Knife Sharpening Blog

What is it about a beautiful garden that can quiet or stir a fire in one’s soul?  Many people can’t explain it, but whatever the reason, a well tended garden is something to behold.  It’s a truly fantastic hobby.  It gives you time to contemplate life.  And it’ll even give you an outlet for whatever ill that binds you.  

Now that you’re on your way, here are 5 fundamental gardening tips that you should know by heart.  Commit them to memory.  Just how successful you are at gardening will greatly depend on how much you will be able to apply these principles.  You may even consider these as the cardinal rules of gardening, for you can’t get by without them.

1.      Moisture is vital for a plant’s good health.  Water helps to transport needed nutrients all throughout the plant’s system.  It also lends a hand to regulate and control the plant’s temperature, which, as you will discover later on is also an important factor to ensure the plant’s good health.

2.      Plants don’t require air per se, but they do require specific gases that are part of the air.  Most people think or believe that plants are wholly dependent on oxygen, just like other living things.  But they’re not.  Plants produce more oxygen than they actually need.  Amazingly, plants are the enabler of life on Earth for they supply as much as two-thirds of the world’s oxygen. 

Carbon dioxide is another gas needed by plants.  As every good gardener must know, this gas is also essential for a plant’s growth and development.  Oftentimes, it becomes more necessary in enclosed spaces. 

3.      Plants don’t need soil per se, but they do need particular nutrients that the soil they grow on should be loaded with.  Plants won’t thrive in just any kind of soil.  Always keep that in mind.  To guarantee the most favorable growth and development of all plants, the soil on which they will be planted on should be rich with calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), nitrogen (N), potassium (K), sulfur (S) and phosphorous (P).

4.      Plants are more sensitive to temperature than humans and animals.  As earlier mentioned, the right kind of temperature is essential for a plant’s good health.  Too hot or too cold a temperature will severely limit a plant’s growth and development.  It’ll also result in poor produce production for farmers.

The wrong temperature will likewise take effect on the plant’s resiliency against its environment and surroundings.  This includes how well the plant will be able to fight against infection and disease.

5.      Plants are more dependent on light than any other living thing or creature on Earth.  “Light” refers to the amount of sunshine that a plant receives.  This sunlight is necessary for photosynthesis, a fundamental process needed for most plants to survive.  It provides the plant with food and gives off oxygen as a by-product.  Plants should receive a sufficient, if not ideal, quantity of sunlight every day.

These are only 5 fundamentals that every aspiring gardener should know.  There are more, to be sure.  But this is a fine start.  Applying each principal devoutly will surely result in a garden worth its while.  Have fun!  You’ve chosen a spiritually satisfying and uplifting hobby that will probably make you a happier, if not calmer, person.  

Fishing for trout?  Having some difficulties with your fishing game?  If so, chances are very high that you’re not using the right fishing lure or bait.  Now how can I be so sure? 

Trout are quite voracious.  They are insatiable eaters.  If you present the proper lure, they’ll gobble it up most efficiently and with impressive speed.  The first thing then is being able to make that fish bite the hook.  And if you’re armed with the right powered fishing rod and a fishing line with the correct flexibility and strength, catching trout will be a simple pleasure. 

We know that trout are ravenous eaters.  To be precise, they are carnivores who have a fondness for live small creatures that are willing to put up a good fight.  No creature, aquatic or terrestrial, is ever safe with this fish.  A trout would even feed on smaller fishes, providing that they could fit into its comparatively large mouth.

Based on these facts, the following are considered to be the most excellent baits for trout:

▪  Dry flies.  These artificial flies are crafted to look like real flies.  When tugged upon, they can even imitate the movement of their living counterparts.  Considering a trout’s voracious appetite, dry flies are perfect baits for its perpetually hungry mouth.

▪  Sinkers.  These are nymphs and wet flies that have been prepared to sink to the bottom of the water.  Because trout feeds beneath the surface of the water most of the time, sinkers have improved odds of capturing the target’s attention.

