July 14, 201214 yr  noticed there has been a lot of "hoopla' about polishing the back of irons to a mirror like finish.   That's right, i said hoopla.   Polishing an area that will spend it working time UNDERNEATH a chipbreaker?  Why?    If the iron and chipbreaker are set fine for finish smoothing, there is MAYBE a 1mm showing in front of the chipbreaker's edge.  As long as there are no gaps between the iron and the CB, is there a real need to polish to a mirror-like surface?   iwas out there the other day, trying to get that mirror to shine back at me.   got close.  Then I set a chipbreaker in place, and.......where'd the mirror go???    I was doing Moxxon TP thin shavings, with only about a 1mm of the mirror showing.    The bevel was also polished to about 1000 grit.    Was nice and shiny.   The old Craftsman made some very nice thin shavings, without any real effort to push the plane along.   So the question is:  Why polish something that will not even see any wood?   Other than the first 1-2mm? Would just getting that area flat enough to match a chipbreaker be enough?  Not gaps between the two?'and may the road raise up to meet ye'
July 14, 201214 yr yes it would do the same thing but by not doing the full surface you get a slight angle (1/1000ths) on the surface. And that changes the blade angle and the cutting angle. My test is this- if i cannot adjust the plane to remove a pencil line from the surface of the wood without digging out a huge shaving of the whole area, it ain't sharp enough. and the adjustment is off.Â
July 14, 201214 yr Author  These irons aren't quite to a Mirror Finish, 90 yearold Sweetheart iron, next to a 5 year old (?) Buck Brothers ironA look at the BB iron.   I will even do this for a block plane IF they need itThe edges are what matters on these bigger ironsThis one will need a grinder first, too many pits along the edge.   The Buck brothers came out nice thoughI also worked over an iron from a Craftsman #3. Went the full length of a piece of poplar, and got this little rollMight be sharp enough for what i work on.... 'and may the road raise up to meet ye'
July 15, 201214 yr To complicate the original question even more is if you put a micro-bevel on your irons as Crossman does. Then the chip breaker isn't even on the same bevel that is touching the wood. I won't even bring up wooden planes that only have wedges in them.
July 15, 201214 yr Personally I believe it effects the angle that everything comes together with. I polish mine and make sure the cb and the iron fit right with out changing the angle of the iron. I will also do a slight back bevel on my chisels and they stay sharp longer and touch ups are a breeze. I guess it is all about the fit which effects the performance and the longevity of the edge.Wayne MahlerGod bless and protect our troops that serve so we can be free.
July 15, 201214 yr Author  A test drive after the sharpening:The Buck Brothers iron, sitting in a just out of the box parts plane.  I hadn't even tuned the plane up, just slapped the iron on-board.  Nice and thing curly things. As for the "New&Improved #6c"? Quality Control has given it their "OK"... 'and may the road raise up to meet ye'
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