Sharpening is somewhat of a lost
art. Many carpenters prefer to
send out all their cutting tools to
a sharpening service. I think it
makes sense to send out saw
blades and power plane knives.
But unless you're blessed with a
second set of tools, it's much more
convenient to sharpen chisels and
plane irons yourself.
A set of whetstones should be
close at hand on the job site, so
you can hone your blades as
they're used. If you keep a true
edge on your blades all the time,
you won't have to make a
marathon session out of grinding
and sharpening every month,
which is what will drive you to
the sharpening service.
Grinding and honing doesn't
require a