▪  Emergers.  Trout are predators.  They know when their preys are most vulnerable.  Can there be any more fragile condition than that of an invertebrate which has just emerged from its nymph stage into young adulthood?  (Lo, the circle of life.)  By replicating these “emergers,” lure-crafters manage to garner the attention of trout greedy for a satisfying meal.

▪  Streamers.  These are lures that are intended to descend rapidly so that they may attract and appeal to an aggressive trout.  Streamers are among the most popular artificial fly baits.  This category includes the woolly buggers and the sculpins.

When fishing for trout, as when hunting for wild game, you always have a better chance of getting a good catch when you know how your intended prey behaves.  Not only that but your chance for success will significantly increase if you also know about your prey’s location.  As with most things in life, the more you know the better.    

When it comes to fishing lures, you shouldn’t ever just settle for the first lure that becomes available.  Study the list above and plan a strategy based on that.  You’ll have a much better chance at having a great fishing trip with a more abundant yield.

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Len Q. is a master blade sharpener and an adventurer who strives to protect the natural world.  If you would like to find out about

          ▪  Knife Sharpening:  How to Sharpen Knives, Maintain and Store Them

          ▪  Sharpening Other Edges

             (e.g. Chain Saws, Gardening Tools, Axes)

          ▪  Or maybe you could use a Free Guide on  Sharpening Lawn Mower Blades

Find it here at www.MakeKnivesSharp.com. 

 If you’re just starting out as a wood carver, you’ll quickly discover how wood chisels are used all the time.  There are many kinds, many sizes.  They’ll need periodic sharpening and it’s good to be able to do them yourself.  It isn’t very fitting to have to bring your tools to a professional sharpener whenever they become dull.  You lose money, you lose time.  And the best thing of all, straight chisels are the easiest wood carving tools to sharpen.

Straight chisels can be sharpened in two steps.  The first step is to get the tool’s edge to absolute sharpness.  The second step is to strop that edge to silky smoothness. 

◦ Straight Chisel Sharpening. This is sharpening for straight square chisels and it’s very simple. Start with a coarse grade sharpening (honing or whetting) stone. Make the shaft vertical with the edge touching the stone. Slowly lower the end that is facing up until the edge’s surface touches the wood. Stop right there. With the beveled face flush on the stone, you have achieved the correct sharpening angle. 

While holding the chisel’s beveled face flush against the stone, place your index finger on the top of the beveled surface for better control. Pull the chiseled edge towards you, making sure to keep the beveled face flush at all times. Do this 10-20 times and then check for a burr. A burr is a feather-like sliver of wire that will come off the chisel’s edge when you have achieved absolute sharpness. You slide your finger across the edge (never lengthwise!) and a burr will feel like sand or grit on your edge. If there isn’t a burr, do another set of strokes until you’ve correctly raised it. If the tool has a second bevel, sharpen it as you have just done with the first bevel. Sharpen until you’ve correctly raised a burr. 

After sharpness has been achieved with a coarse stone, move to a fine grade stone. You can do this with just one fine grade stone or with a succession of increasingly fine grade stones. Perform the sharpening strokes in the same way, for each sharpening stone, until you get a burr. If you’ve got a second bevel, do the same until a burr is raised.

Be very sure that you’ve raised a burr along the entire length of the chisel’s edge, and on both side, for each sharpening stone that you use.  You’ve got to make it happen.  If you won’t make sure, just stop what you’re doing and go watch television. I’m not kidding. If you’re going to sharpen, do it well or not at all. It will affect how well you’re able to carve.  (If that doesn’t matter to you, really, then what are you doing?)

There are a couple of different stroke techniques that are commonly used when sharpening straight chisels. With your index finger on the top of the beveled surface as you grip the shaft, place the fingers of your other hand on top of the first. Instead of pulling the tool towards you, you run it in circles. If not that, you can also push the tool sideways in one direction and then sideways in the other. There is no one specific method. Experiment and see which technique is best for you. I like the stroke that pulls away from the edge best. It’s the simplest way to raise a burr and then detect it.

