Hesitate to ask a sharpening question

[Jim Koepke]

I have read and re-read all of your comments and would like to thank everyone. Obviously there is a lot of controversy about sharpening and I am greatly humbled by the expertise that is out there. When I am woodturning, I am sharpening all the time.
I need to have that same diligence (which has not been my practice up to now) when I am woodworking.

It doesn't seem so much a controversy as it is so many different paths to the same or equal destinations. If something is working, people have a tendency to want to stay with what works for them.

There are also some who prefer their sharpening to be very quick so they can get back to their woodworking. Then there are those who enjoy a few moments "break" to refresh an edge.

To answer your original query:

do the experienced sharpeners feel that going to 12K,15K, 30 K produces a measurable improvement in edge performance.

Surely these do refine the edge beyond an 8K stone. Then the question becomes, are they worth the expense?

Maybe an inexpensive way to see if it makes a difference in your work would be to purchase some of the finer grit abrasive films and give them a try.

jtk

[Patrick Chase]

I have read and re-read all of your comments and would like to thank everyone. Obviously there is a lot of controversy about sharpening and I am greatly humbled by the expertise that is out there. When I am woodturning, I am sharpening all the time.
I need to have that same diligence (which has not been my practice up to now) when I am woodworking.

Echoing and putting a slightly different spin on what Jim says... Everybody comes to the table with somewhat different objectives and constraints, and the solutions they find usually reflect those. Some examples:

• Steels to be sharpened. Almost any reasonable sharpening system can handle O1/HCS, but if you want to use higher-alloy/carbide steels then your choices narrow considerably.
• Subjective preferences. A lot of people hone freehand and emphasize "feel", and that guides them to certain solutions. Others have a strong preference for traditional approaches. Still others love to have the latest gadget/tool/stone.
• Budget, and specifically cost vs time sensitivity.

When you see knowledgeable and reasonable people disagree IMO you should always try to figure out where their requirements differ and how they compare to yours. I believe that's the best way to sort out which advice to take and which to pass on.

[Wendell Steele]

[ken hatch]

Let's see, this is not a quote but near the end he says something to the order of ....To be a real woodworker you have to learn to "freehand" sharpen. This said after showing using a jig to sharpen whatever iron he was sharpening. My favorite parts were the demos of using a table saw and hollow chisel mortiser, those and the sales pitch at the end. Funny video, it was a hoot to watch.

ken

[Stanley Covington]

Let's see, this is not a quote but near the end he says something to the order of ....To be a real woodworker you have to learn to "freehand" sharpen. This said after showing using a jig to sharpen whatever iron he was sharpening. My favorite parts were the demos of using a table saw and hollow chisel mortiser, those and the sales pitch at the end. Funny video, it was a hoot to watch.

ken

Mr. Steele appears to do fine work, but I don't get the point of injecting the video into the thread. What are we supposed to learn? Perhaps something about sharpening, but he went through that process on fast forward, and used a jig exclusively, as Ken pointed out. There is certainly nothing to learn about woodworking using handtools, since he used powertools exclusively except for making some shavings at the end. It was a nice toolbox, but the thread is not about toolboxes. And frankly, his use of the toolbox as sharpening station with two metal pans in the bottom to catch water will not end well.

Mr. Steele, please educate us.

Stan

[Stewie Simpson]

He doesn't look Japanese to me.

[Warren Mickley]

It is an infomercial. Link to plans for $11.95.

[Brian Holcombe]

I'm surprised that he didn't face joint the stock.

[Patrick Walsh]

I'm gonna go with the principle and recent trent toward finding a "common ground" on this one.
This guy clearly enjoys woodworking as we all do and has taken the time to devise a system in wich he can produce a really nice finished product.

The whole web sight and selling plans and this or that really turns me off as "is nothing sacred anymore" but who am i each to his own right. People could and im sure do have plenty to say about me..

[Stanley Covington]

I wish Mr. Steele would either enlighten us to how his post and video relate to the thread, or, he would not post irrelevant videos and commercial advertisements.

The story of his toolbox/sharpening station might have made an interesting thread on its own somewhere besides the Neanderthal Cave.

Stan

[William Fretwell]

With all those Canadian tools I thought he was a Canuck!

The screws took me by surprise! Nothing to do with sharpening really. I use my stones on a thin rubber mat firmly on a bench.
If you need to spend $11.95 for those plans then you really NEED to spend $11.95 for those plans!

Wish I could plane pine like that, wait...... I can!

[andy bessette]

Tough crowd!

I enjoyed watching the video. Very skilled craftsman.

My own "sharpening station" is a paint roller tray with a few Japanese water stones--nothing to compare with this guy's elaborate setup. If I take something of value away from this it is to be better organized and to consider investing some time in building something nice for my own shop use.

[Pat Barry]

The man does excellent work. I fail to see how some folks here can have an elitist attitude and start nit picking his work. Seriously. So what if the guy tries to make a little money. Personally I do watch many of his video's and usually learn something from them. If you want to complain about him using a jig or machine tools then I think you should continue with those comments on many of the other threads around here including Brians, stevens, Patricks, etc. and let them know just how you feel about their use of such things. No - he's no more Japanese than Brian or Stanley

[Patrick Chase]

Oh my goodness, that video is... awful. Everything about it is just wrong, from the use of decidedly non-traditional non-Japanese tools and methods right on down the line to the porn-y shaving money shot at 5:50 (complete with slo-mo "eject-o-vision"). I was finished after that so I didn't watch the rest.

Somebody please tell me this was posted ironically? Perhaps some Normites decided to have some fun trolling the neanders?

[Stanley Covington]

The man does excellent work. I fail to see how some folks here can have an elitist attitude and start nit picking his work. Seriously. So what if the guy tries to make a little money. Personally I do watch many of his video's and usually learn something from them. If you want to complain about him using a jig or machine tools then I think you should continue with those comments on many of the other threads around here including Brians, stevens, Patricks, etc. and let them know just how you feel about their use of such things. No - he's no more Japanese than Brian or Stanley

In all seriousness, I am confident Mr. Steel had a good reason for posting the video, and that we can learn something valuable from him. Perhaps he will also inform us of his reasons for the use of the word "samurai" too.

Kind of you to defend him, Pat, but he's a big boy. I suggest we wait for him to clarify his points.