Toolbox: The Lost Art of Sharpening

Sharpening is somewhat of a lost art. Many carpenters prefer to send out all their cutting tools to a sharpening service. I think it makes sense to send out saw blades and power plane knives. But unless you’re blessed with a second set of tools, it’s much more convenient to sharpen chisels and plane irons yourself. A set of whetstones should be close at hand on the job site, so you can hone your blades as they’re used. If you keep a true edge on your blades all the time, you won’t have to make a marathon session out of grinding and sharpening every month, which is what will drive you to the sharpening service. Grinding and honing doesn’t require a