◦ Skewed Chisel Sharpening. Skewed chisels are just a bit different from straight chisels. A skewed chisel’s edge is at a slanted angle, a skewed angle, and joins the side of the chisel head at an acute angle of less than 90 degrees.

Sharpening a skewed chisel is done in just the same way as sharpening a straight chisel. There is only one difference. The skewed edge needs to be made parallel to the forward edge of the sharpening stone. Or the edge can be made perpendicular to the side edge of the sharpening stone. Either way works fine. Just be consistent if there is a second bevel.

◦ Chisel Stropping. Your well-sharpened chisel now has burrs all along its edge.  Well done. Stropping will remove those burrs and all other micro-bits still clinging.

You’ve got a couple of choices when it comes to stropping. First choice: You can use a free strap of leather to strop your edge in one direction and then the other. Lay the beveled face of your chisel’s edge flat on the strap and pull away from the edge, parallel to the length-wise surface of the strap. Near the end of the strap, lift the chisel and turn it over. Place the opposite face of the chisel’s edge flat on the strap. Pull in the opposite direction, away from the edge and parallel to the strap surface. Back and forth and back and forth until your edge is silky smooth. 

Leather strops and stropping boards are usually combined with a polishing compound.  It facilitates the stropping process and makes carving much easier.  It may be in the form of a liquid, a paste, a powder or even a solid block that fits in the palm of your hand.

Stropping is a very important step in sharpening and shouldn’t be dismissed.  Think of it as you using a chisel with a dirty edge.  It surely doesn’t perform as well as a clean edge.  And because it’s dirty, using it will cause you to have to sharpen it much quicker than you usually would.  So strop, and strop well.  Your carving will be better for it. 

Beginners need to be very careful when stropping. As novices in this art, the edge is often rounded instead of being polished smooth. That’s because the flushness of the edge to the strap isn’t properly maintained throughout the stopping process.  In case like this, a secondary bevel is usually produced that will thicken with each sharpening. Eventually, the only way to save the edge is to remake it. That would be a great loss in time and effort. Pay close attention.

When you’ve trained those hands to do a good job, you’ll be able to sharpen any straight chisel, any skewed chisel in your tool collection.  That’s a lot you already know about sharpening carving tools.  Keep it up.  Just be so careful and watch out for secondary bevels.

————————————————-

 Len Q. is a master blade sharpener and an adventurer who strives to protect the natural world.  If you would like to learn about

            ▪  Knife Sharpening:  How to Sharpen Knives, Maintain and Store Them

            ▪  Sharpening Other Edges

               (e.g. Chain Saws, Gardening Tools, Axes)

            ▪  Or maybe you could use a Free Guide on  Sharpening Lawn Mower Blades

Find it here at www.MakeKnivesSharp.com. 

It doesn’t matter how good you are at throwing darts, if they won’t stick in the dartboard.  After all, if they won’t stick, what’s the use, right? 

Sharp points ruin a dartboard by nicking the wires, because the darts won’t be bouncing off the board.  Instead, the sharp points will cleave their way past the wires, permanently damaging them.  And the sharp points won’t stay sharp very long.  The points will often bend, or roll over, upon impact.  Not only that but sharp points actually cause darts to bounce too often off the dartboard.  Not a good thing at all.  Players should know how to sharpen their darts.   

Sharpening darts for play—or for sport—is an interesting skill to develop.  You really aren’t going to make them sharp at the tip, even though the points may be sharp when you first buy them.  Who woulda’ thought?  

Many times a burr will form on a sharp pointed dart after sticking.  This very small, very thin wire coming off the tip will cause dartboard fibers to be wrenched free when you’re pulling them off the board.  Burrs are very bad for dart boards.  To check for a burr, hold the dart with the tip up.  Run a fingernail up the side of the point.  If there is a burr, your fingernail will catch on it.  Should this happen, a dart sharpener, or sandpaper, can easily be used to remove the burr.  Remember that it is a fingernail and not a finger tip to use.  A burr is a hell of a splinter to have to remove.    

