Hi everybody,

This video (http://www.woodsmith.com/issues/165/videos/sandpaper-
sharpening/) suggests using a 1/2" sheet of glass under different
types of sandpaper to sharpen chisels and plane blades.

My question is about the 1/2" thick sheet of glass, because they seem
to be so darn expensive. Why should it be 1/2" thick? Is it to
eliminate any flex in the glass that would occur if it were less than
1/2" thick?

I ask because I have several cheap glass panes--from picture frames,
mind you--that I'm willing to attach together for a TOTAL WIDTH OF
1/2". (Would this suffice?)

Is there something even less expensive than a 1/2" sheet of glass that
anybody here would recommend?

The video is at http://www.woodsmith.com/issues/165/...er-sharpening/

The reason 1/2" glass is often recomended is so it won't flex. It won't flex
anyway if you have it on a flat surface. Take your 1/4" glass and put it on
a piece of mdf. It'll will work fine.

"Freedom Nut" wrote in message
...
Hi everybody,

This video (http://www.woodsmith.com/issues/165/videos/sandpaper-
sharpening/) suggests using a 1/2" sheet of glass under different
types of sandpaper to sharpen chisels and plane blades.

My question is about the 1/2" thick sheet of glass, because they seem
to be so darn expensive. Why should it be 1/2" thick? Is it to
eliminate any flex in the glass that would occur if it were less than
1/2" thick?

I ask because I have several cheap glass panes--from picture frames,
mind you--that I'm willing to attach together for a TOTAL WIDTH OF
1/2". (Would this suffice?)

Is there something even less expensive than a 1/2" sheet of glass that
anybody here would recommend?

CW,

A-ha! I suspected as much!

The lady at the glass shop also suggested 1/4", which is about $50
less than the 1/2". They sand the edges for free, too, all for about
$12. Sold.

Thanks for your help, CW, now and in the future, because you'll
probably see more elementary questions with my name under them. :-

-Eric
(even more of a Freedom Nut now)

Is there something even less expensive than a 1/2" sheet of glass that
anybody here would recommend?

Broken off pieces granite.
Check with HD, Lowes, or a local granite/marble supplier.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

"Freedom Nut" wrote in message
...
Is there something even less expensive than a 1/2" sheet of glass that
anybody here would recommend?

How expensive? Woodcraft sells granite surface plates for $30'ish. They're
unyieldingly flat, but heavy and clumsy to move around. As far as I can
tell, they're as flat as real granite surface plates. I own one, and use it
for sharpening sometimes, but not one of theirs.

(Woodraft is on my bad list this moment. I flushed my shopping cart contents
as of yesterday afternoon. I'm more than a little peeved at the fine print I
didn't notice on their promos, first last month, and again a coupla days
ago. They boasted "FREE SHIPPING" last month in their before Christmas
specials. So I ordered a little corner chisel as a stocking stuffer for
myself. Bummer; they charged $8 to ship the $7 item and included a coupon
for free shipping on the next order. For sure, I thought, this must've been
on their website somewhere and I just didn't notice. No big deal. So, I
slowly gathered a few items into the shopping cart over the next couple of
weeks. Yesterday, I went to check out, and the coupon code was NFG. Reaching
for the goggles, I can make out the small print that says "Expires 1/18".
Great. So I figured out how to get free shipping. Didn't pay nothing for
shipping on the empty order. F*ckers.)

Thanks, Mikes.

It's kind of hard to argue with a $12 glass, so I'll mount it to a
board (I still need to look up "jig," and therefore not yet sure if
I'm using it in sentences correctly) and reply back here to let you
all know what I think. I used to use cheap glass sheets from picture
frames when doing any kind of tracing, and I sliced my fingers a few
times, so I'm guessing that the 1/4" glass with treated edges is going
to be like a luxury.

On Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:56:34 -0800, "CW"
wrote:

The reason 1/2" glass is often recomended is so it won't flex. It won't flex
anyway if you have it on a flat surface. Take your 1/4" glass and put it on
a piece of mdf. It'll will work fine.

"Freedom Nut" wrote in message
...
Hi everybody,

This video (http://www.woodsmith.com/issues/165/videos/sandpaper-
sharpening/) suggests using a 1/2" sheet of glass under different
types of sandpaper to sharpen chisels and plane blades.

