Sharpening

[Bingy man]

I’ve read several posts that seem to be quite negative towards the topic of sharpening. I’ve not been a member for that long but every now and again the subject of sharpening comes up and it’s never positive. Given that it’s a fundamental part of woodworking and can greatly affect your results I just wondered why this is . I personally don’t have an issue with sharpening but I can imagine it must be really difficult for newcomers and those that have never used hand tools but rely on power tools ( don’t shout me down as I’ve no intentions to start such a thread ) just interested as to the reasons why it’s not liked ..

 

[TRITON]

Perhaps you could first explain how you go about the sharpening conundrum.

Everyone's always keen to learn and hear other peoples techniques

 

[ajs]

It's time consuming and to begin with it's largely a thankless task. I don't think it helps that a full set of equipment is expensive and the like of Stanley will flog you a 400/1000 grit stone as if it is all you need.

Never used to like sharpening until a couple of years ago I decided the time had come to invest is a quality minimal set of "lifetime" chisels and I really needed to get to grips with sharpening. Those four chisels and a roll were around £100. The sharpening kit on top of that - four grades of cheap Japanese waterstones, nagura, strop, compound and honing guide were another £50 on top. That's a bit of a leap of faith when I'd never had much luck in the past.

However I found with the appropriate kit chisels actually weren't that difficult, it was simply a matter of working methodically and putting in the time. Crucially I began to see results - wonderfully sharp edges. Cosmetically, too - there's a certain pride in attaining and maintaining that distinctive glimmer of well ground blades.

Once I had the kit and a bit of practice slowly I began to find other things were sharpening better, although to be honest I was still not completely happy until only a couple of months ago. I pulled out my pocket knife for some ad hoc pruning of a rose bush and thought to myself "**** me, that's a sharp knife".

As for secrets or great insights picked up along the way the only thing that comes to mind is to put a few drops of rapeseed oil on the strop before applying the compound. The oil softens the compound up and allows it to penetrate into the leather rather that sitting on the surface and quickly flaking off.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

I’ve read several posts that seem to be quite negative towards the topic of sharpening. I’ve not been a member for that long but every now and again the subject of sharpening comes up and it’s never positive. Given that it’s a fundamental part of woodworking and can greatly affect your results I just wondered why this is . I personally don’t have an issue with sharpening but I can imagine it must be really difficult for newcomers and those that have never used hand tools but rely on power tools ( don’t shout me down as I’ve no intentions to start such a thread ) just interested as to the reasons why it’s not liked ..

I think you may have misunderstood. It's not sharpening, but the discussing of it that is a bit like having a joke repeatedly explained to you.

Sharpening is a 'gateway skill' and it need not take long or be arduous. I, and I suspect I am not alone in this, quite enjoy creating a razor sharp edge and the positive effect it has on my work.

What I think everyone dislikes on woodworking forums is getting into long, often boring and in the end nearly always contentious discussions about the merits/demerits of different techniques. In short, there are many ways to achieve the desired result - all of them have their place.

 

[Inspector]

One would think that as description of the method a person uses would be enough leaving the user to decide which way they would like to go. There are however people that believe they know everything and their way is the only way. That my way or the highway thinking makes them get nasty and constantly push, nit pick, fight, scratch (with their perfectly sharpened claws ) and beat the dead horse proving they are the best and everyone else is an idiot for doing what works for them. The childish intolerance is what makes sharpening threads such a #### show. Sad.

Pete

 

[Droogs]

@Bingy man It is commented on in a negative way as in the past threads discussing it have almost lead to people going round the corner and landing physical blows. For some in the woodworking community take sharpening to be a divine process where the use of Dodo tears for lubrication, the rubbing on the different taste areas of a Unicorns tongue (Where each taste has a differing grit) followed by a final buffing using fairy navel fluff and Sasquatch poo are the only permitted methods. Admittedly most of these near fiights involve evryone want to go round @Jacob ' s corner
and punch him for just dragging his chisel on the pavement.

 

[Argus]

It has turned into a sport on this forum...... simultaneously a joke at the expense of those who don't realise what's going on.

You have to get a 'sharpening' topic started, continue undetected and then play by winding up the 'gurus' and seeing how long you can keep it going until one of the robots shut it down.

In reality, basic blade and chisel sharpening is something that was done routinely and quickly by the woodworking trades in previous decades and in previous centuries without much theorising or loss of valuable working time.

