plane. What do you think about that? I have several jack planes with straight irons, and badger planes with skewed irons. My preference is the badger plane for no reason other than I like the 'notion' of shearing the end grain.
Very informative. I use a more or less hybrid approach. Corse Diamond stone, which I use to flatten my Waterstones. But you mentioned "secure". There is my problem. Every time I sharpen my tools, I make a blood sacrifice to the god of the sharpening stone. I only recognise the cut when I see blood on the stone. ;-)
Thanks for an informative video. For sharpening chisels would getting just a fine and extra fine diamond stone be enough or do I also need a coarse stone?
It depends on how far you let it go. You can do it all with the fine and extra fine just understand that sometimes if you let it get two dogs they're going to take a lot longer.
Great guy. Do you do leather craft as well? May be should try leather craft. I like to see you do leather craft tutorials and tips and tricks. Love your videos❤
Wood working tools need to be sharp. OK everybody knows that, but just how do you make them and keep them sharp? This question has been answered many times by James. My big learning experience was about sharpening saws, then planes, now chisels, and even knives. The cool stuff came from things he didn't say, but what I saw him do. What system you use to sharpen wood working tools is , as James said, what works for you. I just want to know where to get one of those neat strops? ;-)
What a great video and introduction to your channel. So glad I stumbled across it today. I'm a subscriber and can't wait to dig into your videos and content. Thanks a ton from a new wood worker who's going to need a lot of help. Cheers.
I'm glad that I have found the way that works for me, I get a mirror polish and a razor sharp edge. A lot of trial and error but I got it. I wasn't aiming for a mirror polish though. But I think of it as a bonus :D
Question about the cheap saw files. Let’s say they last for 12 sharpenings while a bacho lasts 30. Are sharpenings 8-12 any worse, harder or more annoying than the first use, or does it just last about 12 times and then stop working at all?
@@randomguy-lt7gu thanks! I used to do that but I moved a couple months ago and now I have no electricity in my garage. I wanted to know if someone knew how to do it by hand.
Great video James! My biggest problem is using the strop; I think I’m rounding over the edge. I have thin leather glued to mdf with green compound from Lee Valley. Do you have any tips specifically for stropping?
Just don't push really hard. And don't over stop it. Usually 6 to 10 passes on the bevel is all that's needed to polish it and then I go back and forth back bevel back bevel one time on each until the Burr falls off. But the harder the leather the easier it is to work.
One suggestion I would add to what James said: If you think you are rolling the edge; at the end of each stroke STOP moving. Then lift the tool/blade straight up and go back to the starting position and start another stroke. I had the same problem and found I was lifting the handle at the end of the stroke and actually rotating on the sharp edge on the strop (and killing it) rather than lifting everything straight up. A friend suggested this change and it helped me a bunch.
@@garrettswoodworx1873 Thank you Garrett! Your suggestion of stopping at the end of the stroke really hits home. I’m going to try a shorter stroke-I think this is why I’m rounding over the edge-and stop and lift it up as you suggested. Thanks again!
what i learned: when filing saws, 1 file must fit the tooth size (should be obvious) and the angle must be maintained at the same time. 2 the file should have a rounded corner, as the teeth tend to hang if the file is sharp angled.
Hi James another fantastic video what are the other brands of diamond stones I’ve just started out in woodworking and I’m not very rich so would be very grateful if you could point me in the direction of some cheaper ones also I live in 🇬🇧 and we don’t have the vast array of woodworking stores you guys have keep up the good work your videos have been so helpful to me as I go on my journey through this process cheers Duncan
At this point the cheapest ones you can find will treat you rather well. They won't last quite as long but you can buy seven or eight sets of them for the same price as a DMT plate.
I had a knife salesman who came to my house years ago try to sell me a quality set of kitchen knives. He told me to get the sharpest knife in my house for comparison. When I went to the garage and came back with a freshly honed plane blade he was puzzled. He put the two to his test and I easily beat his. He was amazed but I told him don't worry I still want the knives for my wife, she is not allowed to touch my tools.😂
I agree with Mellow. Just not in coffee. I bought my wife some diamonds for our anniversary, turns out a sharpening stone just doesn't cut it! Oh well, I'll keep it in the garage in case she changes her mind! LOL.
