Sharpening

with Chris Gochnour

Whether you choose a low-angle or standard plane, an initial tune-up makes all the difference

by Scott Gibson

by Chris Gochnour

by William Duckworth

If you haven't had sharpening success or want to explore a new method, try honing your blade on granite with a water and silicon-carbide slurry. The method is economical ...

by Aimé Ontario Fraser

This article compares the attributes of nine common honing systems to determine which method produces the sharpest results: diamond stones, Arkansas stones, wet-or-dry ...

by Jefferson Kolle

Sharpening techniques that work for one person might not work for another, so Jefferson Kolle trailed three New England woodworkers to get their secrets on honing ...

by Michael Dunbar

To make the cutting job easy and to achieve the best results, you need to use sharp tools, Mike Dunbar writes. There are many ways to sharpen, and it’s a skill ...

by Fred Wilder

Former Seabee Fred Wilder explains how to sharpen a handsaw – what tools you need, how to straighten, joint, and set the saw, and how to file the teeth to sharp ...

by Stephen Winchester

Stephen Winchester leaves his sharpening tools at home and uses sandpaper to sharpen dull tools when he travels to a job site. He uses a belt sander, a sheet of ...

by Monroe Robinson

If you’re using a well-prepared, thin scraper, you can get a surface as fine as you’d get from 400-grit paper – smooth, satiny, lustrous. Furnituremaker and sawyer ...

by William Tandy Young

William Tandy Young says waterstones cut more quickly and efficiently than oilstones, and the finish they leave on a tool’s edge is more consistent. He uses synthetic ...

by Ken Donnell

Even the most dedicated woodworker can spend a lifetime perfecting his or her tool-sharpening skills. Shaping standard twist bits is simple and fast, says Ken Donnell, ...

by Harold H. Payson

Harold H. Payson remembers a time before circular saws, when the handsaw that cut fast and true to the line without biding or rattling in its kerf was admired and ...

by Michael S. Podmaniczky

Michael S. Podmaniczky discusses the steps necessary to take a chisel or plane iron from dull to sharp: establishing the bevel on the bench grinder, and sharpening ...

by Paul Bertorelli

Wash Adams, Doug Polette, and John Leeke discuss repairing and making your own bandsaw blades. They say you don’t need welding equipment, either, just a propane ...