I'm curious about how everyone manages sharpening their tools as part of their woodworking process. I keep a sharpening jig in my leg vise while I'm working. For chisels, I usually strop them to maintain the edge until they start to dull, at which point I often just grab another chisel. I make sure to give everything fresh edges between projects. Planes are a bit different; I mainly just touch them up, even though I know I should be doing a bit more. I'm really interested to hear how others handle this in their workflow!
10 Answers
I usually do a big sharpening session once a year since some tools sit for long. I like to touch up tools during projects, using both a fine stone and strop for quick maintenance. I have a collection of spare irons for my planes and several duplicates of chisels, so I never have to stop working if something dulls.
My number one rule: Nothing goes back on the rack without a fresh edge! I’m strict about it, no exceptions.
That sounds really disciplined! I try to follow that rule too, but it’s tough in the summer when my workshop gets super hot.
I treat sharpening as a routine before or after each session. With my updated sharpening station, I can keep up with maintenance easily. I prefer freehand sharpening using water stones, but I also mix in some diamond plates and an angle jig.
Love your setup! I have a different bench for the "dirtier" jobs, so I keep my sharpening tools all set at hand for quick access.
I have a leather strop charged with compound ready on my bench. A quick thirty seconds of stropping does wonders for refreshing my edge tools.
I mostly sharpen my tools freehand on a variety of stones, using a buffer afterward. For bigger tools like planes, I quickly grind them down before honing – it usually takes me about a minute for chisels and a bit longer for planes since I need to disassemble them. I try to sharpen as I'm working, staying aware of my tools so they never really get dull before I touch them up.
I sharpen whenever needed. Chisels and plane irons usually only take me a minute unless there's chips to deal with.
I use different strategies. Usually, I sharpen as needed, and I often have multiples of tools. If one plane goes dull, I grab another and sharpen it later. It keeps me going, especially if I encounter a chip.
At the end of the day, I’ll strop everything I used. It keeps my tools sharp with minimal effort, but once a year I dive into honing everything again with a little more care.
Same here! I love using my quiet evenings to just sharpen away while watching something good on the TV.
I've set up a dedicated sharpening station in my garage with diamond stones and a strop. I sharpen regularly so it’s not a hassle. It's best to touch up when tools start to dull instead of waiting until they’re completely gone.
Totally agree! I find myself waiting too long to sharpen and then end up using coarser grits just to get back to work faster.
I strop about every 20 minutes, or whenever I notice my chisel needs more force. Hollow grinding my tools helps, as it makes sharpening super quick before they need more than a strop. I also keep beeswax handy to lubricate my planes.
That idea of spare irons is fantastic! I might need to adopt that strategy since my freehand sharpening could use some work too.