Sharpening amongst other things

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Excellent film!
There used to be a similar hand cranked wheel in every farmyard a few years back. In fact you still see them lying around, unused etc.
Basically for bigger sharp edge tools - scythes, sickles and others. Smaller stuff freehand on flat oil stones.
Sharpening was easy, before it was reinvented by the usual suspects!
 
There are still many similar wheels around where I live. Some are probably still used. I swapped mine for Japanese water stones.
 
Hmmm....
I think they are stropping on the wheel, not sharpening.
Unless I've missed the sharpening bit.


...And if they are sharpening, then why are they sharpening when they just need to strop?:unsure:
 
Hmmm....
I think they are stropping on the wheel, not sharpening.
Unless I've missed the sharpening bit.
Stropping done with a strop, not a grind wheel. There's a clue in the name.
Either way it's still "sharpening".
 
It looks to me like they have a piece of leather glued to the wheel. I might be wrong.

It must work for them if they are doing this way, and there's nothing wrong about it, but I'd like to see 'em take a 0.2mm cut off something dense, like bubinga or ebony with that blade:p

"Sharpening" comes down to shaping the blade, putting a micro bevel on it (optional) and stropping the dickens out of it.
Stropping is not optional, but many folks treat it as if it is. Hence the whole cottage industry of all-in-one tormeks and the likes.

Shaping is almost never required unless you chipped the blade.
Sharpening/micro-bevelling is needed now & again.
For the rest of the time, stop'n'strop folks, stop'n'strop.

I'll shut up now.
 
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It looks to me like they have a piece of leather glued to the wheel. I might be wrong.

It must work for them if they are doing this way, and there's nothing wrong about it, but I'd like to see 'em take a 0.2mm cut off something dense, like bubinga or ebony with that blade:p
They not working with bubinga or ebony
It looks to me like they have a piece of leather glued to the wheel. I might be wrong.
It's the damp patches where they splashed on some water
....

"Sharpening" comes down to shaping the blade, putting a micro bevel on it (optional) and stropping the dickens out of it.
Stropping is not optional, but many folks treat it as if it is. Hence the whole cottage industry of all-in-one tormeks and the likes.
...
That's modern sharpening for you! "Micro bevel" is a recent key term in modern sharpening - good to know they are optional! Stropping is too, depending on the job in hand.
 
Traditionally, afaik, the micro bevel is put on the chisel blade freehand, which results in a slightly "rounded" shape. It's still a micro bevel, even if the act of putting it onto a blade is not made into a cult.
 
I haven't watched the whole video yet but if anyone doubts you don't need fancy sharpening gear, watch the beginning of this.

Skill on show.
Bet the bloke could do it all with his eyes closed...

Love the nod towards health & safety at about 11:10 in!
 

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