My question is about the 1/2" thick sheet of glass, because they seem
to be so darn expensive. Why should it be 1/2" thick? Is it to
eliminate any flex in the glass that would occur if it were less than
1/2" thick?

I ask because I have several cheap glass panes--from picture frames,
mind you--that I'm willing to attach together for a TOTAL WIDTH OF
1/2". (Would this suffice?)

Is there something even less expensive than a 1/2" sheet of glass that
anybody here would recommend?

I use a few left over(discontinued) granite samples. You might check
dealers in your area .... they most likely have cut offs etc. they
would part with cheaply. (go at the end of the day and bring cold
beer)

Lenny

"Freedom Nut" wrote in message
...
Thanks, Mikes.

It's kind of hard to argue with a $12 glass, so I'll mount it to a
board (I still need to look up "jig," and therefore not yet sure if
I'm using it in sentences correctly) and reply back here to let you
all know what I think. I used to use cheap glass sheets from picture
frames when doing any kind of tracing, and I sliced my fingers a few
times, so I'm guessing that the 1/4" glass with treated edges is going
to be like a luxury.


glass... it's possible to ease edges of glass using a belt sander with
a 150+ grit belt. Just go slow and wear eye protection. It works on any
glass from 1/8" up.

alternative surface... I stopped in at a local tile store and bought a
single 12x12 tile. They labeled it "sample" and it ran me a whopping $2.64
($2.50 plus tax)

Ed

alternative surface... I stopped in at a local tile store and
bought a single 12x12 tile. They labeled it "sample" and it ran me a
whopping $2.64 ($2.50 plus tax)

Ed


Ed, are you sure those are flat enough for sharpening?


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

-MIKE- wrote:
Is there something even less expensive than a 1/2" sheet of glass
that anybody here would recommend?

Broken off pieces granite.
Check with HD, Lowes, or a local granite/marble supplier.

Granite tile for five bucks or so?


--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

Is there something even less expensive than a 1/2" sheet of glass
that anybody here would recommend?
Broken off pieces granite. Check with HD, Lowes, or a local
granite/marble supplier.

Granite tile for five bucks or so?



I don't know. I'm talking about pieces that break off of the big slabs
sitting in those big racks at the stone suppliers. Sometimes the home
stores have pieces from counter tops that have fallen down a broken.



--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

"MikeWhy" writes:

How expensive? Woodcraft sells granite surface plates for
$30'ish.

Enco has a 12x18 granite plate for $24.95,
and a 8x12 for $14.95

Current coupons are

WBJ9C - 10% off purchases of $99 or more
WBJ9R - free shipping on orders of $50 or more - expires Jan 31st.

You just missed the coupon for free shipping on orders of $25 or more.

Here are the plates:

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INLMK3?PMK0NO=992819

"-MIKE-" wrote in message
...
alternative surface... I stopped in at a local tile store and bought
a single 12x12 tile. They labeled it "sample" and it ran me a whopping
$2.64 ($2.50 plus tax)

Ed


Ed, are you sure those are flat enough for sharpening?

--

-MIKE-


I've got wet/dry paper of successive grits on the 4 corners of the tile
(stuck on with 3m spray adhesive). I made some blocks at 25 and 30 degrees
My chisels are the sharpest they've ever been. They cut the best they ever
have, at least.

Ed

We had good luck many years ago getting a sample grave marker from a
monument company. The samples were engraved, but only an inch or two
thick. There was plenty of unengraved surface around the edges for your
purpose. An engineer at our company told us that these monuments are
remarkably flat due to the process used to polish them.

I think we got ours for free. We had to rebuild a heater assembly in
the field. It needed to have heat diffusors recemented to a hollow
faced bronze heating device and the diffusors had to be very flat. We
got some funny looks carrying that tombstone into the motel room where
we did the work.

Pete Stanaitis
----------------

Freedom Nut wrote:
Hi everybody,

This video (http://www.woodsmith.com/issues/165/videos/sandpaper-
sharpening/) suggests using a 1/2" sheet of glass under different
types of sandpaper to sharpen chisels and plane blades.

My question is about the 1/2" thick sheet of glass, because they seem
to be so darn expensive. Why should it be 1/2" thick? Is it to
eliminate any flex in the glass that would occur if it were less than
1/2" thick?

