DIY: Sharpening Hand Planes

Disassemble your hand plane to remove the cutting iron. Your plane will have a series of screws or pins that must be removed, and each plane manufacturer uses a different method. Consult a plane expert if necessary for instructions on taking it apart.

Wipe down the cutting iron with a damp cloth to remove surface dirt, dust, wood shavings and other contaminants. It’s best to start with a clean surface when sharpening.

Set up a series of four sharpening whetstones on your work area. On the left, place an 800-grit sharpening stone, followed by 1,000-grit, 1,200-grit and 6,000-grit stones. If a 6,000-grit stone isn't available, use the finest grit you can find.

Coat one side of each of the whetstones with water. This will lubricate the sharpening process, creating a smoother edge for your plane iron.

Run the top 3/4 inch of the back of the plane iron over each of the sharpening stones in turn, working for one to two minutes on each. When you have worked through all four stones (lowest grit to highest), you will have a completely flat and smooth back surface for your cutting edge.

Fill the reservoir of a grinding wheel with water and activate the wheel so that it turns. Hold your plane iron face-down at a 25-degree angle to the wheel and move it left to right across the wheel. This will grind the face down to a narrow point. Continue until the face area at the top of the iron is polished evenly across.

Clamp your plane iron face-down into a honing guide and set it against a flat surface. Adjust the guide so that only the front 1/32 to 1/16 inch of the iron contacts the flat surface below. This will create the sharpest possible edge for your blade.

Moisten your whetstones again and run the plane iron up and down across the surface of all four grits of stone for one to two minutes each to create a sharp, flat end. If you notice any unevenness or burr occurring on the back of the iron, run it over your 6,000-grit stone again for one to two minutes.

Reassemble your plane iron carefully.