Notice how the real experts, I mean the ones that are truly talented and knowledgeable, tend to also be the ones who are happy if you do something differently and find what works for you?
The worst part of sharpening is lapping the back. I found that 3M lapping film (PSA) did the job faster. Rio Grande NM had the best selection 100u to 9u. I do a test at 30u to see how much work I had to do. I got a piece of glass the size of a water stone and cut the sheets in 1/3. Talk microns not grit.
I was told a long time ago, not to use window cleaner on the diamond plates if the cleaner has ammonia in it. Apparently the ammonia can bother the plating surface, and that may be why that one stone had the diamonds come off. The product from Tormek does prevent rust, and you mix it in a spray bottle. I do have some swarf build up on my 220 stone. DMT told me to use some Ajax or other cleaner then scrub off with a plastic bristle brush. The 400 and up don't seem to have that problem. I have found with the Shapton 16000 and 30,000 stones, I can't feel any burr, but I do strop anyway. I can feel a burr with my 8000 DMT stone. My favorite strop is poplar. It does hold the stropping compounds well, and there is no deflection of the surface as you strop. I tend to push down harder than I should..... I am on the Brute Squad (hope you have seen the Princess Bride). One person commented once that they used balsa wood to strop on. I have been thinking about using that for my carving chisels since it would take little to compress it to the perfect fit. I would probably need a bunch of it.... The green stropping compound, if you got that from Taytools, is 60,000 grit. Some of the big box stores have 'polishing' compounds. The black is about 800 grit. Color is not any real indicator of grit numbers.
Some day i will try diamond Stones but normally if i for example buy an old used chisel, so dull you can ride on it with your bare ass , I habe developed simply steps. I Grind it back to a good bevel with my doublesides Wheelgrinder ( double Sander?) and a selfmade holder, made from two Ironbars and Starknobs. Most Times if i in a good mood, i only have to freehand my Chisels, Gauges and Planeirons on some old Wetstones and they are literally razorsharp. If im in a bad mood, my tools kinda feel this and dont want to be sharp. Yes, in the last time my tools Arent very sharp. But some Woodworking improves my mood everytime!
I am pretty sure the best way to sharpen is to hand your dull tools off to someone who knows how to sharpen them for you. Or at least that is what my wife does with the kitchen knives.
Making the Sharpening station: ua-cam.com/video/VDqgVUeCDmc/v-deo.html
Playlist of sharpening videos: ua-cam.com/video/0zN1RSCxLNQ/v-deo.html
Recent video showing sharpening in detail: ua-cam.com/video/WHLpywJpfU0/v-deo.html
DMT plates: amzn.to/3YV9Eao
Strop: www.woodbywright.com/shop
Honing compound: www.woodbywright.com/shop
DMT Wave plates: amzn.to/3ON7ghi
Veritas MK II Honing Gide: amzn.to/3QTRdkq
Veritas Files: www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/files-and-rasps/files
DMT Paddles: amzn.to/3Eb5IZj
Sharpening Puck: amzn.to/3spSNQI
One of the reasons I find it enjoyable to watch your videos (appart from content) is that you present on the basis of "this is what I do /what works for me" and the caveat that everyone "needs to figure out what works for them". Also, you make non-judgemental budget appropriate recommendations. Thanks for another interesting and informative video.
A high school chemistry trick to clean the diamond plate is to apply a light oil generously on the surface you want to clean. Rub it in until it turns dark with the swarf, now suspended in the oil. Then a couple of drops of liquid dish detergent. Rub that into the oil until you have an even "grey" cream-looking liquid. Then rinse under hot water. The stone is much cleaner than it was, and there is no fiber debris from a paper towel or cloth. Works great to clean your hands after working on a car engine too.
I just use oil on my Dimond stones it gets rid of the oiling step needed in water shapening
@@florpdorp7190 I use a light oil too. But, I have been known to ignore lubricant when in a hurry. That can clog the cutting surface with metal swarf. The oil, then detergent, then water takes care of that build up. I do occasionally just to clean up the cutting surface. If you let the oil dry on the stone, it can make a sticky varnish that slows sharpening. So, I periodically clean them all.
@@theeddorian oh ok interesting thanks bud
The coffee analogy is spot on.
Coffee; the fuel of architects and makers.
