Sharpening a Radius Plane Blade

Not too long ago a customer contacted me about sharpening a radius plane blade. He was interested in the HNT Gordon Radius Plane, but the thought of sharpening a curved blade gave him some hesitation, which I totally get. It can be quite intimidating to move off of 90 degrees. Heck, 90 degrees can be intimidating enough! I reached out to my friend, Craig Becker, to ask for some tips. Craig makes Shaker & Windsor inspired pieces and regularly uses the HNT Gordon Radius Plane. He generously offered to make a couple of videos demonstrating his process. I thought I would share them here in the hopes that more people find the information helpful.

In the first video, Craig walks you through how he handles the radius plane blade on a slow speed grinder. His method of only moving the blade in one direction across the grinder wheel is a great tip. It can also be applied to straight edges. If you are having trouble getting a square edge off the grinder, try going in only one direction, whichever feels most comfortable and in control to you.

In the second video, Craig walks you through honing and touching up the edge of the radius plane blade. I think the best tip is to take whatever you use for honing to the blade instead of the other way around. Craig is using DMT mini hones, which work wonderfully in this situation. You could also use the edge of your water stone (just be sure to flatten it first) or any number of things. The sharpie on the bevel is a great way to track your progress and make sure you are maintaining the correct angle.

These techniques could easily be applied to scrub plane blades or any with a heavy camber. Of course, this is not the only way, but a great place to start. If you would like to see more of Craig’s work, he is @silentmill on IG.

Feel free to reach out with any questions.