Highland Woodworking has published my “Sharpen This – the Hand-tool Backlash” speech that I gave at the Lie-Nielsen Open House a couple years ago. You can read the whole thing in Highland’s newsletter here.
(Note: You can subscribe to the free newsletter here and also read all the back issues.)
Chris Bagby at Highland asked if I would tweak a few sentences of the speech to take it from an R rating to a solid PG. But he didn’t ask me to pull any punches. So now the speech is an article called “Sharpen Up or Shut Up.” It’s basically the same speech but without a few Bozo-no-no words and my Southern preacher imitation.
Check it out. And if you like it, you might like the short series I wrote for the blog (also free). You can check that out here.
Thanks to everyone who donated money to help toolmaker Rob Hanson recover after losing everything to the recent Camp Fire in California. Your donations to this raffle raised $4,040 that went directly to Rob – no middleman.
The winner was Wolfram Herzog, who was a student in my most recent class on building a staked stool in Munich, Germany.
I am always amazed at the generosity of the people in our craft. Thanks so much for helping a fellow woodworker and toolmaker recover from an unspeakable tragedy.
I will be one of the demonstrators at Fine Woodworking Live on April 26-28, 2019, along with four other Lost Art Press authors – Christian Becksvoort, Matt Bickford, Peter Galbert and Nancy Hiller.
As you would expect from FWW, the roster of teachers is top-notch – check it out here. I am honored, humbled and entirely nervous about the whole thing. Will I be able to make eye contact? Will I inadvertently rub my nipples during my demonstration? Will Steve Latta call me out as a fraud?
I’ll be happy to discuss the topic of my class when it is announced. For now, however, mum is the word.
Surprise, it’s Fine Woodworking
I’m sure that some readers will be surprised that I’m signing on with Fine Woodworking. But to be honest, most of the woodworking press has hung together during the last couple decades. We were not in competition with each other as much as we were in competition with extinction.
Plus, I’ve always admired Fine Woodworking. It was the first woodworking magazine that I read back in 1993. And, also out of respect, we always tried to take Popular Woodworking in its own direction.
So will you start seeing my byline in Fine? I can’t say. I’ve been approached by several magazines about contributing to their pages. And I have not said “yes” to any of them. What I have said is that I don’t want to jump in bed immediately after leaving Popular Woodworking as a contributing editor (my tenure ends on Dec. 31). Also, I don’t think that my writing these days would suit an advertising-based magazine.
Some magazines (not FWW) have pressed me a bit. One magazine said: We are ready to try something really different. What ideas do you have?
I sent them a proposal for seven-part series I have been working on for many months about setting up a workshop. It’s good enough to be a book, but I think it should start as a magazine series. Here was their response.
Crickets.
So I suspect that my series will end up as a serial on the blog (such as “Sharpen This”) or a book. Stay tuned.
Not to be outdone by her sticker-selling sister, Katherine has just cooked up a big batch of soft wax and it is now available in her etsy store for $24 per 8 oz. jar.
This fall, Katy has made significant improvements to her soft-wax production process. You can read about them in detail here. Bottom line: She eliminated water from the process, she reduced the price per ounce and she improved the packaging – it now ships in durable glass jars with screw-on lids.
What is Soft Wax?
Katherine’s recipe started based on research done by Derek Jones in England on a high-solvent wax made using beeswax, mineral spirits and turpentine. While Katherine still uses those same basic ingredients, she’s adjusted the formula during the last few years to ensure all the solvent is combined with the wax.
Soft wax can be used on raw wood. It is particularly nice on the interiors of drawers where it imparts a pleasant smell and leaves a smooth, tactile surface.
It also can be used over other finishes, such as oil, shellac or similar film finishes. It is easy to apply because it is soft compared to paste wax. It flashes quickly because of its high solvent content. And it is easy to buff.
Soft wax is not a durable stand-alone finish. It is suitable for covering other finishes. And for finishing items that don’t see abuse – turnings, shelving, chairs.
People who own antiques like to use soft wax over old finishes that have deteriorated. It doesn’t repair old finishes. But it does add a soft sheen to finishes that have deteriorated.
We also use it on metalwork for Crucible Tool, where it helps protect steel from rusting and gives the metal a smooth feel.
Do not use soft wax as a skin lotion or beard balm – turpentine is an irritant to many people. Soft wax is for wood and metal.
For 15 years I shared my sharpening stones with my students. Now, my stones hide beneath my bench. Why?
Students tried to turn my sharpening stones into tacos.
Sharpeners who are beginners (or indifferent) tend to work only the middle of a sharpening stone. This activity quickly turns a flat stone into a soup bowl. After a few sharpenings, the stone becomes 100 percent unreliable. And when you go to flatten this stone, you are in for a workout.
So I made a video.
If you have been sharpening for many years you will roll your eyes when you watch this. Don’t. I know you did this, too. If you are a beginning sharpener, watch it with care. It’s only 14 seconds long, but it shows something important. You need to spread out the wear on your sharpening stones with every stroke.
Sharpening stones, especially waterstones, dish quickly. A few ill-placed strokes will set you on a path to wondering what the heck is going on with your edges.
Flat sharpening stones are reliable. Yes, you can deal with a wonky stone if you are experienced. But I always prefer dead flat stones to dead anything-else stones.
So spread out the wear with every stroke. And flatten your stones after every sharpening.
Or don’t. Just don’t use my stones. They are still in hiding. Poor stones.