So if you don’t want it sharp, then what?  Straight up, the point of a dart should be rounded.  Rounded just like a ballpoint pen.  Rounded tips do not damage a dartboard.  They will slide past the wires instead of cutting them.  And when you loosen a dart, dartboard fibers will not be pulled free.  There was no cleaving of wires and, thus, no burr will form.  Interestingly, rounded-tip darts will stick to a dartboard much more than will sharp-tip darts.  How about that?  Don’t fight it.  That’s just how it goes.

Some dart players believe that a dart point should not be sharp or round.  They believe that they don’t even need to be maintained.  Just play on!  This is not good.  Oh, no.  An unmaintained dart tip will not stay round, it will become flat.  This flat-tipped dart will simply bounce right off the dartboard, whether it strikes the wires or the board fibers.  And because flat tips compress dartboard fibers upon impact, repeated use will ruin the dartboard, making it very difficult for darts to stick easily.

When the point of a dart begins to flatten , we only want to sharpen the tip enough to round it for use.  There are hollow, cylindrical dart sharpening stones that may be used to sharpen the dart tip.  These concave stones are the most common sharpeners for darts.  The dart tip can be laid flush against the inner wall of the stone.  Spin the dart in place several times.  This will sharpen the tip.  There are small, flat rectangular sharpening stones for darts that are also available to do this.  If all else fails, use coarse sandpaper.  Simply wrap the sandpaper around the tip and pinch it firmly.  Rotate the tip until the dart is sharp. 

Sharpening the dart tip is the first stage.  The second, and last, stage is to round the tip.  Place the tip down on a sharpening stone or sand paper as though it were standing on end.  Slowly spin the dart in place until the tip dulls just a little.  Now angle the dart downward ever so slightly and spin it again just a handful of times.  And now you’re done. 

If you don’t trust yourself to hold the dart still while spinning it, put the stone and dart—or your hand holding the dart—flush against the wall, or immobile solid structure, and then round the dart.  There is a fairly new product on the market, a sharpener with a retractable, cylindrical fine grit diamond stone that is easily portable and can be ready for use at any time.  There is even a sharpener on a key chain.

There are various kinds of dart holders, dart cases and dart packs available in today’s market.  These are specialized to keep darts dry and safe from damage.  Most of these shouldl perform adequately for you.  It’s just a matter of taste and practicality. 

If your darts are dirty, clean them with water and a soft soap.  Thoroughly dry them.  Now they can be stored safely, neatly and without worry of rust.  But, if they do become rusty, sandpaper will easily remove all rust.  Then lubricate the points with oil, wipe them completely dry and then store them.  If cared for consistently, your darts, and not the flights, could last a lifetime. 

Remember:  Keep your darts rounded.  Not sharp, and definitely not flat.  It should improve your scoring and lengthen the life of your dartboard.   Good luck to you!    

There are many ways to catch fish.  A fisherman can surely catch fish with his hands.  He can catch fish with a spear.  He could even cast a net over a school of fish, however awkward it may be at first.  All of these methods can be effective with practice but they offer the same disadvantage to the fisherman:  the catch is restricted to only shallow water varieties of fish. 

On the other hand, many believe that it is the fishing rod that is the fisherman’s most basic, most important weapon.  With a fishing rod, your chances of getting a good catch are very much improved. 

When it comes to game fishing, that is, fishing for large, offshore fish, a fishing rod is a necessity.  You just can’t do without it.

If you’re new at fishing, a fishing rod will be your main investment.  It is the one, essential tool that makes most fishing possible and enjoyable.  Oftentimes, just manipulating a fishing rod can become addictive for many people.

Here are some guidelines that will help you select the right fishing rod for your needs.

▪  Shape.  A fishing rod should taper off from its base to its tip.  You won’t have problems with finding a fishing rod that satisfies this shape.  It’s quite widespread, practically universal.  Advanced designs are introduced to the market every now and then, but the classic and traditional is still the best and finest choice.

▪  Weight.  A fishing rod is normally described by weight.  This doesn’t refer to the actual heaviness of the rod.  Instead, this refers to how resilient the rod will be for specific types of lures and for specific types of fish.  You’ll find classifications like Ultra-Light, Light, Medium-Light, Medium, Medium-Heavy, Heavy, and Ultra-Heavy that are used when describing fishing rods or fishing poles to help the fisherman in choosing the correct one for his objectives. 