I ask because I have several cheap glass panes--from picture frames,
mind you--that I'm willing to attach together for a TOTAL WIDTH OF
1/2". (Would this suffice?)

Is there something even less expensive than a 1/2" sheet of glass that
anybody here would recommend?

I've got wet/dry paper of successive grits on the 4 corners of the tile
(stuck on with 3m spray adhesive). I made some blocks at 25 and 30
degrees My chisels are the sharpest they've ever been. They cut the
best they ever have, at least.

Ed

Cool. I was thinking about this. I'm used to dealing with a surface that
has to be completely flat across the entire surface. For the vast
majority of sharpening, you're only using several square inches of surface
area at a time. It doesn't matter if there's a bump in the middle, as
long as the area you're using is flat.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:52:11 +0000, MIKE- wrote
(in article ):



I've got wet/dry paper of successive grits on the 4 corners of the tile
(stuck on with 3m spray adhesive). I made some blocks at 25 and 30
degrees My chisels are the sharpest they've ever been. They cut the
best they ever have, at least.

Ed

Cool. I was thinking about this. I'm used to dealing with a surface that
has to be completely flat across the entire surface. For the vast
majority of sharpening, you're only using several square inches of surface
area at a time. It doesn't matter if there's a bump in the middle, as
long as the area you're using is flat.




If you want astronomy lab flatness, buy two and lap 'em face to face with
abrasive paste, lifting and turning occasionally. Tedious beyond belief but
you'll get a perfect surface. Don't rock over the edges!!!!

You\re getting close when the cleaned plates stick together with a drop of
water, but if the surfaces are evenly matted I'd say that's "done"

Hell, just use MDF... :-)

On Jan 21, 4:21*pm, Freedom Nut wrote:
Hi everybody,

This video (http://www.woodsmith.com/issues/165/videos/sandpaper-
sharpening/) suggests using a 1/2" sheet of glass under different
types of sandpaper to sharpen chisels and plane blades.

My question is about the 1/2" thick sheet of glass, because they seem
to be so darn expensive. *Why should it be 1/2" thick? *Is it to
eliminate any flex in the glass that would occur if it were less than
1/2" thick?

I ask because I have several cheap glass panes--from picture frames,
mind you--that I'm willing to attach together for a TOTAL WIDTH OF
1/2". *(Would this suffice?)

Is there something even less expensive than a 1/2" sheet of glass that
anybody here would recommend?

Now that you have the glass this jig from Wood magazine is easy to
make and works great.
http://tinyurl.com/c8h6tg

You sharpen side to side with it but it gets blades sharper than I was
able to do by hand.

"Freedom Nut" wrote in message
...
Hi everybody,

Snip


Why should it be 1/2" thick? Is it to
eliminate any flex in the glass that would occur if it were less than
1/2" thick?

I ask because I have several cheap glass panes--from picture frames,
mind you--that I'm willing to attach together for a TOTAL WIDTH OF
1/2". (Would this suffice?)


I don't use this method however I have used to use a lot of PSA/self
sticking sand paper. I have to think that one of the primary reason to use
thicker glass is to lessen the possibility of breaking the glass when trying
to remove the old sand paper or if not used on a perfectly flat surface to
lessen the possibility of breaking the glass. Some brands of PSA sand paper
can be very difficult to remove.
A secondary reason could be to insure a surface that stays flat however
there are easy ways to insure that thinner glass remains flat, fasten it to
a flat surface.

"-MIKE-" wrote in message
...
Is there something even less expensive than a 1/2" sheet of glass
that anybody here would recommend?
Broken off pieces granite. Check with HD, Lowes, or a local
granite/marble supplier.

Granite tile for five bucks or so?



I don't know. I'm talking about pieces that break off of the big slabs
sitting in those big racks at the stone suppliers. Sometimes the home
stores have pieces from counter tops that have fallen down a broken.

--

-MIKE-


When the local bank was redoing their lobby, a slab of polished granite
that was supposed to go on the wall was dropped off the truck. I was
able to get a couple of nice chunks from the remains. One is now
dedicated to my sharpening station.

Len

OK, here's my report: the $12 1/4" glass works great.