I'll bet you'd find that diamond stones don't actually lose whole diamond particles as they age, but rather the particles on the plate break and the unbound portion is lost. I did research with synthetic diamond powders and quickly learned that diamond, while quite hard, is also quite friable.
I'm glad to learn I'm not the only one who misses the mirror brightness I used to get from the scary sharp system. It's taken me quite a while to realize that I don't need to see my reflection in order to have a sharp chisel. Excellent video. Thank you.
Depends on the type of diamond.
There's two main ones used in abrasives, polycrystalline and monocrystaline.
Monocrystaline doesn't break, it just dulls over time. It isn't friable, it lasts.
Down side is, if it's going to move, it's getting torn away from the plate.
Polycrystalline do break, it takes a little use to get them to break, but they do it to maintain sharp points.
They are friable, they don't last as long, but they are more durable in the sense that they don't just get torn from the plate.
DMT, the plastes he uses, are Monocrystaline.
Lots of other high end ones are too.
The cheaper ones like the no-name china ones are Polycrystalline.
Both will be fine for sharpening, both will last a long time if treated well, Mono just lasts longer.
I splurged on xx fine DMT stone and have found that a few quick strokes plus a few alternating ones on the strop will quickly bring back an edge. It's so fast that I'm almost disappointed since I actually like sharpening. Go figure. 🤷
@@autumn5592 We were packing columns with 3-5 micron diamonds. Basically, you put a suspension of the diamonds in a solvent into a steel tube with a 0.5 micron porous filter at the far end and apply a few thousand psi of pressure at the near end. Monocrystalline or polycrystalline - they all fractured when they collided with one another. It's been twenty years, so I can't recall whether we saw a noticeable difference between the two forms in terms of fracturing.
I have no doubt that you're correct in saying mono lasts longer for sharpening. But monocrystalline diamond does fracture. How else do you explain "...it just dulls over time." And the observation James makes - plates have a breaking in period. This is all due to getting torn away from the plate?
@@johnford7847 Sorry, but your comparison is apples to oranges. You're talking extreme pressures to specifically cause fracturing of diamonds. That is completely different to just abrasive wear.
Now, I get the point of what you are saying, and it's not wrong, though not applicable in this scenario.
Mono diamonds wear, burnish, their points go dull.
That is what causes them to stop cutting, they will fracture a little, but the vast majority go dull.
Break in period on plates is mostly just abrasive media breaking away.
The initial uses remove the loose(r) diamonds, the ones that are exposed to much, or haven't had proper adhesion/embedding in the nickel plating.
Once all of these have been removed, the plate will be 'broken in', and remain that 'grit' (level of abrasivness) for a good while.
Ha! I started as a woodworker (and still am when I have the time) and found I enjoyed the act of sharpening and restoration so much that it's now what I do for a living. I'm a professional sharpener. Your videos got me there.
Do you do pencils?
"Don't take anything I've said as Gospel truth"
- Wood by Wright, Book 1, Chapter 4, Verse 42
Or perhaps that was from the Book of G'Quan?
Or the Book of James?
Thanks a bunch for all the tips, James! 😊
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Ha, yes, when I got my DMT I was worried about how quickly it seemed to be wearing... but once broken in it was great, and it's still going strong about 12 years later.
Ways like these videos from you. You make sure that people understand that there is more than one way to do things. And you remind them regularly. I appreciate that very much.
Common sense is so rare, especially when it comes to sharpening. Thanks James!
I like sharpening freehand, but I also like using a guide for restoring old tools, or reestablishing a regular bevel.
Another home run and, for me, this video and your previous bevel video answered so many questions. I admit that I cheat and use the MKII, as I’m still not confident in my freehand sharpening. But these last couple videos help me inch closer to that goal, while not feeling pressured the way others have with their sharpening posts. Appreciate you!!
One of your finer honed videos. Thanks!
the way you described the different ways of doing it via how people make coffee made me feel great about my decision to go diamond because that's exactly how I make my coffee: the night before with an automatic timer so it's hot and waiting for me as soon as I wake up!
You are so right on how diamond stones work, work so well and how to use them. Great final comments!
Pretty much the system I've settled on for sharpening, although I do use the Veritas honing guide religiously. I just have never gotten the hang of freehanding it.