Fly fishing, for instance, can be managed with Ultra-Light to Medium weight rods.  Bass fishing, on the other hand, would require Medium-Light to Heavy weight rods.

▪  Action.  A fishing rod is also described by action.  Action refers to how much the fishing rod can bend when pulled by a particular force, and how fast it will revert to its neutral position when the force is removed.  Action is categorized as slow, medium or fast, but there are middle-points between levels that can be found. 

▪  One-piece or Two-piece.  Some fishing rods are labeled as one-piece, because they come in, well, one piece.  They are said to feel very natural for the fisherman, allowing for a more comfortable and relaxing time. 

On the other hand, two-piece fishing rods are, of course, more complicated.  But with the proper engineering, these rods can achieve their goals effectively well.  You’ll still need to take special care when selecting a two-piece rod.  If it’s ineptly manufactured, it could be disastrous even for experienced fishermen.

When the time comes for you to choose a fishing rod, you really need to know about the fish you intend to catch.  Some fish take a few minutes to catch, while others can take many long hours.  Knowing this will dictate what kind of fishing rod you’ll need.  There’ll be no room for guesswork and you’ll have the best fishing rod possible.  Good luck!

It is often said that the fishing rod is the foundation of any game fishing expedition.  Just how well a fisherman can catch game relies heavily on how well he can handle his fishing rod. 

It’s also said that the lure, or bait, is the spice, the zest of such game fishing adventures.  Just how simple or difficult the fishing is depends on the kind of lure that the fisherman chooses. 

Despite the reputation of success of fishing rods and fishing lures, however, they will equally fall short if the fisherman neglects to learn and master one vital component of the game: the fishing line.

Two fundamental actions are involved when using a fishing line:

1.      Lure-casting.  A good fishing line is required to guarantee that the lure is cast in the correct manner.  This means that the desired angle and the needed distance are satisfied.  This is especially true in game fishing where every move, every action is critical to the success of the catch.

2.      Spinning.  With this movement, it gets a little tricky, a bit delicate.  Logically, the fisherman wants a fishing line that’s strong and resilient enough so that it won’t break while reeling in the caught fish.  The fisherman would also want a fishing line that’s most resistant to abrasion to ensure a smooth spin.

From the required actions above, we can come up with the following necessary qualities of an ideal fishing line:

▪  Strength.  The fishing line should be strong and durable enough so as not to break when reeling in the game it was made to catch.  You shouldn’t measure this by just taking a line and pulling and stressing it with your hands to gauge or estimate its strength. 

Experienced fishermen know and understand that the dampness or the dryness of the fishing line will affect its strength.  Fishing lines that absorb water, such as monofilament lines, are not recommended for rainy or damp days, even cold and wintry days.  The more durable and resilient cofilament lines are more ideal for such conditions.  They cost more but its well worth it.

▪  Abrasion resistance.  The fishing line should be resistant against friction and abrasion caused by contact with rocks or boulders, tough vegetation and other terrestrial and deep water objects. 

Some fishermen frequently have to cut their fishing line every half hour or so just to ensure a fresh line if and when they do manage to catch a fish.  This seems so unnecessary and more than a little wasteful in time and fishing gear.

Fluorocarbon lines have extra density compared to most other fishing lines.  This makes them very resistant to abrasion. 

▪  Stretch.  Depending on the fisherman’s skill level, the fishing line’s capacity to stretch will play a critical role.  For fishermen who are just starting out, the line’s stretch will provide some allowance for mistakes and mishaps, especially when fighting the fish. 

But for clumsy, even klutzy fishermen, on the other hand, setting up the hook or clasp could be easily miscalculated with a line that provides a lot of stretch.  You’ve just got to pay close attention every time.

There are obvious advantages and disadvantages to using a fishing line that can or cannot stretch.  Just keep in mind that the least resistant a line is to stretch is the more sensitive it can be for detecting a possible catch.

