[OP]
Contributor
How many hand tools in your shop that are sharp e.g. arm hair shaving or will be again at next sharpening?
I count 92, mostly Japanese but 14 western planes, shaves, draw knives, etc.
Not including utility knives, marking gauges, glue chisels, power tools. I don't have a lathe so none of those either. Another dozen or so in work truck.
Contributor
I have no idea. But probably less than 50, even if you counted chisels. I try not to collect tools that I don't often use. But most of my tools have a sharp edge, seeing as I'm a primarily hand tool woodworker.
Contributor
I don't think I have as many as 92 pounds of them, if you don't count the plane bodies, but here are a couple of chisel toolboxes. These don't include the timber framing chisels or carving chisels that are in other toolboxes. HVAC scale.
Last edited by Tom M King; 12-18-2023 at 10:21 AM.
Contributor
Counting my planes was given up at ~60. Since then many more have been acquired. Then there are the combination planes with as many as 50 blades each. A pretty good set of hollows and rounds and other molding planes.How many hand tools in your shop that are sharp e.g. arm hair shaving or will be again at next sharpening?
It is likely that more planes have come into my shop and left with a new owner than many people have in their shop.
Then there are the chisels & gouges…
A couple of my hatchets & an axe might be sharp enough to shave arm hair.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
More than I want to count
[OP]
Contributor
Originally Posted by Jim Koepke
Have you sharpened a whole set of blades for combination planes, or as needed? That would be a labor of love to have a whole set that are really sharp since many are probably rarely or never used.
Another question could be:
What percentage of your edge tools are in sharp, working condition?
Contributor
Most of the tools in my day to day kit are shaving sharp. But that's because it's how I left them. I tend to strop as I go, so nothing really ever gets dull. The only exception are tools that will need grinding. Those wait until I have a bunch to do.
DC
Contributor
I have sharpened at least one full set of plow blades and most of the beading blades. More than one of my sets of plow blades have many sharp blades.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
Same here. Every one of my tools is sharp. I always sharpen them when I first buy them, store them sharp, and then resharpen them after each use. Even if I just take a couple of shavings, I'll still leave the tool out for sharpening at the end of the day before putting it back. I might just swipe it on the strop a few times, but I won't ignore it. I like having everything ready to go. The downside is, it can take me an hour or more to clean up and sharpen all of my tools when I'm done working for the day, so I have to factor that in to my schedule.
Contributor
If it's not sharp, I don't consider it as a tool.
I have many old chisels that need rehab and sharpening but as of now, they're just steel, not tools.
All of my normal use tools are always kept sharp
Contributor
When I had a couple of helpers, they had a standing order that when I was working on something by myself and they needed something to do to clean up and when that was done to sharpen chisels. I have a lot of sharp chisels. They had a hard time reading a tape measure, but thought sharpening chisels was fun.
[OP]
Contributor
Good point of view.
[OP]
Contributor
That's a lot of sharpening! I think my daily user planes go a month or two between sharpenings, and there are lots of chisels, so if one is not sharp enough, there are others. They get sharpened in batches a couple of times a year.
Member
A whole bunch! Funny thing, I saw a turner dull his skew chisel on the lathe bed. He took it to a 60 grit CBN wheel to resharpen the edge, stropped it, and then shaved his arm. Most of mine have a finer edge than that though...
robo hippy
Contributor
I can't really give a good answer here. I do have a box of 'steel' that needs a lot of rehab to become tools again. However, I am also pretty new at this and suspect I have a number of tools I haven't sharpened since three plateaus ago. When I find those tools (ahem, 4 1/2 Bailey) I ask myself if I really need to keep this tool at all.
At my current sharpening skill plateau I know I have my carcass saw, two chisels at 1 inch width, my block plane, 2 card scrapers, and 3 Baileys, #s 3, 6 and 8, and an 11 point crosscut saw. Everything else in my shop is at least one plateau in sharpening skill behind the present.
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