What I anticipate will be a book to keep close at hand.
In one of Doug Stowe’s books on box making, he wrote something that resonated with me. He said:
"Hand tools are either a source of frustration or a source of great pleasure, depending on whose hands they are in. I relish the opportunity to work with hand tools but have had my share of frustration in learning to use them well."
So true. This frustration is what has kept me from totally embracing hand tools. Now that I have begun to change my ways; to embrace the use of hand tools, I have started upgrading my hand planes and chisels. As I use these tools, keeping them sharp is something I often think about. And this is where some frustration bubbles to the surface – really the feeling I get is more like apprehension.
Why? Well, like with many things in woodworking, there are a variety of ways to go about sharpening your tools; some of them involve a lot of money, and I’m not sure which one to use, and what if I made a big mistake, and when sharpening, will I do more damage than good, and – alright, deep breath, it will be OK.
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5 comments:
I will have to get the book. - but there is something about a hand tool that just seems to work. In my case it is a 1" chicle that I have had since the early eighties that is easy too keep sharp and always make a hard job easier.
Excellent review. It's become a favorite book of mine, too. Although I already understood most of the fundamentals of sharpening before I read the book, Hock took my understanding much further.
I think the chapter on the history of steel was my favorite. It gave me a new perspective on woodworking, but also on archaeology and history.
David and LW, thanks for the comments and stopping by my blog.
I just need to get over my apprehension with hand tools in general and the best way to do that is to just dive in more often.
The book is great and it will serve as a reference book for a long time.
Great review, Jeff. Thanks for sharing such a valuable book.
Great review.
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