The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]
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The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]
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Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]
#2Not a bad read. Looks like it's got a lot of technique(s) and basics. Could probably use some updates on materials and tooling for higher end (modern/powder metallurgical) steels.
Knowing how to sharpen your tools is something just about everyone should learn. Almost all of us have at least a kitchen knofe that needs attention.
Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]
#3Not a bad read. Looks like it's got a lot of technique(s) and basics. Could probably use some updates on materials and tooling for higher end (modern/powder metallurgical) steels. Knowing how to sharpen your tools is something just about everyone should learn. Almost all of us have at least a kitchen knofe that needs attention.
Nice. I learned this "at the knee" from my grandfather and father. A few things in no particular order... This skill takes practice, the sharpening systems only help to get the angle consistent; you'll be happier if you learn to do it without one, practice on knives and especially scissors you don't care too much about first, you'll need a few stones and probably end up with several before you find the ones that work best for you and your edges, razor-sharp is over-rated except for skinning, wood planes and chisels and it's harder to maintain; working-sharp is plenty.
Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]
#4Not a bad read. Looks like it's got a lot of technique(s) and basics. Could probably use some updates on materials and tooling for higher end (modern/powder metallurgical) steels. Knowing how to sharpen your tools is something just about everyone should learn. Almost all of us have at least a kitchen knofe that needs attention.
Nice. I learned this "at the knee" from my grandfather and father. A few things in no particular order... This skill takes practice, the sharpening systems only help to get the angle consistent; you'll be happier if you learn to do it without one, practice on knives and especially scissors you don't care too much about first, you'll need a few stones and probably end up with several before you find the ones that work…
> razor-sharp is over-rated except for skinning, wood planes and chisels
Razor-sharp is quite useful for razors. It's much safer to shave with a razor-sharp razor than a dull one.
Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]
#5Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nice. I learned this "at the knee" from my grandfather and father. A few things in no particular order... This skill takes practice, the sharpening systems only help to get the angle consistent; you'll be happier if you learn to do it without one, practice on knives and especially scissors you don't care too much about first, you'll need a few stones and probably end up with several before you find the ones that work…
> razor-sharp is over-rated except for skinning, wood planes and chisels Razor-sharp is quite useful for razors. It's much safer to shave with a razor-sharp razor than a dull one.
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Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]
#6Not a bad read. Looks like it's got a lot of technique(s) and basics. Could probably use some updates on materials and tooling for higher end (modern/powder metallurgical) steels. Knowing how to sharpen your tools is something just about everyone should learn. Almost all of us have at least a kitchen knofe that needs attention.
Nice. I learned this "at the knee" from my grandfather and father. A few things in no particular order... This skill takes practice, the sharpening systems only help to get the angle consistent; you'll be happier if you learn to do it without one, practice on knives and especially scissors you don't care too much about first, you'll need a few stones and probably end up with several before you find the ones that work…
Or you can buy a jig like Spyderco Sharpmaker and have a razor-sharp edge in 5 minutes.
Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]
#7Years ago, when I lived in Seattle, I remember meeting an old Japanese blacksmith. I found him when I was looking to buy some of the pull-style hand saws, but when I met him to pick up the wares, it turned into a bit of a social call.
He must've been around 80 or so, lived by himself in a house that was half home half workshop. Got into talking about saws and chisels and blades and sharpening, complete with a Mr.Miyagi-esque riddle of "what does it mean to cut something?"
I walked out of there having learned how to quickly and effectively sharpen a blade -- hold a steady angle consistent with the rough grind of the edge, push into the grain of the stone, and remove the burr. Seeing that in this book brought this memory back :)
Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]
#8I bought this book years ago, and found the information interesting and useful. But it's also a shill for their products. Annoyingly, I found the home jig for knives and chisels extremely fiddly. You have to adjust 4 separate set screws (allen screws) to install the jig (mount it on a knife or chisel), and you have to do it twice: once for the coarse stone and one for the fine stone. I eventually switched to EdgePro equipment for kitchen knives, and I use a Veritas system jig with an 'ordinary' diamond stone for chisels and plane blades in the shop.
Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]
#9I happen to own a paper copy of this book, and as usual for sharpening books, they throw in a chapter on axes as an afterthought. Sharpening an ax is different enough from most other sharpening that you should get a specialized text for it. It's not that difficult or terribly specialized, but knife sharpeners always seem to want to apply the ideas of knife sharpening to axes, which isn't quite right all the time.
Two books I recommend for axes are "One Moving Part", the USFS ax manual, probably the best (only?) work that they ever did:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/t-d/pubs/pdfpubs/pdf18232812P/1823-2...
And "The Ax Book" by Dudley Cook, which you'll have to buy a paper copy of. (I don't suggest you round the corners of your axes as he suggests though)
The old USFS ax manual, "An Ax to Grind", even had a companion video which you can find on youtube, though if you're new to sharpening the instructions could be more clear IMO:
Re: The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening (1985) [pdf]
#10I love this. It's a book about craftsmanship and the philosophy of excellence and knife sharpening is almost incidental (it takes a while to find the part that actually says how to sharpen stuff).
This kind of trade craftsmanship is rare these days but the lessons apply to any kind of productive pursuit.