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Regrinding Plane Irons

W

ITH A SIMPLE STICK JIGyou can quickly, easily and accurately
regrind plane irons on a bench grinder, and it’s more fun than
you can imagine. Select a good, stiff hardwood stick—mine is 44 in.
long. Add a short wooden spine (to fit the iron’s screw slot) and a
stove-bolt/washer arrangement to hold the iron in place. Now, keep-
ing the stick in line with the wheel, brace the stick against the inside
of your left foot and lightly arc the iron across the wheel. The stick
can be picked up to check the progress of the grind, then—as long
as you don’t move your foot—returned to the same spot against
your shoe.
The resulting blade grind won’t be perfectly straight but crowned
ever so slightly. This convex profile will prove superior to a straight
profile for most hand-planing applications and is tricky to achieve any
other way.
—PAULD. FRANK,Fond du Lac,Wisc.

CHAPTER FOUR

Brace stick

A stick used as a toolsupport maintains against instep.

correct angle.

Spine fits slot

in plane iron.