Name Aspen
Location Western North America
Texture/Grain Medium/Closed
Specific Gravity 0.38
Hardness Very Soft
Strength Very Weak
T/R Stability 8.7/3.5%

 

Guide

Woodworking
Know-How

Woodworking
Tools

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Sharpening
(You are here.)

1. How a Tool
Cuts Wood

2. Sharpening
Know-How

3. Sharpening
Tools & Materials

4. Sharpening
Chisels & Plane Irons

5. Sharpening
Skews & Gouges

6. Sharpening
Parting Tools

7. Sharpening
Knives

8. Sharpening
Hand Saws

9. Sharpening
Drill Bits

10. Sharpening
Scrapers

11. Touching Up
High Speed Cutters

12. Sharpening
Resources

        

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here is no better woodworking experience than working with a truly sharp tool — and no more frustrating experience than working with a dull one. Dull tools require more work and produce poor results. They are unsafe and difficult to control. Consequently, sharpening a cutting edge and keeping it sharp has always been an essential woodworking skill.

For this reason, sharpening woodworking tools is among the first things I teach new craftsmen. And I don't explain just how to do it. For many woodworkers who have only been taught how to sharpen, sharpening remains a mysterious ritual in which you anoint  the sharpening stone with honing oil and implore whatever minor deity handles such details to please, please, please, let it be right this time. So what I teach is the why of sharpening – how a tool cuts the wood. Once you understand this, sharpening becomes a simple matter of geometry: Hone a keen edge to the proper angle and shape and you can achieve wondrous things.

Contents
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1. How a Tool Cuts Wood
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A Definition of Cutting

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Cutting Edge Geometry

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Growing Dull: Changing Geometry

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2. Sharpening Know-How
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Hone a Keen Edge

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Restore the Tool Angle

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Grind the Proper Shape

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Microbevels

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3. Sharpening Tools & Materials
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Hand Sharpening Tools

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Sharpening Materials (Chart)

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4. Sharpening Chisels & Plane Irons
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Sharpening a Straight Edge

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5. Sharpening Skews & Gouges
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Sharpening a Skew Chisel

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Sharpening a Gouge

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6. Sharpening Parting Tools
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Sharpening a Parting Tool

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7. Sharpening Knives
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Sharpening a Knife

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8. Sharpening Hand Saws
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Sharpening a Hand Saw

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Hand Saw Sharpening Guides

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9. Sharpening Drill Bits
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Sharpening an Auger Bit

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Sharpening a Spade Bit

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Sharpening a Brad-Point Bit

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Sharpening a Forstner Bit

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Drill Bit Sharpening Guide (Jig)

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10. Sharpening Scrapers
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Sharpening a Shave Hook

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Sharpening a Hand Scraper

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11. Touching-Up High Speed Cutters
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Touching-Up Jointer and Planer Knives

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Touching-Up Router Bits and Shaper Cutters

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12. Sharpening Resources
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Books

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Courses

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Videos and DVDs

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Links

 

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 "Abundant to all the needs of man, how poor the world would be without wood."
Eric Sloane in Reverence for Wood

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