Yet another sharpening question

[Andrew Seemann]

Interesting, and I think it speaks to what I'm getting at.

It seems Paul often hints at the notion that, the focus on precision flatness in tools is a fairly modern thing and not as critical as the web might make one think. I'm playing with a few planes I picked up very inexpensively at a flea market recently. I'm looking at the cutting edge of the blade on one and the back is quite rough, and the bevel is all over the place. It's also almost worn down to the slot, so if nothing else, this tool was used extensively. Was this tool used to produce fine work with an approach to maintenance that's less finicky than today's but still very effective? Did it only ever produce results that as you suggest were not to a high standard?

Bit of a tangent, not trying to stir the pot or get specific restoration tips here- just an example and I'm still curious about where the line is between the precision tuning and fettling in articles and videos, and just how much of that, if any, was ever being done 50 or 100 or more years ago (when beautiful furniture was clearly being made by hand, one way or another.)

(If it matters, my education is in fine art and my professional background is software engineering...puts me a bit at odds when evaluating anything like this)

If you take a close look at a lot of examples of "old world craftsmanship", you tend to see a lot of examples of things that are not perfectly flat, square, even, etc. For example, I am into historical harpsichords, not a common interest I realize, and when you look closely at revered examples from history, you see some surfaces looking like they are straight from the hatchet (because they are), uneven thicknesses, tear out, joints in keyplates, knots smack in the middle of the bridge, and the like. However, the overall visual effect of the instrument appearance is stunning and the sound is beautiful. But a current day buyer of an instrument made like that would send it back because it was "poor quality" Even though those "defects" had no bearing on the original instrument or its capabilities.

For whatever reason, in modern woodworking, people doing hand tool work seem to want to emulate the (unnecessary) precision of machine work, and people doing machine work want to imitate the (unnecessary) quirks of handwork. To paraphrase Ringo, "It's crazy"

To answer your question directly, I highly doubt people of yesteryear who made their living with their tools fiddled and fettled them as much as hobbyists of today do. Some probably did, but most, not likely. The tools that I inherited from relatives that were cabinet makers and carpenters 50 -100 years ago certainly didn't have that level of "perfection" They just tuned them up as well as they needed to do the job and that was it.