To be a successful fisherman, you should start with getting the right fishing gear.  Part of this gear is the all-important fishing line.  You surely don’t want to be losing great catches just because your line keeps snapping off.  Match your fishing line to your game and location and you’ve got it good.  Good luck!

——————————————-

Len Q. is a master blade sharpener and an adventurer who strives to protect the natural world.  If you would like to find out about

          ▪  Knife Sharpening:  How to Sharpen Knives, Maintain and Store Them

          ▪  Sharpening Other Edges

             (e.g. Chain Saws, Gardening Tools, Axes)

          ▪  Or maybe you could use a Free Guide on  Sharpening Lawn Mower Blades

Find it here at www.MakeKnivesSharp.com. 

Many fishermen just aren’t able to catch fish.  They just don’t get it.  Not only do they go home empty handed, but they’ve also missed out on the enjoyable event that would’ve kept them coming back for more.  What’s going on there?

Most fishermen blame a bad fishing day on the weather conditions.  Some fishermen blame it on the clever and recurring practices of the fishes themselves.  Other fishermen blame the tools they use, such as the fishing pole or the fishing line.  None of these is the real problem, however.  It’s much simpler than all that.

One of the main reasons why fishermen don’t have a catch:  they’ve selected the wrong lure.  This means your bait or any traps that you set.  As simple as that.  Your choice and usage of lures can spell the difference between any success and total failure of your fishing game.

In setting up your lure, it is crucial that you first decide on what kind of lure you want to use.  If you want to use live bait, you’ll need adequate knowledge of the procedure on how to secure them.  Many fishermen who try to make fishing a more challenging effort get themselves committed to tying flies for lures.  They become fascinated with this skill.  As a result, many would end up spending more money, even splurging resources and energy to this rather than to fishing itself.

Using artificial lures is more popularly practiced by fishermen than using live bait.  There are so many kinds, so many styles.  Lures under this classification are usually made from materials like fur or hair, feathers, plastic and yarn or even thread.  All these materials are fixed onto a hook or clip to create an imitation of a mature insect, a nymph, an egg or anything that would be attractive and appealing to a particular fish.  And because not all fishes behave in the same way, you’ve got to know how to choose the appropriate lure for a specific kind of fish if you want to have a successful catch. 

Believe it or not, the coloring and shading of the lure is quite crucial.  As a general rule, the fish lure must complement the color and shading of the water.  If the lake or sea water is greenish blue, the lure must also be of similar color and shading.  It seems simple, for sure, but things are more complicated than they appear to be.  The time of day must also be considered, you see.  Light colored baits, for example, will not be noticed by fishes from sundown or early evening to daylight of mid-afternoon.  The reason is because such a color or shading will merely cast a soft shadow beneath the water.  For the same reason, dark colored lures will be difficult to notice come sundown or evening because the color or shading will blend with the darkness.  It’s a bit tricky and you’ve got to know what you’re doing.

Choosing the correct lure is one of the fundamental principals that a budding fisherman must learn.  Also as important is having this knowledge before you even consider venturing forth with any fishing adventure.  Proper knowledge when it comes to this early phase of the game will make all the difference.  If you want to catch fish, you’ve really got no choice.  Learn it, live it and just see what happens.  Good luck!

Having a hard time with your fishing game?  Jealous of other fishermen who seem to get their rewards left and right, even up and down?  No worries.  Let’s get that game on. 

Here are three tested and proven fishing tips from experts who have made it big in the field of professional fishing.  These fishing tips are guaranteed to develop and improve your fishing skills at once!

1.  Location, location, location!  Quite frankly and very frequently, it’s all about the spot you choose.  The reason why you haven’t caught a single fish may be for the simple explanation that you’re fishing in the wrong spot.  You’d be much better off fishing in bays and seam ridges.  

Many types of fish, specifically the popular game variety of trout, consider bays or coves as cool and refreshing resting areas.  More importantly, bays are loaded with oxygen.  The unstable waterways trap and lock in oxygen at their surface.  When the water arrives at the inlet, most oxygen is dissolved because of the abrupt transformation of water movement. 

