During the last 25 years, all my sharpening processes have become simpler. And use much less gear. This has made me faster, and my edges are just as excellent.
This evolution is most evident in the way I sharpen scrapers. I was taught the first step was to file the edge at a perfect 90°. Then stone away the scratches. This is completely unnecessary (unless you tried to scrape concrete with your tool). Instead, you can simply use a burnisher to turn the hook vertical and stone it away.
The second huge change also involves the burnisher. I was taught to polish both faces of the scraper to create a durable tool. This is also totally unnecessary. You can use your burnish to polish the face – right up where it needs to be polished.
Both of these tips are shown in this quick video.
My new video “Sharpen This (the Video)” is filled with small tips and tricks such as these that (I hope) will get you back to work a little faster.
When I finally got the honor of being Frank Klausz’s editor, I was curious as to what sort of manuscript he would turn in. I was curious because I had read almost everything out there with Klausz’s byline on it.
Some of his stories sounded just like he talks. With his Hungarian accent, his pacing and his refreshing bluntness intact. Other stories sounded like Klausz had just graduated from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
The manuscript arrived by mail. It was two pages, hand-typed and single-spaced. The text immediately brought a smile to my face because it was pure Klausz. Graceful but firm. No adverbs or complex sentence structures.
I handed it to a junior editor to input the text and clean up any errant typos. A few hours later, he showed up at my desk with an unsure look on his face.
“This manuscript needs a lot of work,” he said. “I might not get it back to you for a couple days.”
Seriously? Two typewritten pages? It should be done before you head home.
“The sentences are just so weird,” he said. “I basically need to rewrite the whole thing so it makes sense.”
You want to rewrite Klausz? So he makes sense? Just type it in, and I’ll do the edit.
I barely changed a word of the manuscript, and I was done with the story before I went home that night.
When it comes to editing, I try to take the lightest hand possible. The goal is to preserve the writer’s voice and even amplify it by removing redundant words and phrases that slow things down.
This is not always possible. Some people simply cannot write in a straight line. The text is circular, like a mandala. And every point they make has three digressions. Or they suffer from explaining things in minute detail for the first half of the manuscript. And then run out of patience for the second (3,000 words on stock prep. And then “…simply build all the doors and drawers. Add your favorite finish. The end”).
I send these writers a copy of “On Writing Well” by William Zinsser (used copies are $1) and ask them to follow this book like it was a holy text.
My approach isn’t the dominant one in woodworking publishing. Most editors try to make the writer’s text as easy to digest as possible – thinking they are doing a service to the reader. What they have really done is taken a Cuban sandwich and reduced it to Zwieback.
Though it makes me crazy, I know that some readers appreciate this sort of editing.
When I first met the editors of Woodsmith magazine, I was excited to talk to them about their editorial process. They managed to convey immense amounts of information into a small space. Plus they didn’t take advertisements (back in the day). And they had an immensely loyal subscriber base – the most loyal, in fact.
The Woodsmith editors were really nice and open about how they worked. One of the junior editors then remarked: “Well, first you have to learn to speak Don.”
What?
The founder of Woodsmith, Don Peschke, is a bit of a legend in woodworking publishing (ask him about his hot tub). And when new editors came on board they had to learn to write like Don Peschke wrote. So that the entire magazine sounded like Don Peschke.
Oh, so that’s why they didn’t have bylines on their stories.
I totally get their approach. You want to do everything you can to help the reader digest complex technical information. Removing a language barrier is one way to do it.
But not me. I think of visiting Frank Klausz in his shop one time when he was railing against some video he had seen on sharpening.
“I would not sell that,” he exclaimed, “to a monkey.”
Because of the positive reaction to our “Build a Stick Chair” video, we decided to produce a new video on sharpening woodworking tools that delves even further into the topic than our new book “Sharpen This.”
“Sharpen This (the Video)” is a 2-1/2-hour long video companion to our “Sharpen This” book. But because the video medium is so good at showing body motion, we decided to keep expanding the video through 2023. What does that mean?
The video we are releasing today covers all you need to know to sharpen bench tools. Grinding, honing, polishing – the works. But during the next year we will release 20 additional videos that cover the more unusual tools, from scorps to fishtail chisels.
Anyone who purchases the video (from now into the future) will also receive these 20 new videos as they are released (you will be notified of new videos via email).
“Sharpen This (the Video)” has an introductory price of $50 until Oct. 31, 2022. That’s the entire 2-1/2-hour video, plus access to the 20 upcoming sharpening videos. After Oct. 31, the video will be $75.
— Christopher Schwarz
About the Video
Sharpening your tools is simple. And easy. So why do so many woodworkers struggle with it?
One huge reason is the enormous amount of misinformation, needless consumerism and piles of unnecessary (and expensive!) equipment.
The new video “Sharpen This” takes you back to what is important: Getting a good edge that will leave shimmering wooden surfaces with a minimum amount of fuss, sharpening grits or gear.
Most sharpening information these days comes from people who make sharpening equipment. Or from passionate amateurs who have tried to turn it into a science. Host Christopher Schwarz is a furniture maker who sells his work for money. His approach is to create durable edges (in usually 3 minutes or less) that will create perfect surfaces on your work.
The 2-1/2-hour long video explains the entire world of sharpening so you can pick a sharpening system (they all work), sharpen your edges quickly and get back to the good part: woodworking.
