Official Luthiers Forum!

Thanks, John, but that comes to $30 and if it's the same in pounds (which it often is) then I can get the precision made, beveled one for the same price and with no filing necessary (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Notched-straight-edge-luthiers-tool-for-guitar-builders-UK-made-/161046938749?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item257f25447d), or the cheapo one for half the price.

A cheaper route into sharpening would be to look at the scary sharp method.

All you need is a flat surface such as a piece of thick Float Glass or I use a granite chopping board from Morrisons and several grits of wet and dry (or you can buy the more expensive but better 3m lapping films) in say 240, 400, 800 and 2000. Just use spray adhesive to stick strips of the wet and dry to the flat service and hone away you can get an extremely sharp edge with a little practice. Workshop Heven http://www.workshopheaven.com/tools/Scary_Sharpening.html sell a complete set up for around £60, but really I would make your own. I think my initial outlay was under £20

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Nick

Follow my musings on getting started in luthiery http://www.tredwellinstruments.co.uk

I bought a Technofret beam a while ago and use it a lot, I also bought a tapered reamer which is excellent and very good value. As for planes I found an old Stanley no. 5 and replaced the blade with a lie nielsen from axminster. I also got a lie nielsen improved chip breaker but have yet to install it as I need to modify the y lever to accept the extra thickness somehow. The LN blade has made all the difference for me...

don´t know about the fret leveling stuff, but those quangsheng planes are amazing value. bedrock design and blades hold a fine edge too. you can find them at WorkshopHaven or Dieter Schmid´s, if you´re not after the low angle stuff (i´m saying this because a n. 5 is slightly cheaper at dieter´s - and i also like the bronze cap).

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

Scary sharp starts getting expensive in the long run. Cheap to try out and not a bad option if you're not be in it for the long run.
The after market blades and chipbreakers aren't the best option IMO - been there done it, a few times. By the time you've paid for the Plane, the blade and the chipbreaker you may as well go out and by a new Stanley SW or Quangsheng. Both of those planes have very good blades and chipbreakers.
Derek. I once mounted an old tapered Sorby blade into a Stanley No.4. Really thick blade - I think it was 4 mm at the cutting end. I tried brazing the extension onto the stock chipbreaker and that worked for a few months before it came off. In the end I brazed an extended piece onto the yolk and that's been fine for the past 4 years or so. . . . but in the end it's a lot of work, especially if you value instrument building time. I mess around and try many different Planes because I like . . . messing around with Planes.

Michael, I have tried to braze with not much success! I think I have found a replacement lever online - http://www.workshopheaven.com/tools/Record_Plane_Y-Lever.html but doesnt look long enough to me?

For sharpening I have a combination waterstone and a friend gave me a quite useless 'fast track' thing which I perservere with until it gets thrown in the corner

Well it says to fit 3 mm Blades. He will honour that statement.

Nick: It is beyond my understanding why these notched straight edges exist. If one uses it and finds that the fret board is not straight, they can leave it as it is or pull the frets and level the board..........................??? The top of the frets is the main concern and if one can't level them without messing up high areas, one would pull the frets,level the board and refret. Like I say I don't get it and to me a tool one does not need.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

Many thanks for the advice, Tom. There are certainly different schools of thought.
I reckon I'll get the leveling beam and drill out a ruler. If I feel the need I'll get this one another time.

Thanks, Todd, I'm thinking more toward the SS method now...
What is the minimum? Would grits of 120, 400, 1200, 2000 do?

I ask because that's all I could fit comfortably on one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Imperial-Granite-Galaxy-Black-Floor-Tiles-400x400x12mm-Sample-/181122870899?pt=UK_Flooring&hash=item2a2bc3ae73.

And thanks, Philippo. It's £140, too, so not quite as appealing as the scary sharp method right now. Sharpening was definitely on my list of "must do better next time" things.

A neighbour has just given me a nice big, thick piece of marble they had lying around doing nothing so I'm going to stick some sandpaper to that and try "scary sharp". Any word on the minimum number of grits? 120, 320, 400, 800, 1200, 2000, or can I get away with less?

Will do. Thankya kindly, Todd!