Wonderful video. I have a honing guide, but I much prefer the free hand sharpening, it is what works best for me. I have a similar set up to yours, but I followed Rex Krueger first for the set up, and used leather from my old work boots as the strop (I just seemed like the right retirement for them). Thank you for the link to the wave plates, something I will definitely look into. Thank you for sharing, your videos really do mean a lot to me.
I have a very similar three diamond plate setup to you. The one addition I've made recently is to add a second strop loaded with jewelers rouge, that I now regularly go to after the first strop. The result is a lovely mirror finish with little extra effort. I'm not sure it cuts any better, but there's a certain satisfaction to getting the mirror effect.
I do find sharpening peaceful. When I get frustrated in the shop (that can happen) I sharpen tools. I bought a very expensive set of chisels every on and they are wonderful but I tend to use my Dad's and a friends Father in law's old Craftsmen chisels. Also almost all my hand planes are old ones. Nice video.
ah yes sharpening is my kind of meditation as well ( unless i'm flattening a plane iron and if the flattening isn't going anywhere lol)
This answers so many questions about diamond plates that I've had for months! You're the best--thank you!
I’m not keen on sharpening either to me it’s just a need rather than a want to do
The only thing I do differently is my stropping I don’t use leather instead under my bench always ready is a small bench grinder fitted with stitched cotton buffing mops a little compound applied gives a razor’s edge in seconds and it copes with any shaped gauge or chisel just as easy as a flat chisel or plane iron
As usual a great easy going video
Most enjoyable to watch
K
Yorkshire
England
I'm actually a big fan of a light oil on diamond, no risk of rust on anything and you don't really need to worry about cleaning very frequently since it doesn't really dry, the tiny amount of oil left on the blade also seems to be slightly beneficial for the strop too
I have purchased a Dimond Set of stones, I have not used them yet, because my chisels are still shart from the first time I sharpened them (they do not get enough use)
I got a fine wave too!! Had it for yrs n barely used it, learned to do gouges on a flat stone before I got it...
You answered a question I've been meaning to ask in your Q&As (except my Tuesdays have been occupied for many months) - why window cleaner over water for the diamond stones.
It's actually because he's addicted to the window cleaner. He sprays it on his arms, waits for it to dry in and then licks them. That beard he's sporting is actually entirely made up of arm hair that's detached while he aggressively gets his window cleaning hit. He's a sick man.
This is my favorite woodworking channel (stavros gakos and mr. chickadee being a close seconds). I like the way you give the most information possible, understanding that different people will have different preferences in tools and techniques used while woodworking. Most of my tools are different from yours (euro wooden planes, japanese saws, waterstones, stop boards instead of bench dogs, power router instead of plough plane because somehow routers with complete bit sets are cheaper than the handtool alternative). But there is no other channel that helped me learn as much as yours, the freedom of trying different things and not being locked into one certain way to do things perspective few other channels have. I would probably never built my workbench 2.0 without your videos and I would most likely buy some janky power planer instead of learning how to dimension stock by hand. The idea of having having a goal project but leaving the steps on the map for everyone to figure out instead of having to follow a step by step plan works great on several level, I can choose what works for me, and since I live on another continent I can get a rough idea about necessary tools, while finding alternatives that are actually sold here. So a big thank you for your work and keep the videos coming.
PS: if you ever run out of ideas, would you try sharpening a japanese saw with diamond feather file? I heard about some people doing it, but I've never found a comprehensive video on the subject.
I have never sharpened a Japanese saw. Maybe some day.
Using window cleaner was a godsend for me. I had previously bought lapping fluid from trend, and I treated that bottle like it was 40 year old Scotch. A rubber eraser makes short work of cleaning the plate out.
Love your philosophy on doing things.
After a decade of water stones and a four-year journey with the smaller DMT diamond stones, I've got an X-Coarse/Coarse flippable plate, a 600 grit equivalent DMT plate, and an extra-fine stone of unknown grit equivalent (maybe 1200), followed up with green goo on MDF. They work. I still use a sharpening jig because my muscle memory plays piano, not sharpening tools. My chisels and other cutting irons get a cathartic sharpening effort upon completion of each small project. $0.02 I wish it was as effortless as you make it seem to be.
