Kee'm Sharp!
When I got started carving in wood about three years ago, I soon realized that sharp tools were essential. And getting a razor edge on my gouges was the first thing I needed to learn. Without razor sharp tools, it not just difficult to carve, it’s impossible. And after some trial and error I have come up with a combination of sharpening techniques that I’d like to share.
I got into carving out of curiosity. When my dad passed away some years ago, he left me a set of 7 carving tools that soon got lost in my woodworking shop. Then one day I happened across an on-line carving course by Mary May. She really caught my interest and I thought, “I’ll bet I can do this.” So I went looking for dad’s gouges.
I had forgotten where I put them but I finally found them in a corner of a cabinet covered with dust. They were the dullest chisels I had ever seen. I wondered how dad could have ever carved anything with them. I’ll bet he was wondering too.
Mary May had posted some free U-Tube videos on how to sharpen various wood carving tools. She used whetstones with a little water and sharpened all her tools by hand. I learned to do it her way but soon found myself wanting a faster and more accurate way to sharpen my growing set of tools. Those that were extremely dull were taking a long time to get even close to sharp.
I tried the Tormek wet and dry bench model sharpener with a round stone. But I found that I could get a better edge on my gouges by using a flat grinding surface and ended up purchasing the Work Sharp WS53000 Wood Tool Sharpener. It is a dry sharpening system that uses glass wheels with attached abrasive paper disks in grits from 120 to 1200. I found this to be a quick and easy way to sharpen without using any messy water or oil on the disks. There are no jigs required and a sharpening port has precise and repeatable bevel angle settings for flat chisels. I can get a razor sharp edge on flat chisels, gouges and V-tools quite quickly.
I then put an even finer finish on them by using the leather circular hone on my Tormek system. The circular strop is quite aggressive and it takes only seconds to put a mirror finish on my gouges. A little jewelers rouge provides just the right amount of abrasion.
I know when a chisel becomes dull when it will no longer cut cleanly across grain in soft wood. Then just a touch-up on the leather wheel is all that is necessary to get back to scary sharp.
My set of chisels has grown to about 70 now, with only one tool being a duplicate. They have become like extensions of my arms and are a delight to use. Carving has become a satisfying creative and relaxing activity for me in my retirement years. And it’s great to have some handmade projects to give to friends and family.
David F. Ask
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