Here’s a great gift idea, because everyone can get better at sharpening. Grind, Hone & Get Back to Work Learn how to grind straight & curved edges Hone perfect micro-bevels Pick the right stones for you Achieve polished edges like a professional the first time out Dispelling the Myths Sharpening an edge has … Read more
Those of you who routinely send me e-mails when I write about something “not woodworking related,” stop reading. You will not be amused – even though this involves a sharp blade and tiny shavings. No, really. It’s not about woodworking. You won’t like it. Go away. A few years ago, Christopher Schwarz stumbled across David … Read more
Sharpening a spear-point marking knife isn’t difficult, but it sure seems to flummox some woodworkers. The bevels on the knife are small, and if you aren’t used to freehand sharpening, you might be afraid of rounding over the edge. Dave Jeske of Blue Spruce Toolworks was at the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend, Wash., … Read more
I still remember the first time I achieved a truly sharp edge on my smoothing plane iron. Suddenly, I was able to make whisper thin shavings and achieve a shimmering surface…without a surreptitious dip into Christopher Schwarz’s cabinet to borrow his No. 4. And my dovetails started looking a lot better on the inside, too … Read more
The first time I saw Ron Herman sharpen a handsaw, I learned more about sharpening the tool in 20 minutes than I had learned in all the years I’d been a woodworker. I had been sharpening my saws for years, but I was mostly trying to replicate the saw’s existing tooth geometry. I wasn’t confident … Read more
Anything – a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g – that reduces the time I spend sharpening my tools makes me giddy. Care Bear giddy. Monchichi giddy. Making tools dull is more fun. A few years ago I found a way to use a thin ruler to help me stone the faces of my card scrapers. It’s an adaptation of David … Read more
I’ve always preferred diamond plates for flattening my waterstones and oilstones. Though a coarse or extra-coarse diamond stone does a fine job, the sharpening stones are pretty hard on the diamond impregnated surface, wearing the diamond plate prematurely, according to engineers at DMT. I’m not a big fan, however, of the stone-based flattening systems I’ve … Read more
