Sharpening

There 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.