Seam edges, on the other hand, is where the speed of the river varies.  This is a result of riffles, a section of water that runs over a stony bottom.  As the water flows on the rocky bottom, turbulence is created, and because of this, oxygen is also dispersed in water.  This creates a stimulating hub for the fishes.  Search for and find these places and you will frequently discover a large concentration of fish.

2.  Be invisible.  Any movement or action—no matter how seemingly small—will attract the attention of the fish.  It will kick it to a defensive stance.  Its survival instinct will take over, and it will attempt to escape from perceived danger.  You want to avoid this whenever possible.  What should you do? 

Avoid being seen, of course!  Do not engage in any unnecessary movement while fishing.  A good idea would be to stay within the shade as you lay the waiting game for the fish to bite your lure.  This way, you won’t cast any shadow on the water’s surface and the fish wouldn’t know that you’re there.  You are the hunter in waiting.

3.  The moment the fish nips at the bait, the idea isn’t to wrestle with the fish.  The idea is to tire out and exhaust the fish.  It will then resign itself and approach you voluntarily of its own accord.  To accomplish this, you need to gently free the line and carefully manipulate the same with moderate movements of your hand.  Many fishermen fail to realize that fishing is a game of finesse and delicacy, not power.  Measured and steady beats fast and risky any day of the week. 

Catching fish should be easier now and a lot more fun.  Just remember not to rush this game, for a game it surely is.  Find your spot.  Be invisible.  Then be the master of the game.  Good luck! 

Once a gouge has been correctly sharpened, it doesn’t take much afterwards to bring the edge back to absolute sharpness.  This refers to the natural wearing away of the edge from use and not as a result of it being damaged.  When all it needs is some honing, a bringing back to razor-sharpness, and not a true sharpening, there’s something very handy that you can do about that.

One way to bring your edge back to pristine condition is to make a gouge honing board.  Instead of using a fine grade sharpening stone all of the time, you could use your very handy honing board to bring back an edge.  These are the things you’ll need:

◦  Solid rectangular block of softwood, 3” x  2” x 1” (l x w x h)

◦  Rouging compound, fine abrasive powder or paste

◦  Bench knife, fixed blade of less than 5” long

◦  Tool with a non-sharpened edge/an old knife

◦  Gouges for honing

The block of wood doesn’t have to be of the specified dimensions, just close enough.  If you want better control, it could easily be longer or wider.  The honing section that you’ll create can be placed anywhere on the block that suits you best.  After all, that’s what making this honing board is all about:  your comfort and ease in honing gouges.

There are many types of rouging compounds.  What you want is a material that can coat a surface with an easy application, especially in troughs and tight corners.  You definitely don’t want a rouging or polishing compound that comes in the form of a solid block.  That would be nearly useless in this application.

A bench knife is preferred because of the small fixed blade.  You don’t need much of a cutting edge to make the honing board.  You just need something sturdy and sharp.  Be sure this knife has been sharpened before you begin.

Here we go.  Take the wood block and decide where you’d like to create the honing section.  If you follow the given dimensions, just start about a half inch inwards from the width-wise side.  Take the gouge to be honed and cut a concave or positive profile into the wood.  Using the exact dimensions of the gouge as your guide, be careful not to widen the trough further than the gouge is wide. 

Now you’ll cut the convex or negative profile into the wood.  Take the same gouge used to make the positive profile.  Move further inwards along the block of wood by about a quarter of an inch.  That would be a quarter of an inch inwards from the positive profile.  Take the gouge and turn it over so that the trough is upside down.  In this position, cut the negative profile of the gouge into the wood.  Take care not to widen the convex curve further than the gouge is wide.

You have just made a gouge honing board.  Well done.  Use the bench knife to square the edges between the carved profiles.  It wouldn’t be difficult for you to create a special honing board with positive and negative profiles for each of your regularly used gouges.    

Now you’ll prepare it for honing.  Take the rouging compound and, using an old knife or a tool with a non-sharpened edge, evenly lay the compound all along the trough of the positive profile.  When you’re done, apply the rouging compound evenly over the convex surface of the negative profile.  Take the overturned gouge to softly pack compound into the tight corners of the negative profile.  And now your gouge honing board is ready.

