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 here is no better woodworking experience than working with a truly
sharp tool — and no more frustrating experience than working with a dull
one. Dull tools require more work and produce poor results. They are
unsafe and difficult to control. Consequently, sharpening a cutting edge
and keeping it sharp has always been an essential woodworking skill.
For this reason,
sharpening woodworking tools is among the first things I teach new
craftsmen. And I don't explain just how to do it. For many woodworkers
who have only been taught how to sharpen, sharpening remains a
mysterious ritual in which you anoint the sharpening stone with
honing oil and implore whatever minor deity handles such details to
please, please, please, let it be right this time. So what I teach is the
why of
sharpening – how a tool cuts the wood. Once you understand this,
sharpening becomes a simple matter of geometry: Hone a keen edge to the proper angle and shape
and you can achieve wondrous things.
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