In addition to the video, buyers will receive an additional 20 videos throughout 2023 that show you how to sharpen tricky tools (such as marking knives, scorps and fishtail chisels). Plus tips on how to sharpen faster and better while ignoring the immense amount of sharpening BS that clogs the internet.
Contents of Sharpen This (The Video) Introduction 1:26 What is Sharp? 12:59 What Sharpens Tools? 8:59 My Personal Kit 8:48 Set Up a New Tool 22:58 Grinding 24:20 Hone & Polish 27:21 Flattening Stones 4:24 Hand Sharpening 12:07 Sharpen Scrapers 7:33 Moulding Planes 5:05 Reverse the Operations 13:15
Future Videos that Will be Included in this Series Marking Knives and Marking Gauges Scorps Spade & Auger Bits Shop Knives & Pocket Knives Spokeshaves Gunstock Scrapers & Chair Devils Dividers, Awls & Planing Stops The Terrible Flattening Brick The Edge on Up Sharpness Tester And more….
The lipstick making machine that Katherine uses to make Soft Wax 2.0 has been on the fritz. One of the toggle switches started to feel mushy-mushy. Then the heating element wouldn’t turn on.
When it comes to machines and tools, I find that switches are the weakest link. So I took apart the machine’s control panel and found that the toggle switch had melted from the inside.
I could replace the toggle, but I wanted someone else to examine the components to make sure they were sound. Enter Eric Applegate, a local man of many talents. One of the many things he does is build and rebuild machines. And he has a candle-making business.
So he and his daughter stopped by to evaluate our machine. It’s all good news. The components are good. The manufacturer simply used the cheapest switch available. So now Katherine is back in business. She just made up a batch of Soft Wax 2.0 and posted it in her etsy store.
Notes on the finish: This is the finish I use on my chairs. I adore it. Katherine cooks it up here in the machine room using a waterless process. She then packages it in a tough glass jar with a metal screw-top lid. She applies her hand-designed label to each lid, boxes up the jars and ships them in a durable cardboard mailer. The money she makes from wax helps her make ends meet at college. Instructions for the wax are below.
Instructions for Soft Wax 2.0 Soft Wax 2.0 is a safe finish for bare wood that is incredibly easy to apply and imparts a beautiful low luster to the wood.
The finish is made by cooking raw, organic linseed oil (from the flax plant) and combining it with cosmetics-grade beeswax and a small amount of a citrus-based solvent. The result is that this finish can be applied without special safety equipment, such as a respirator. The only safety caution is to dry the rags out flat you used to apply before throwing them away. (All linseed oil generates heat as it cures, and there is a small but real chance of the rags catching fire if they are bunched up while wet.)
Soft Wax 2.0 is an ideal finish for pieces that will be touched a lot, such as chairs, turned objects and spoons. The finish does not build a film, so the wood feels like wood – not plastic. Because of this, the wax does not provide a strong barrier against water or alcohol. If you use it on countertops or a kitchen table, you will need to touch it up every once in a while. Simply add a little more Soft Wax to a deteriorated finish and the repair is done – no stripping or additional chemicals needed.
Soft Wax 2.0 is not intended to be used over a film finish (such as lacquer, shellac or varnish). It is best used on bare wood. However, you can apply it over a porous finish, such as milk paint.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS (VERY IMPORTANT): Applying Soft Wax 2.0 is so easy if you follow the simple instructions. On bare wood, apply a thin coat of soft wax using a rag, applicator pad, 3M gray pad or steel wool. Allow the finish to soak in about 15 minutes. Then, with a clean rag or towel, wipe the entire surface until it feels dry. Do not leave any excess finish on the surface. If you do leave some behind, the wood will get gummy and sticky.
The finish will be dry enough to use in a couple hours. After a couple weeks, the oil will be fully cured. After that, you can add a second coat (or not). A second coat will add more sheen and a little more protection to the wood.
Soft Wax 2.0 is made in small batches in Kentucky. Each glass jar contains 8 oz. of soft wax, enough for about five chairs.
I am happy to tell you that my daughter Katherine is now selling the following stickers in her etsy shop. This sticker set features three images on 100-percent waterproof vinyl material. The stickers are sold as a set. We cannot sell individual stickers (sorry).
The Return of “Sharpen This”
One of our most popular (and notorious) stickers was this image of a bony hand making a gesture superimposed on a sharpening stone. With the publication of the new book, “Sharpen This,” we received a lot of requests for the sticker. We decided to go even further. This sticker fits on the cover of “Sharpen This” book and covers its diestamp. So your sticker becomes the image on the cover.
Build Instead of Buy
This sticker combines two of our favorite things. The expression “Build Instead of Buy” is the ethos behind “The Anarchist’s Design Book.” The image is the first known pictorial representation of a stick chair. It’s a 12th or 13th century drawing from a Welsh book of laws. It also proves that stick chairs predated Windsor chairs by at least 300 years.
Rest for the Weary
We also brought back one of our favorite stickers that is based on an image I modified from a banner of the Fancy Chair-makers. Illustration from the Memoir prepared for the celebration of the completion of the Erie Canal by Cadwallader D. Colden, 1825. Instead of a fancy chair, I put in a silhouette of my favorite stick chair from St Fagans.
The stickers ship out in an envelope. Domestic orders are $10 with shipping included. They ship USPS first class. International orders ($12 with shipping included) go airmail.
