Hand tool sharpening is an essential woodworking skill which can be intimidating for a lot of people. To further complicate matters, there are dozens of different systems and methods for sharpening hand tools available. In this course, we’ll get back to basics, focusing on the fundamentals of sharpening and the specifics of what makes for a sharp edge.

On day one we will begin with edge tools (plane irons and chisels) and hand sharpening methods (water stones, diamond plates, surface plates w/ sandpaper, etc.) both with and without jigs. There will be some discussion about powered sharpening options while discussing edge tools. We will move into sharpening scrapers in the afternoon. Day two will focus on saw sharpening in the morning, with the remainder of the day spent discussing the essential details of hand tool care, maintenance, and restoration. Students will get hands-on experience sharpening all of these different tools throughout the course and there will be ample room for questions as we go along.

Students should bring their own hand sharpening equipment along if they own any (stones, saw files, burnishers, etc.), along with any specific tools in their collection which they would like to learn how to sharpen. There will also be sharpening equipment and tools provided for demonstration and example, and students will take turns getting to use these if they do not have their own.