shapening a plane blade without a jig

What Jimmy meant …

The idea is to get a good edge on the turning tool and get back to turning. (I once asked Jimmy Clews if he would sharpen his turning tools on a Tormek. He said he would -- if he was doing a five year stretch!)

Eliot, my interpretation of Jimmy’s comment is that the Tormek is very slow to grind (that he would need 5 years to finish the job). 

As you know, I use the Tormek tool guide on a half-speed bench grinder (with CBN wheels). Fast and accurate grinds. Then followed by freehand honing.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: What Jimmy meant …

Yes, that's exactly what he meant. And I also use the Tormek guide on a CBN wheel to get the initial bevel on plane irons and chisels.  And, although I get many of my methods right from you, I actually did the CBN/Tormel thing before I saw that you do it. It came naturally to me because I was using CBN wheels to sharpen my turning tools, and I also had the Tormek. So combining the two was easy.

My point in quoting Clews was that he was adamant about NOT using the (original)Tormek to sharpen turning tools -- because it was too slow. And I am coming around to not honing narrow plane irons by hand because it's too inaccurate-- at least for me.

Re: shapening a plane blade without a jig

I do agree with everything you say here. And I do sharpen chisels and plane irons by hand . But I still have difficulty in sharpening narrow plane irons by hand. I find that I just can't feel the bevel on the narrow ones. I may keep trying.

Re: shapening a plane blade without a jig

As I have said, I have trouble feeling the bevel on narrow blades. I'll keep at it.

Re: shapening a plane blade without a jig

Sharpen plane irons side-to-side along the length of the stone.  It's easier to control the shape of the iron this way IMO.  You can also run the iron a little past the ends of the stone, evening out wear, and you won't need run-off blocks.

Use the whole stone, not just the middle, and back off the burr on the flat face using the whole stone.