I use the same system. 2 things I love about it:
1. Never needs to be flattened. I hated that with waterstones. I barely want to sharpen things, I really don't want to be out there flattening stones so I can then sharpen.
2. Diamond does not care what steel you bring it, it will devour any and all. I had dull high carbon stainless steel kitchen knives that I couldn't get sharp until I had an (overdue) epiphany - I have diamond stones for chisels...I can shave with those kitchen knives now. NOT hard to sharpen stainless on diamond stones. Are my edges perfect? No I'm not that good at freehand knife sharpening. Are they really sharp? Yes, yes they are.
Thanks, Jim. Great video on staying sharp and keeping your edge.
James Wright, you da man brother!! Thanks for sharing🎉
Yep. Don't need to be pfaffing around with sharpening. I have the Mpower three plates on a stand thingy with the strop covers. Gets me a an edge that will split atoms in a matter of seconds. Match that with the Veritas MK2 and good to go.
You've got your technique well honed.
Great Video as always! And for beginner woodworkers there almost can't be too many videos about sharpening. 😂
James, I'm restoring an old chisel and find I eventually get a nearly mirror polish even with my atoma plate. Am I not clearing the swarf often enough and letting the filings polish the metal or does that happen?
The 'coarse' diamond plates get a bit less coarse with use not badly so. I had a similar 3 plate board but I cut the edges flush after a while to help restore my spear points, router plane cutters etc.
Excellent video! Great overview of sharpening philosophy-which I agree with 100%.
Ideas on how I sharpen my right angle chisel? Ideas ?
Water stones for me and it's a very personal pleasure to put a mirror edge on my cutting tools.
I like the coffie and sharpening similarety. Im totaly slealing that
That was awesome. Im with you on the I want to get things sharp and onto making and yep I want my coffee ready to go as well. Grab coffee on way to shed drink coffee while sharpening finish coffee and sharpening same time now lets rock. Great vid
Thank you for being an effective teacher.
I have seen in the past fifty plus years a but load of sharpening videos. I much have used everything that was on any market between here and the moon - every jig - a fortune. Surprisingly I have landed on everything you are using minus the Veritas jig (even thought I do have it). Good video.
@andrewpinson1268, interesting. So which honing guide are you using (if any)? The Lie-Nielsen?
@@jean-pascalbeaudoin7579
I am trying to us the Rob Cosman hand only method - no jigs. I also use the Lie Nelsen jig. I do have the Veritas setup for unusual things. Rob makes sharpening look easy and very quick. Lots of videos out there of him teaching you how to hand sharpen only with diamond plates. And yes I have the ceramic ones, oil ones, and water stone. Grinders, and Tormek. Freeken fortune.
@@andrewpinson1268 oh yeah, Rob is the man! I've been considering attending one of his 1-week workshops but boy is it expensive. Thanks!
I really liked your allusion to having a Zen moment when sharpening. I too enjoy the process of sharpening whether it is a saw blade, a plane iron, or a chisel. I have a full set of DMT stones. I like to watch the bevel develop and ultimately become a mirror finish.
I have a question on a different woodworking issue on which I would appreciate your thoughts. I want to take one of my wooden planes, say 12-16" long and square up one side and the sole, and use it as a shooting plane. What do you think about that? I have several jack planes with straight irons, and badger planes with skewed irons. My preference is the badger plane for no reason other than I like the 'notion' of shearing the end grain.
That would work great.
i've given that a idea a thought aswell , please let me know if the badger plane works well with the shootingboard .
Very informative. I use a more or less hybrid approach. Corse Diamond stone, which I use to flatten my Waterstones. But you mentioned "secure". There is my problem. Every time I sharpen my tools, I make a blood sacrifice to the god of the sharpening stone. I only recognise the cut when I see blood on the stone. ;-)
Thanks for an informative video. For sharpening chisels would getting just a fine and extra fine diamond stone be enough or do I also need a coarse stone?
It depends on how far you let it go. You can do it all with the fine and extra fine just understand that sometimes if you let it get two dogs they're going to take a lot longer.
Periodically I run a big gum eraser over the diamond stones and it cleans them up nicely.
If i use the Diamondstone dry then i also Clean it with a eraser.
