Sharpen This

[Mike Davis]

Sharpen This (signed by the author + PG-13 Sticker)

You can download an excerpt of this book here. by Christopher Schwarz Sharpening is not a sport. If you want to be a better woodworker, you need to learn to sharpen. If you want to be a better sharpener, you need to stop paying so much attention to tertiary bevels and carbide formations in steel...

lostartpress.com

If you haven't followed Chris for very long...What do you mean not at all?!!!!

You need to read this simple little book on sharpening. It really is the first thing you should learn about woodworking.

 

[pop-pop]

In that book, Chris stresses what really matters and identifies a lot of “don’t matter” items.

 

[Woodmolds]

Somewhat of a companion item to the book.

Sharpen This (the Video)

Sharpening your tools is simple. And easy. So why do so many woodworkers struggle with it? One huge reason is the enormous amount of misinformation, needless consumerism and piles of unnecessary (and expensive!) equipment. The new video “Sharpen This” takes you back to what is important: Getting...

lostartpress.com

Released 10/5

 

[PeteM]

Somewhat of a companion item to the book.

Sharpen This (the Video)

Sharpening your tools is simple. And easy. So why do so many woodworkers struggle with it? One huge reason is the enormous amount of misinformation, needless consumerism and piles of unnecessary (and expensive!) equipment. The new video “Sharpen This” takes you back to what is important: Getting...

lostartpress.com

Released 10/5

The Schwarz does some good stuff but $50 (increasing to $75) for a sharpening video???
That exceeds my pay grade!

 

[Hmerkle]

The Schwarz does some good stuff but $50 (increasing to $75) for a sharpening video???
That exceeds my pay grade!

I thought EXACTLY the same thing! (I am a fan, but I am not mad at my money)

 

[pop-pop]

I thought EXACTLY the same thing! (I am a fan, but I am not mad at my money)

Well, I bought it and just finished watching the various chapters for the first time. IMO, it was well worth the $50.

It’s organized in chapters by topic with a bunch more chapters to come in the future (included in the price). There is added value in for instance watching Chris sharpen a card scraper quickly (sans file) instead of just reading about it. His overall theme is sharpen tools quickly and then get back to dulling them which is more fun.

 

[Gotcha6]

I've been saying it on here for some time now; Woodworking is 90% metalworking..............

 

[Oka]

and Being a competent Machinist Mechanic

 

[Atlasfanatic]

Sharpen This (signed by the author + PG-13 Sticker)

You can download an excerpt of this book here. by Christopher Schwarz Sharpening is not a sport. If you want to be a better woodworker, you need to learn to sharpen. If you want to be a better sharpener, you need to stop paying so much attention to tertiary bevels and carbide formations in steel...

lostartpress.com

If you haven't followed Chris for very long...What do you mean not at all?!!!!

You need to read this simple little book on sharpening. It really is the first thing you should learn about woodworking.

I am pretty new to woodworking and just finished reading this book. I enjoyed it as it seemed to prescribe a very practical approach as compared to some of the videos I’ve found around the web which had an obsessive amount of detail and promoted every possible tool and jig available.

Now I just need to flatten the old set of water stones I inherited and try my luck at sharpening some chisels.

 

[Mike Davis]

I am pretty new to woodworking and just finished reading this book. I enjoyed it as it seemed to prescribe a very practical approach as compared to some of the videos I’ve found around the web which had an obsessive amount of detail and promoted every possible tool and jig available.

Now I just need to flatten the old set of water stones I inherited and try my luck at sharpening some chisels.

Don’t try your luck, perfect your technique.

 

[bob vaughan]

The best sharpening advice I've ever gotten was from Mike. When the chisel will easily pare end grain of soft pine, it is sharp enough.
That advice focuses on results, not activity. Each person will have different resources and processes.
I did some quick tests after reading that advice and found that 100% of what I thought were sharp chisels were indeed not sharp enough. Once I got a few chisels sharp enough to pare the soft end grain of pine, using them was a delight in speed and accuracy. The rest of my chisels now await fine tuning.

 

[Atlasfanatic]

The best sharpening advice I've ever gotten was from Mike. When the chisel will easily pare end grain of soft pine, it is sharp enough.
That advise focuses on results, not activity. Each person will have different resources and processes.
I did some quick tests after reading that advise and found that 100% of what I thought were sharp chisels were indeed not sharp enough. Once I got a few chisels sharp enough to pare the soft end grain of pine, using them was a delight in speed and accuracy. The rest of my chisels now await fine tuning.

Thanks, this is very helpful!

 

[joec]

I have been watching a boat building show for several years now. The fellow does fine woodworking and on one show showed how he sharpened his tools. He used a Tormek with diamond or CBN wheels and finished up with the diamond paste on a leather wheel. He does very nice work. It seems from my reading over the years that most folks use the Tormek for the rough sharpening and finish up with some water stones or the like. Just wondering what the thought is on this site about Tormek?

 

[Jim Wallace]

While preparing to teach a sharpening workshop at the Crafts Center at NCSU this fall I read this book. I like and respect Chris a lot, but he bugs me by always injecting his reductionist philosophy into everything he writes. I decided to put my own ideas to paper and I offer it here.

 

[gamiller3rd]

Nice and succinct Jim

 

[smallboat]

View attachment 215653While preparing to teach a sharpening workshop at the Crafts Center at NCSU this fall I read this book. I like and respect Chris a lot, but he bugs me by always injecting his reductionist philosophy into everything he writes. I decided to put my own ideas to paper and I offer it here.

you did a nice job summarizing the book. Authors can’t make a living selling one pagers

 

[tvrgeek]

As I have tired and abandoned dozens of "miracle" sharpening, I am now getting pretty good by hand on a couple diamond stones and strop. I can get sharp, darn sharp, but not sure I am quite up to really sharp. Practice, practice, practice. Enough to see some of my edges had been overheated and are junk, enough to see the sharpness difference between O1 and A2. Almost lost on kitchen knives. Getting pretty good on scissors.