Hand tools must be sharp to work. This guide is an attempt to get you over the sharpening hump by describing my process to sharpen a plane blade in as much detail as possible.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions or improvements.

I learned this process from Brent Beach and then added a few tweaks of my own. As an overview, I grind the primary bevel to 25°. I start the secondary bevels at 29°. The abrasive is 3M micro-abrasives glued to glass. My honing jig is homemade.

Let’s get started by assembling the supplies I use.