When it’s time to use it, just follow the bevel of the gouge.  For the positive profile, lay your gouge in the trough, which should fit nice and tightly with the rouging compound added, and pull your gouge through the trough with the outside bevel flush on the honing board.  For the negative profile, turn your gouge over and fit it over the convex surface and into the tight corners.  With the inside bevel flush on the wood, pull it smoothly through the profile.  Apply more rouging compound when necessary.  Only use moderate pressure when pulling your gouges over the honing board.

There you go.  You have successfully made yourself a gouge honing board.  And you know how to use it correctly.  Just remember, it isn’t actual sharpening but it will get an already sharpened, undamaged edge back to good working condition.  It’s very simple, yet very effective.  Just imagine what other types of quick-fixes could be made for carving tools.  

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Len Q. is a master blade sharpener and an adventurer who strives to protect the natural world.  If you would like to find out about

            ▪  Knife Sharpening:  How to Sharpen Knives, Maintain and Store Them

            ▪  Sharpening Other Edges

               (e.g. Chain Saws, Gardening Tools, Axes)

            ▪  Or maybe you could use a Free Guide on  Sharpening Lawn Mower Blades

Find it here at www.MakeKnivesSharp.com. 

Whittling is the removal of pare shavings or the cutting of small bits from a piece of wood using a knife or similar wedge-edged tool.  It is the most basic form of wood carving but it is not actually the art of wood carving, as it is done today.  Wood carving requires a number of tools, even power tools at that.  So it could get complicated pretty fast.  But this is not how it is when one whittles.  All you need to whittle are two things:  a piece of wood and a knife.

True whittling has always been very simple.  Details in the wood aren’t very refined but rather pretty coarse.  When you are holding a whittled object in your hand, you know it.  You can plainly see each knife stroke.  Using sand paper isn’t an option.  This is the exact opposite of wood carving, which typically excels in details.  When you’re holding a wood carving of the same object, you usually won’t see even one knife stroke.  It’s very interesting.  Whittling a little girl could take a week when all you’re using is a knife.  Wood carving the same little girl requires more tools but it takes just a fraction of the time.  She’ll also have many details that couldn’t be produced with just a knife.  

Whittling requires no special tools, no special circumstance or any specific type of working environment.  Just you, a piece of wood and your knife are all it takes.  You can whittle anywhere inside or outside your home, in a car, at a picnic, in a park—nearly anywhere.  This is not so with detailed wood carving.

There are quite a number of special tools that you’ll likely be using when wood carving.  There are detail knives and carving knives, wood rasps and wood files, wood gouges and wood chisels.  And these aren’t all of them.  (Ever heard of a sanding stick?)  There’s a very good chance that you’ll probably have a handful of power tools as part of your wood carving tool kit.  Then you’ll also need to concern yourself with how to supply electric power.  It isn’t so simple. 

You really do need a designated work area when you’re wood carving.  You usually aren’t even holding the wood you’re working on.  Many times it’d be a vise doing that for you so you’ll need a good work bench or platform.  And with all those valuable tools around, you don’t want anyone fiddling with them.  Besides the possibility of losing them, many of them are dangerously sharp and no one should touch them but you.  And what about that special creation that you’ve been working on for so long?  You surely don’t want any spectators scoping it out when you’re not around.  Who knows what’ll happen?  (Hey, where’d the nose go?)

The act of whittling is considered to be a contemplative, meditative process.  It isn’t so much what you’re whittling but the process itself.  Wood carving, on the other hand, is more of an end result process.  You strive to create what you see in your mind with all the details that come with it.  You’ve a product to produce and so you may not care to spare any time.

It comes down to a matter of taste and how you feel.  If you have no care to rush, you want to take your time and see what happens, whittling could be for you.  If you’d like to see just how skilled you can be, how good you are at bringing out details, wood carving may be just what you’re looking for.  Hey, try them both.  You might surprise yourself.