Reply To: Sharpening…really?
Welcome! / Forums / General Woodworking Discussions / Tools and Tool Maintenance/Restoration / Sharpening…really? / Reply To: Sharpening…really?
Serhiy,
An interesting method indeed. It’s very innovative and it strikes me that it would automatically build in a camber on the edge since it’s being pivoted from the fixed point. Thanks for sharing the video. I love seeing the results of the creative minds of woodworkers. The problem I have with this, as with most other jig sharpening methods is the investment in time it takes to set up. The longer it takes a woodworker to set up his blades and irons for sharpening, the less time he spends actually working wood. Also, the more time it takes to set up and the more time it takes to actually sharpen our tools, the less likely we are to do it. This becomes a problem when we try to stretch the edge just a little bit past the point where it’s cutting effectively. This affects the quality of our work and decreases our safety. I am a woodworker who errs on the side of sharpening more frequently rather than less. If I notice any degradation in the ability of my edges tools to cut, I immediately go back to my sharpening routine. Once I start introducing jigs and fixtures it increases the amount of time it takes to sharpen blades and reduces my enthusiasm for sharpening my tools. Just yesterday I found myself sharpening 3 gouges, 5 plane irons, 7 chisels in the middle of a project. This took me away from my work for longer than I wanted, but I was thankful that it took me no more time than necessary to get them all sharpened. If If I had to set up each and every blade with some kind of jig it would’ve greatly increased the amount of time I spent sharpening all of these tools. As for your point that the bevel is changed slightly with each freehand sharpening session, I don’t disagree. However, I am of the same mind as Paul that the exact angle at which your blade sharpened is not as critical as being able to sharpen it effectively and quickly. It makes no REAL difference whether I sharpen my plane iron to 30°, 28°, or 32°. The slight variation is inconsequential as long as the iron is very sharp. The fact that we choose say 30° as the “correct” angle for plane iron is more a matter of tradition then of some precise scientific calculation. That’s not to say that it’s arbitrary, but our ancestors didn’t have precise scientific studies to find the optimal blade angle. My advice to a friend would be that he master a freehand sharpening method and not worry so much about the exact bevel angle on any particular tool. I think the savings s/he would find in time are well worth taking the time and effort to learn what I feel is the vastly superior method of sharpening freehand. Whatever you decide I wish you the best of luck. Happy woodworking!!