Lie-Nielsen Toolworks has just posted its fall schedule of Hand Tool Events – eight free events held all over the country where you can learn to sharpen any woodworking tool from people who are eager to teach you.
The Lie-Nielsen crew won’t try to sell you anything – this is not like going for a test drive at a car dealership. Instead, they will take as much time as necessary to show you the basic principles of sharpening and coach you on the process.
All you have to do is show up and admit to yourself that you could use the help. I promise that one free lesson will make a huge difference in your woodworking.
Also, if you are in the Midwest, feel free to come get a free sharpening lesson at our Lost Art Press storefront in Covington, Ky., during our open days this fall. We’re open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 9, Oct. 14, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9.
Again, I won’t try to sell you anything (I don’t sell sharpening equipment and we don’t publish a book on sharpening). But I’ll be happy to give you a personal lesson for free.
— Christopher Schwarz
Want to read my “Sharpen This” series? Check it out here.
Darn, I don’t know why I didn’t ask you to help me learn to sharpen while I was there. I’ll just have to drive back up there.
I have gone to the Lie Nielsen events for the past two years (and will go again this year). I can attest to the fact they don’t push anything. Not only will they teach you sharpening, they will show you how to use any of their tools. These skills are applicable to any of the classic Stanley tools as well. If you are introverted or don’t know what to ask, just stand there as someone else will ask something and it becomes a mini teaching class. There is absolutely no pressure at all to buy anything. It’s a fun event and I look forward to it all year.
All true.
I was at a Lie Nielsen event at Jeff Miller’s in Chicago and the crew gave me several great tips and didn’t try to sell me anything.
(They didn’t have to. I was an eager beaver haha. Man, the allowance went fast that day.)
Eric
These events look like a lot of fun, though I wish they would come a little further south than Nashville & further east than Austin.
Every season is different. If you want a show in your area, reach out to Lie-Nielsen and volunteer to help them find a location and an audience. That works!
Good point, though I don’t live in a moderate sized metropolitan area so I’d still have to drive somewhere.
They do come further east and south. They have been in Charleston for the past 3 years at least. February last year and April the two years before. They just don’t come in the fall.
I’ve seen that but for me, Nashville is closer than Charleston.
I’ve been to several of their events and one in Pennsylvania was very quiet (as opposed to the one in Brooklyn which was a madhouse…in a good way. Great to see that activity). Deneb was there and he spent about half an hour alone with me showing me proper techniques and practices. It was fantastic. Great bunch of people at Lie-Nielsen.
You’ve given up entirely on emails. But you say, Dr. Schwarz, you’re offering free [FREE!] personal sharpening lessons? Well, okay then, we will start organizing daily guided group tours to the Covington storefront. Heh.
Dr. Schwarz is my dad.
We’re open the second Tuesday of every month. Come on by and we’ll both learn something.