At one time or another, virtually every woodworker has looked upon tool sharpening as a rainy-day task, an onerous duty undertaken only as a last resort that seems calculated to delay progress on the moment’s favorite project. Although it may be impossible to persuade all woodworkers to embrace the joys of tool sharpening-as some do-sooner or later, most adopt an attitude of enlightened self interest, an understanding that regular attention to tool condition will speed, rather than retard, progress and improve both the quality of work and enjoyment of it.
In Japan, apprentice woodworkers spend years at the sharpening bench before attempting to cut wood. The practice is rooted in reality: to cut and finish wood, one must use sharp tools. The most realistic route to sharp tools for most woodworkers lies in regular attention. When sharpening and maintenance are adopted as part of regular workshop routine, the time required is reduced-and the benefits of keen edges are quickly realized.
There are many jigs and accessories that promise quick and easy results, and no shortage of techniques with the same goal. But all sharpening work comes down to this: tools are sharpened by wearing away steel to form a fine edge, and polishing that edge so it slices as accurately and effortlessly as possible. Among many tools, two are essential: a sharpening stone and a grinder.
Once, all sharpening stones came from the ground: sandstone, novaculite, and other materials have been quarried and cut into bench stones from the earliest days of woodworking. More recently, technology has produced synthetic stones that substitute for the dwindling supply of natural abrasives. A somewhat older technology also provided the foot-powered sandstone grinding wheel and its descendant, the bench grinder which saves much labor in removing nicks and forming bevels before final honing.
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