This works great
Great video info packed gut-level ready-to-hand type approach I can appreciate. Thanks! Love the coffee compoarison, that works too!
Great guy.
Do you do leather craft as well?
May be should try leather craft.
I like to see you do leather craft tutorials and tips and tricks.
Love your videos❤
That should indeed be fun!
I use to do a lot of leather craft.
Show us a bit of that, please
I have done a few projects. I might have to add a few into he future with it.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Yay!
Wood working tools need to be sharp. OK everybody knows that, but just how do you make them and keep them sharp?
This question has been answered many times by James. My big learning experience was about sharpening saws, then planes, now chisels, and even knives.
The cool stuff came from things he didn't say, but what I saw him do.
What system you use to sharpen wood working tools is , as James said, what works for you. I just want to know where to get one of those neat strops? ;-)
What a great video and introduction to your channel. So glad I stumbled across it today. I'm a subscriber and can't wait to dig into your videos and content. Thanks a ton from a new wood worker who's going to need a lot of help. Cheers.
Thanks James
I'm glad that I have found the way that works for me, I get a mirror polish and a razor sharp edge. A lot of trial and error but I got it. I wasn't aiming for a mirror polish though. But I think of it as a bonus :D
Question about the cheap saw files. Let’s say they last for 12 sharpenings while a bacho lasts 30. Are sharpenings 8-12 any worse, harder or more annoying than the first use, or does it just last about 12 times and then stop working at all?
It just cuts slower what use to take one stroke now takes 2. And then 3... Usually around 4-5 strokes I recycle is and get a new one.
Informative and very honest. Great video, thanks.
Do you have any technique for sharpening drill bits by hand, with no electricity?
Here you go. ua-cam.com/video/gMFHwIX6THk/v-deo.htmlsi=H39U5ofQbDvvpJ8h
if you mean regular drill bits then the sollution is a drill sharpening guite and a fine wheel on a benchgrinder
@@randomguy-lt7gu thanks! I used to do that but I moved a couple months ago and now I have no electricity in my garage. I wanted to know if someone knew how to do it by hand.
Speaking of Paul Sellers, have you tried his method of sharpening that creates a cambered bevel instead of a flat one?
yes I have!
Thanks for sharing that!
Here's a comment: do you have any videos on making a scarf joint? Thanks in advance 👍
I do not. It is not a common point outside of timber framing or boat building.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo it's a nice way to join long lengths of baseboard or other household trim. 🤙
Thanks James!
I love to sharpen. Do you really need a secondary bevel? I tried both ways and don't see a difference
No need for it. It only helps a bit of you grind a primary every now and then on a grinder. Fro freehand there is no need for it.
Great video James! My biggest problem is using the strop; I think I’m rounding over the edge. I have thin leather glued to mdf with green compound from Lee Valley. Do you have any tips specifically for stropping?
Just don't push really hard. And don't over stop it. Usually 6 to 10 passes on the bevel is all that's needed to polish it and then I go back and forth back bevel back bevel one time on each until the Burr falls off. But the harder the leather the easier it is to work.
One suggestion I would add to what James said: If you think you are rolling the edge; at the end of each stroke STOP moving. Then lift the tool/blade straight up and go back to the starting position and start another stroke. I had the same problem and found I was lifting the handle at the end of the stroke and actually rotating on the sharp edge on the strop (and killing it) rather than lifting everything straight up. A friend suggested this change and it helped me a bunch.
@@garrettswoodworx1873 Thank you Garrett! Your suggestion of stopping at the end of the stroke really hits home. I’m going to try a shorter stroke-I think this is why I’m rounding over the edge-and stop and lift it up as you suggested. Thanks again!
what i learned: when filing saws, 1 file must fit the tooth size (should be obvious) and the angle must be maintained at the same time. 2 the file should have a rounded corner, as the teeth tend to hang if the file is sharp angled.
Hi James another fantastic video what are the other brands of diamond stones I’ve just started out in woodworking and I’m not very rich so would be very grateful if you could point me in the direction of some cheaper ones also I live in 🇬🇧 and we don’t have the vast array of woodworking stores you guys have keep up the good work your videos have been so helpful to me as I go on my journey through this process cheers Duncan
At this point the cheapest ones you can find will treat you rather well. They won't last quite as long but you can buy seven or eight sets of them for the same price as a DMT plate.
