Thread: My Sharpening Regime

Clean abrasives always give me cutting action with a known grit particle size and performance.

All of the above adds to the notion that there are at least 1/2 dozen different methods for sharpening and honing which all lead to the same result.
In each case, there are things to be learned about the materials of choice. Things to be learned about the method of use.
Pick any one of them and figure it out.

I began with a method where the tool edge moves across the abrasives.
I had to add a method where the abrasive moves across the tool edge.
Everything works to my satisfaction.

Agree. The motivation for my blog entry was that the new woodworker is presented with hundreds of different techniques of varying cost and complexity but most of them equally effective when done properly. My point was that the old fashioned technique of grinding/honing which has been used for millennium is still as good as any and can produce as fine an edge as you want. Keep it simple.

John

I do all my sharpening and honing freehand. You could watch for 15 minutes and never figure out the tricks that make it work.
It's interesting that a couple of things never got written down.
For example:
Pull strokes only, working parallel to the edge of the bench, standing up.
Hold your forearms tight to your sides.
Down, pull, stop, straight up. Back to start, down, go again.
I was taught that the forearm position prevents the worker from sweeping the edge up off the abrasive,
thus rounding it off to some useless, but very sharp, angle.

I have learned also that years of practice is a big help = I can tune up a Pacific Northwest style crooked carving knife over my knee.
Single or double bevels at 12 degrees.
Anything which looks easy probably isn't.

In all fairness, I'm sure that there are lots of people who have challenges that prevent them from doing this.
They need jigs and power tools and supports for everything. So be it.

All excellent points.

john