No doubt all these other ideas are good, too, but this was the most
convenient. Last night was the first time I've ever sharpened a tool,
so the brand new $20 block plane from HD was the only thing to
practice on. It did get very sharp, but I apparently need to (a) get
the blade at a perfect right angle in order to get an even grind, and
(b) pull out all of the staples that are still in the lumber.

Thank you everybody for your adivce.

Eric

On Jan 21, 1:21*pm, Freedom Nut wrote:
Hi everybody,

This video (http://www.woodsmith.com/issues/165/videos/sandpaper-
sharpening/) suggests using a 1/2" sheet of glass under different
types of sandpaper to sharpen chisels and plane blades.

My question is about the 1/2" thick sheet of glass, because they seem
to be so darn expensive. *Why should it be 1/2" thick? *Is it to
eliminate any flex in the glass that would occur if it were less than
1/2" thick?

I ask because I have several cheap glass panes--from picture frames,
mind you--that I'm willing to attach together for a TOTAL WIDTH OF
1/2". *(Would this suffice?)

Is there something even less expensive than a 1/2" sheet of glass that
anybody here would recommend?

I used a piece of glass from an old 8x10 picture frame. I glued it
using super glue to a piece of scrap plywood.
I used Super glue because it took very little glue, it has a very thin
body to it,
and it wouldn't leave any air pockets that could develop from rubber
cement or sprays. I was completely bored
one day and framed it in so that the framing was flush with the
surface of the glass. Once you do this, you
can get a chisel "scary sharp." I had a set of Stanley chisels that
would shave wood as easily as the hair on
your arm. My block planes demanded more respect than ever before. It
also disciplined me to take better
care of them when I got through using them. If you invest your own
time in sharpening, you tend to do things
like this. I never took them higher than a 400 grit wet or dry paper
and I found that using water to form the
slurry was just fine. You can make a sharpening block quite easily by
using your miter box saw and dial
in the desired ° - the most important ingredient to a successful
edge: PATIENCE. You can polish
the face so smooth that it can be used as a mirror. Have fun with it.

Jimmy Mac (aka Jummy)

On Thu, 22 Jan 2009 04:41:42 -0800, Limp Arbor wrote:

On Jan 21, 4:21Â*pm, Freedom Nut wrote:
Hi everybody,

This video (http://www.woodsmith.com/issues/165/videos/sandpaper-
sharpening/) suggests using a 1/2" sheet of glass under different types
of sandpaper to sharpen chisels and plane blades.

My question is about the 1/2" thick sheet of glass, because they seem
to be so darn expensive. Â*Why should it be 1/2" thick? Â*Is it to
eliminate any flex in the glass that would occur if it were less than
1/2" thick?

I ask because I have several cheap glass panes--from picture frames,
mind you--that I'm willing to attach together for a TOTAL WIDTH OF
1/2". Â*(Would this suffice?)

Is there something even less expensive than a 1/2" sheet of glass that
anybody here would recommend?

Now that you have the glass this jig from Wood magazine is easy to make
and works great.
http://tinyurl.com/c8h6tg

You sharpen side to side with it but it gets blades sharper than I was
able to do by hand.

I missed the start of this thread - has anybody mentioned Scary Sharp yet?

One of many copies of the original Usenet post:

http://wood.bigelowsite.com/articles/scary_sharp.htm

Y'know the more of this thread I read, it occurs to me that most cities have
surplus/recovered building material yards these days. A properly sized
chunk of half inch glass or granite or something similar ought to be easy
enough to find at a true bargain price. Some of the local countertop places
will (as long as you ask 'em first) allow you to look in their dumpster for
scrap chunks. It's possible to make a boatload of guitar saddles and nuts
out of a small piece of corian.

Ed

"Ed Edelenbos" wrote in message
...
scrap chunks. It's possible to make a boatload of guitar saddles and nuts
out of a small piece of corian.

That would have to be a small boatload. Conservation of mass, and all.

"MikeWhy" wrote in message
...
"Ed Edelenbos" wrote in message
...
scrap chunks. It's possible to make a boatload of guitar saddles and
nuts out of a small piece of corian.

That would have to be a small boatload. Conservation of mass, and all.



LOL. Ok, a bunch.