 

[Jacob]

The problem is that the subject of sharpening has been completely revised and rewritten in recent years. Wouldn't matter except that modern methods are difficult, time wasting, expensive and not particularly efficient.
It's a bit strange - maybe sharpening attracts OCDC sufferers!
I don't think they do beginners any favours.
It took me some time to realise this myself and it was a great relief to get back to the old and easy ways!
There's also some downright ripoffery going on, e.g. magic "honing" fluids which cost more than top quality whiskey ( I name no names!)

 

[Jacob]

It's time consuming and to begin with it's largely a thankless task. I don't think it helps that a full set of equipment is expensive ......

Need not be expensive, nor time consuming and can also be quite a pleasant little diversion.
n.b. you don't need the "full set of equipment" talked about by modern sharpening enthusiasts - they are in a world of their own!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

OP - there's your answer. There is only one way to sharpen anything, so no point in discussing it further. Research old threads - they all end the same way.

 

[TRITON]

I actually like the subject of sharpening, mainly as its a barrel full of laughs with those convoluted devices on ebay or amazon that swivel or arc at just the X angle to produce 'wicked sharp' edge in only a matter of minutes.

Gone are the simple eclipse type honing guide on a well hollowed India oil stone that's lived in the shed since time immemorial , in favour of a Heath Robinson approach with bench mounted, double jointed bars and intermediary diamond stones.

 

[Jacob]

OP - there's your answer. There is only one way to sharpen anything, so no point in discussing it further. Research old threads - they all end the same way.

There are dozens of ways but the quick and easy ways tend to be very similar!

 

[D_W]

Need not be expensive, nor time consuming and can also be quite a pleasant little diversion.
n.b. you don't need the "full set of equipment" talked about by modern sharpening enthusiasts - they are in a world of their own!

Who are these straw people?

I've not see one specific method described for fine work, but this past week found separating grinding and honing and finishing the edge at a higher angle than the grind by the modern gurus in ....

holtzapffel in the 1870s.

Their other comment was that the grinder or grinding stone would be the most missed piece of equipment if it were missing from the tool kit of tool care and sharpening in a worker's shop.

One grinder, one oilstone. the option to use emery as described in a couple of places.

Grind the tool, properly sharpen just the tip of it on an oilstone. Leave the rest of the time wasting outside of those two things to fools.

For everyone else, the reason the sharpening bits go sideways is because everyone wants to describe a method, not the results. focusing on the former and not the latter is a good way to spend several minutes to sharpen something when one minute is fine and will yield a better result.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

If one contemplates the work of woodworkers of yesteryear, and reflect on the quality of their output, it is clear they were entirely capable of sharpening a chisel or plane.

Some tasks are faster with power tools (eg: thicknessing, sawing, routing), absolute precision and repeatability have improved, but the quality of the produced has changed little.

Motor assisted sharpening (Veritas, grinding wheels etc) may make the process faster. But if the quality using traditional methods was acceptable, a profusion of different stones, jigs, potions, etc create only the illusion of improvement over the methods used by our great great grandfathers!

The message - keep it simple, stick to one method (whatever it is), practice and become proficient. Do not be tempted into butterfly mode sampling different techniques in the hope it will compensate for a lack of diligence.

 

[MikeO]

Most people give up turning because of sharpening. You don't sharpen lathe tools weekly more like hourly.
I have Sorby Pro Edge which is expensive but best thing I ever bought It takes seconds to touch up once you get profile right.

 

[Adam W.]

I've just had the weirdest feeling of déjà vu.

Must be a glitch in the matrix.

 

[MikeK]

... until one of the robots shut it down.

Was that really necessary?

 

[Droogs]

There there @MikeK don't feel bad, just include on of those Capchta things when you lock a thread and we'll all know it has received the human touch

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Most people give up turning because of sharpening. You don't sharpen lathe tools weekly more like hourly.
I have Sorby Pro Edge which is expensive but best thing I ever bought It takes seconds to touch up once you get profile right.

You make them last an hour? Really?

 

[Kittyhawk]

From what I've discerned about the demon sharpening thread, this feels like a bit of a venture into the dark side...
I have planes and chisels and I sharpen them to an edge that satisfies my requirements. For the sake of peace I'm not going state my method but, if your method produces a result with which you are content and my method does the same, what's the problem?