Those of us Neanderthals sharpen our hand tools very frequently, especially plane blades and chisels, saws less often. It is the only way to get the best results.
With the time spent and frequency it is most convenient to have a dedicated spot. My previous spot was too low and moved when used. It is also a somewhat messy procedure best kept off the bench.
With an abundance of poplar to use I was able to make the legs and stretchers large for dimensional stability, lots of large tenons to pound home:
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Bought a granite off cut and had the edges finished. To support it as evenly as possible I used the method of circles to produce 3 support points with the front being the closest.
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This gave me the locations for support pads on rests.. Despite this there was still an 8 thou sag in the middle, granite is not as flat as it looks!
Some stain, varnish and a drawer later:
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As sharp tools often result in nicks it helps to have Band Aids handy, where better than where you sharpen?
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So for those of you yet to sharpen something, the work station looks like this:
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I can stand at three sides and attach a saw sharpening jig on an edge when needed. Good light is essential.