On planing boards
· 2 min read
Between planing boards and milling lumber, the second one taught me more. The result is not perfect, but it is honest. If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about sharpening.
Odds and ends
Somewhere between the woodland and home, the notion finally made sense. Below are a few jottings, roughly in the order I found out them. Hand tools are slower, quieter and strangely calming. The sturdy part is seldom the hard part; consistency is.
Oil finishes are forgiving, easy to repair and age beautifully. The oiled part is seldom the hard part; consistency is. Between cutting dovetails and sharpening, the second one taught me more.
Second thoughts
There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. I keep a short list of things to try next; cutting dovetails is near the top. Most of the work happens before any cutting starts. If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about oak.
Good furniture should last longer than the person who made it. The workbench is the first project and never the last. I keep a short list of things to try next; sharpening is near the top. I wrote most of this on a hushed Monday morning. You can get unexpectedly far with a bow saw and some patience.
- Ask someone at the woodland
- Keep a chisel set within reach
- Revisit sharpening after a week
Lessons
There is no single right way to approach sharpening, but some ways are kinder than others. Looking back, the oiled approach was the right call. The shift showed up bit by bit, then all at once. It is easy to overthink sharpening. It is harder to just start.
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