Thanks for the reply keep up the good work just watched the restoration of the no7 plane another fantastic video
I had a knife salesman who came to my house years ago try to sell me a quality set of kitchen knives. He told me to get the sharpest knife in my house for comparison. When I went to the garage and came back with a freshly honed plane blade he was puzzled. He put the two to his test and I easily beat his. He was amazed but I told him don't worry I still want the knives for my wife, she is not allowed to touch my tools.😂
thank you
Have you tried atoma diamond plates, and if so, how do they compare?
I have not yet.
thanks
Now this is gold, or shall I say Diamond.
I agree with Mellow. Just not in coffee. I bought my wife some diamonds for our anniversary, turns out a sharpening stone just doesn't cut it! Oh well, I'll keep it in the garage in case she changes her mind! LOL.
Thanks.
What a sharp idea!
Really good info. Thanks.
Great stuff, James. Thank you
Notice how the real experts, I mean the ones that are truly talented and knowledgeable, tend to also be the ones who are happy if you do something differently and find what works for you?
Thanks mate.
I love to sharpen things...the sharper the better...but how sharp is sharp??? :)
The worst part of sharpening is lapping the back. I found that 3M lapping film (PSA) did the job faster. Rio Grande NM had the best selection 100u to 9u. I do a test at 30u to see how much work I had to do. I got a piece of glass the size of a water stone and cut the sheets in 1/3.
Talk microns not grit.
I never mess with the back. Everything on the bevel.
Watched this video. Waited a few days. Went to the garage with a handful of chisels. Came back with a handful of razors.
Hi From South Africa
Thanks for sharing.
Well, I have both diamond stones and a coffee machine that I can program in the evening.
And yes, a sharp video😂
Thanks!
thanks for the thanks!
Well done, as usual
I ain’t got nothin sharp to say about this so I’ll just like, share and subscribe.
Still good!
Okay, went looking for a wave. They are proud of them! One of the pictures looks like you can do some "V" tools. YES NO?
you can do the outside corner on the wave. the Vtool does not come to a point the very corner is a rounded section.
Tormek t8 it is for me fast sharp and consistant
Sharp as a tack as always
And now for the really gritty news about the sharp tongued tools
I was told a long time ago, not to use window cleaner on the diamond plates if the cleaner has ammonia in it. Apparently the ammonia can bother the plating surface, and that may be why that one stone had the diamonds come off. The product from Tormek does prevent rust, and you mix it in a spray bottle. I do have some swarf build up on my 220 stone. DMT told me to use some Ajax or other cleaner then scrub off with a plastic bristle brush. The 400 and up don't seem to have that problem. I have found with the Shapton 16000 and 30,000 stones, I can't feel any burr, but I do strop anyway. I can feel a burr with my 8000 DMT stone. My favorite strop is poplar. It does hold the stropping compounds well, and there is no deflection of the surface as you strop. I tend to push down harder than I should..... I am on the Brute Squad (hope you have seen the Princess Bride). One person commented once that they used balsa wood to strop on. I have been thinking about using that for my carving chisels since it would take little to compress it to the perfect fit. I would probably need a bunch of it.... The green stropping compound, if you got that from Taytools, is 60,000 grit. Some of the big box stores have 'polishing' compounds. The black is about 800 grit. Color is not any real indicator of grit numbers.
I like to set up a quick guide for my jugs
Great content so please don't judge my sharpening skills when I bring the draw knife😊
Well, that was cutting edge 🧐
Nice!
Some day i will try diamond Stones but normally if i for example buy an old used chisel, so dull you can ride on it with your bare ass , I habe developed simply steps. I Grind it back to a good bevel with my doublesides Wheelgrinder ( double Sander?) and a selfmade holder, made from two Ironbars and Starknobs.
Most Times if i in a good mood, i only have to freehand my Chisels, Gauges and Planeirons on some old Wetstones and they are literally razorsharp. If im in a bad mood, my tools kinda feel this and dont want to be sharp. Yes, in the last time my tools Arent very sharp. But some Woodworking improves my mood everytime!
I am pretty sure the best way to sharpen is to hand your dull tools off to someone who knows how to sharpen them for you. Or at least that is what my wife does with the kitchen knives.
Comment down below.