How To Sharpen a Plane Blade (The Correct Method)

Want to be able to sharpen a plane blade in 60 seconds or less? This masterclass teaches you everything you need to know from geometry and preparation to grinding and polishing.

📝 See The Supporting Blog Here! (Extra Info)
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RECOMMENDED VIDEO:
👉How To Setup a Handplane | Matt Estlea (2022)
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PRODUCTS RECOMMENDED IN THIS VIDEO:
🔸 Japanese Waterstone
🔸 Waterstone/Oilstone Flattening Plate
🔸 Affordable Diamond Stone
🔸 DMT Coarse Diamand Stone

🔸 Tormek T8
🔸 Tormek T4
🔸 Belt Linisher

🔸 Lie-Nielsen Honing Guide
🔸 Veritas Honing Guide
🔸 Eclipse Honing Guide

🔸 Plane Screwdriver
🔸 Leather Strop
🔸 Protective Oil
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CHAPTERS:
😤 Getting Impatient? Skip to the good stuff below: ⬇️
00:00 Intro
00:28 What You'll Learn
02:13 Geometry
04:42 Grinding
06:56 Lapping
09:29 The Ruler Trick
13:48 Hollow Grinding
14:28 Honing
16:00 Producing a Camber
17:33 Polishing Explained
18:48 Matts Story
19:10 Polishing
20:15 Camber Demonstration
21:10 When To Use a Camber
21:42 Maintaining a Camber
22:30 Full Demonstration
23:30 Outro
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MY FREE ONLINE COURSES:
🚀 Purchasing and Using Tools Correctly
🎁 How To Make a Dovetailed Box:
🛠 How To Make a Cabinet:
🧰 How To Make a Toolbox:
✏️ How To Design Furniture
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WOODWORKING BOOKS I RECOMMEND:
📘 Collins Complete Woodworkers Manual
📖 Workbenches: Design & Theory to Construction & Use
📚 The Overstory - My Favourite Fiction Books about Trees
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MY FAVOURITE TOOLS:
🛠️ Knew Concepts Fret Saw
⬜️ Faithfull Engineers Squares
⚙️ Veritas Wheel Marking Gauge
🗡 Precision Marking Knife
🎥 Lumix S1H Mirrorless Camera

🔍 See EVERYTHING I Recommend HERE:

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KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ME:

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🕵️‍♂️ WHO AM I?:
My name is Matt Estlea and I’m a Woodworker from Basingstoke, England. My aim is to make your woodworking less s***.

I come from 5 years of TRAINING at Rycotewood Furniture Centre in Oxford, 5 years of experience WORKING at Axminster Tools and Machinery in Basingstoke, and 3 years TEACHING both day classes and evening classes at Rycotewood Furniture Centre. All while trying to get this YouTube thing off the ground.

By September 2021, I packed it all in to focus on YouTube and my business full-time.

Want to know more about how I crammed all this experience into such a short period of time? See my experience and qualifications here:

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GET IN TOUCH:
While I take time to read every single message I receive whether it's emailed, DMed or asked publicly on social media, sadly I do not have time to reply to everything. If you have a short message you’d like to send, it’s best to send me a message on Twitter.

For longer messages, please drop me a message via the contact page on my website.

[hhelsinger]

Matt, your videos on sharpening and setting a plane blade have taught me I've been doing it wrong for 55 years. That you are right is absolutely clear from the results I've immediately gotten. I've spent the evening sharpening all seven planes. Easy - and Spectacular -- thanks.

[garykahne]

Single best and most comprehensive lapping and sharpening video or lesson I have ever seen.

[MrDerpGLP]

Hey Matt, I'm just a woodworking apprentice at the moment... but man you show me once again why this craft is the best in the world. Thanks for the motivation again and again and again. Looking forward to your next video.

[Beamish]

My 15 year old son has recently shown an interest in woodwork. I have never really had a clue and my dad unfortunately died 3 years before Jack was born so we haven't got the master to teach us. Recently helped my mum go through the garage and sort out some of dad's old tool hoard. I have the whetstones and planes and this video is really going to help us sharpen everything. Thank you despite the fact that it's a 2 year old video. Liked and subscribed

[MrWenglish]

What an OUTSTANDING presentation. Video and audio quality is excellent. Matt, you speak clearly, and your carefully explained processes are so helpful. One of the best presentations I have heard in years. I have learnt much and very grateful to you. Well done and thank you.

[NeoGeoEch]

I've seen around 50 vids on sharpening, but the small sketch you did for the primary and secondary bevels and when to actually flatten the whole thing again to ~25, was the extra mile. Congrats man!

[seanphillips]

By far the best plane sharpening instruction I've found. My planes are next level now thanks to following your instruction. I had made a mess of them trying to sharpen without a honing guide. Thanks so much, great stuff!

[MtJensen]

Again Matt, you do such a good job at making all the knowledge easy to grasp and apply. Love your teaching method.

[pcfred]

This is the legit method. Everyone else is full of it. Do this if you want to do it right.

[Danny-ulsq]

Love the start. You're killing me with the hammer thing. And so nice to get back to instructional videos. Really liked your other stuff, but knowledge transfer from you is worth gold.

[johnjmorris]

This video has by far been the best at explaining the what, why, and how to getting a proper camber on a planing iron/blade. Many thanks for this very insightful video — and for the many others that keep us "sharp!"

[Thatguy-]

Brilliant video mate wood working was my first profession i then went on to military service and now im a lori driver and am looking to get back into wood working and videos like this are exactly what i was looking for as a refresher...cheers

[TheEphemeris]

I was literally looking for something to put on while I regrind and touch up an old plane I'm restoring... Remarkably good timing

[TiffMcGiff]

As a beginner, these videos are second to none. Good job man.

[moreisdifferent]

I've watched many sharpening videos over the years and improved my technique and results gradually, but stropping by hand never worked for me till I watched this video. My honing compound always crumbled on the strop and I used to get poor results. Just a few drops of 3 in 1 oil was all I've been missing, and nobody else mentioned that. Thanks Matt!

[TheSMEAC]

Thanks Matt. I still remember the moment I had the ahh ha moment and discovered what sharp really felt like. It really is that moment when everything becomes far more enjoyable. I recently sold my L-N No° 5 for my L-N No° 5-1/2; so now the No° 4 and 5-1/2 are my only bevel down planes; LAG, Shooting, and Jointer, etc are all bevel up. Finding what sharp really is, is probably the first moment where one can make genuine strides towards what ‘forever’ tools they’re going to settle on.
Thank for the content and I’m looking forward to the next woodworking school project 👍

[bboeckman]

I'm only half way into this video and I can honestly say that it's the best video on this topic out there. I've watched countless, and none got this done so well. Saved and subscribed. Well done.

[ADwOS]

I love the smell of fresh content at 3:00am in the morning. Smells like... insomnia!

[abbbee]

Matt, I really like your teaching style. I’m new to woodworking and am looking for a way into this beautiful craft. I really feel as though I have learned a lot from each of your videos, thank you.
You are confident about giving advice without ever coming across as arrogant, quite the opposite. You know, and say, if there is something you are not experienced at/with.

[DloWestside]

Followed video and I’ve never had my plane perform like this ever before. Thank you. The camber part was 🙌 godsend