Ed

On Jan 22, 8:20*am, PCPaul wrote:
On Thu, 22 Jan 2009 04:41:42 -0800, Limp Arbor wrote:
On Jan 21, 4:21*pm, Freedom Nut wrote:
Hi everybody,

This video (http://www.woodsmith.com/issues/165/videos/sandpaper-
sharpening/) suggests using a 1/2" sheet of glass under different types
of sandpaper to sharpen chisels and plane blades.

My question is about the 1/2" thick sheet of glass, because they seem
to be so darn expensive. *Why should it be 1/2" thick? *Is it to
eliminate any flex in the glass that would occur if it were less than
1/2" thick?

I ask because I have several cheap glass panes--from picture frames,
mind you--that I'm willing to attach together for a TOTAL WIDTH OF
1/2". *(Would this suffice?)

Is there something even less expensive than a 1/2" sheet of glass that
anybody here would recommend?

Now that you have the glass this jig from Wood magazine is easy to make
and works great.
http://tinyurl.com/c8h6tg

You sharpen side to side with it but it gets blades sharper than I was
able to do by hand.

I missed the start of this thread - has anybody mentioned Scary Sharp yet?

One of many copies of the original Usenet post:

http://wood.bigelowsite.com/articles/scary_sharp.htm- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

That's the one I was looking for - Thanks Paul. This should cover
everything quite nicely!

Jummy (aka Minwax Mac)

On Jan 22, 1:46*am, Bored Borg
wrote:
On Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:52:11 +0000, MIKE- wrote
(in article ):





I've got wet/dry paper of successive grits on the 4 corners of the tile
(stuck on with 3m spray adhesive). *I made some blocks at 25 and 30
degrees My chisels are the sharpest they've ever been. *They cut the
best they ever have, at least.

Ed

Cool. I was thinking about this. I'm used to dealing with a surface that
has to be completely flat across the entire surface. *For the vast
majority of sharpening, you're only using several square inches of surface
area at a time. *It doesn't matter if there's a bump in the middle, as
long as the area you're using is flat.

If you want astronomy lab flatness, buy two and lap 'em face to face with
abrasive paste, lifting and turning occasionally. Tedious beyond belief but
you'll get a perfect surface. Don't rock over the edges!!!!

You\re getting close when the cleaned plates stick together with a drop of
water, but if the surfaces are evenly matted I'd say that's "done"

Hell, just use MDF... *:-)

you need 3 surfaces to produce 3 flat surfaces. 2 will produce 1
concave and 1 convex surface.

regards,
charlie
cave creek, az

On Jan 22, 12:12*pm, "Ed Edelenbos" wrote:
Y'know the more of this thread I read, it occurs to me that most cities have
surplus/recovered building material yards these days. *A properly sized
chunk of half inch glass or granite or something similar ought to be easy
enough to find at a true bargain price. *Some of the local countertop places
will (as long as you ask 'em first) allow you to look in their dumpster for
scrap chunks. *It's possible to make a boatload of guitar saddles and nuts
out of a small piece of corian.

Ed

you can get a yardsale dining room tabletop for about $20, which can
make a lot of sharpening plates.

regards,
charlie
cave creek, az

charlie writes:
On Jan 22, 12:12=A0pm, "Ed Edelenbos" wrote:
Y'know the more of this thread I read, it occurs to me that most cities h=
ave
surplus/recovered building material yards these days. =A0A properly sized
chunk of half inch glass or granite or something similar ought to be easy
enough to find at a true bargain price. =A0Some of the local countertop p=
laces
will (as long as you ask 'em first) allow you to look in their dumpster f=
or
scrap chunks. =A0It's possible to make a boatload of guitar saddles and n=
uts
out of a small piece of corian.

Ed

you can get a yardsale dining room tabletop for about $20, which can
make a lot of sharpening plates.


If you have a good tablesaw, jointer or shaper you already have a flat
surface suitable for scarysharp.

scott

On Fri, 23 Jan 2009 20:27:37 +0000, charlie wrote
(in article
):

you need 3 surfaces to produce 3 flat surfaces. 2 will produce 1
concave and 1 convex surface.

regards,
charlie
cave creek, az

well yeah. I presume we're talking 'scope mirrors here with hundreds of hours
of walking round a pedestal-mounted blank ? I was meaning a couple of hours
of lapping a couple of tiles but I take your point. I was being a cheapskate
AND I said don't rock over the edges. I suppose I should have said...

Buy three tiles :-)


and some labels.