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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2009
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    melb
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    1,125

    Default choosing bevel angle

    After lots of thinking about a sharpening set up which suits me I have finally settled on something which I think will work for me.

    Now I would just like to read some discussion on how you guys choose your angles for chisels/plane blades. I read that lots of people use 25 deg for soft woods, 30 for hardwoods. That aussies timbers are hard and should use 30 degs. (Though vic ash is softer then white oak). If the timber has lots of figure a 'high' angle is better.

    What angle is all your chisels and planes? What goes through your mind when you decide to change the angle for a particular task?

    For some background this is what I own:
    - 1/4" chisel which is 30deg + microbevel
    - 1/2 and 1" chisel which is 25deg + microbevel
    - all of my planes are 25deg + microbevel (should plane, rabbeting low angle block plane, #4 and low angle #5)
    - old bull nose plane which is blunt but hopefully I will sharpen it soon.

    The chisel angles are just what veritas grinded them to.
    The plane blades are just what I did as I read that 25 is the go to but I just want to learn more info now.

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Helensburgh
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    7,696

    Default

    I would not worry about bevels, angles etc at this stage, let me explain why. Everyone goes through sharpening stages and for some it has cost them a lot of money but the one thing you need to have is a sharpening comparison or target to aim for. Inevitably you do not know what sharp is, we all think we do but we miss the target by a long way when starting out. Find some one who knows what sharp means, sharpen a chisel then compare yours to his to get some sort of idea on how the two compare. I suggest someone in Melbourne may be able to help you and in the end it will save you a lot of money, been there and done that.

    That may not be the answer you are looking for but it will save you a lot of money. CBN wheels are the single biggest advance in sharpening in a very long time.
    CHRIS

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    10,810

    Default

    Regardless of steel ...

    All bevel down planes (irrespective of bed angle) and bench chisels at 30 degrees.

    All bevel up planes have a primary of 25 degrees and a secondary of 50 degrees (creates a cutting angle of 62 degrees). Bevel up shooting planes are ground and honed at 25 degrees.

    All paring chisels are ground and honed at 25 degrees.

    Mortice chisels at 30-35 degrees.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    Visit www.inthewoodshop.com for tutorials on constructing handtools, handtool reviews, and my trials and tribulations with furniture builds.

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    McBride BC Canada
    Posts
    3,543

    Default

    I've measured every edge that I've bought.
    I've assumed that the factory bevel angle was important so I keep to those.
    I did scrub some pairs of skews down from 25 to 20 for wood carving.

    Planes are 30 degrees.
    Spokeshaves are all 28 degrees.
    Draw knife, elbow and D adzes, and chisels 25 degrees.
    Wood carving gouges and carving skew pairs are 20 degrees.
    Both straight and crooked wood carving knives are all 12 degrees, no more than 15.

    The way I was taught free-hand sharpening, these angles are not hard to maintain.
    I can't comment on microbevels, I've never used tools with them.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    melb
    Posts
    1,125

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by derekcohen View Post
    All bevel up planes have a primary of 25 degrees and a secondary of 50 degrees (creates a cutting angle of 62 degrees). Bevel up shooting planes are ground and honed at 25 degrees.
    Is your block plane also 50degs secondary? Can you explain why you prefer 50degs?

    Anyone have thoughts using a 90deg blade in a LAJ for scraping?
    No. 62 Low Angle Jack Plane Blade, 90o Bevel Lie-Nielsen Toolworks

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    10,810

    Default

    I should have stated, "All BU bench planes have a primary of 25 degrees and a secondary of 50 degrees. See here for explanation. All low angle block planes receive a 25 degree primary bevel, which is also the honed angle. This is also the case with BU shooting planes (such as a LA Jack). This is to maintain the low cutting angle, but it is strong enough to deal with hard woods and end grain.

    Why 50 degrees? When working with interlocked Australian timbers, one either uses a high cutting angle or a double iron. The high cutting angle could be a BD plane, such as the HNT Gordon range, which use a 60 degree bed (= 60 degree cutting angle). Or one could use a BU plane: 12 degree bed + 50 degree bevel = 62 degrees cutting angle.

    The double iron is when one sets the chipbreaker close to the edge of the blade - this actually has a better potential for controlling tearout than a high cutting angle.

    I do not use scraping planes. I no longer own any. I do use cabinet/card scrapers, and these offer so much more control. I also do not need a scraper plane when smoothing as a double iron leaves a much better surface behind.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    Visit www.inthewoodshop.com for tutorials on constructing handtools, handtool reviews, and my trials and tribulations with furniture builds.

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2019
    Location
    New Zealand
    Posts
    4

    Default

    I grind everything at 25 degrees on a Tormeq clone and hone on Shapton waterstone a 32~33 degrees secondary bevel.

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    US
    Posts
    3,075

    Default

    I also grind everything around 25 degrees, and then after that, manipulate edge strength with final bevel.

    An easy thing to do for a beginner is grind like that, and then learn to hone a tiny stripe by hand steeper by feel. Start shallow. If edges take damage, gradually increase your angle. If they don't, you're done.

    I've measured hand sharpened plane irons of mine and they tend to have a final bevel of about 33. Not something I measured before, but something I landed on to limit edge damage (which speeds dullness, and slows the next sharpening cycle).

    Don't worry too much about specific numbers, though, nor reading what other people do.

    My chisels are probably not that steep, but I haven't measured them. Same plan - bevel with a small stripe of honed edge. It's easier to sharpen successfully like that and most edge damage occurs right at the edge, not into the bevel, so there's no need to worry about the strength of a 25 degree grind.

    One truth in all of this is doing a volume of work (even if you feel like you can't do it well, just do it, you'll get better with practice, and laziness will guide you to getting better results for yourself - productive laziness, that is).

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