Another rainy day, must find some indoor job to keep busy. I have several shovel handles that have started to split and crack open and this can be very hard on the hands while using these tools so today I will clamp the shovel head in a vise and sand down the handles till they are smooth again, then rub raw linseed oil into the handles as a preservative against moisture and sunlight. This makes using these tools easier and eliminates blisters so you will be a happy camper after digging all day. I have a couple hammer forged, made in America, True Temper, one piece shovels from 1972 and I am convinced that linseed oil has prevented the handles from failing years ago.

You know whats really scary? I can remember reading this article way back in 1979. Old tools are something to hang on to because they were made from better quality steel and worksmanship. Todays wood chisels are soft steel and won't hold an edge and if you attempt to re-sharpen them they lose their temper and the steel turns soft from the heat of grinding a new edge. Same with metal cutting shears, the new types made overseas are use once- throw away types. There are people in America who collect old tools and hand made tool chests and are willing to pay big bucks for these items if in good condition.

This is an OLD (1979) article from Mother. It is quite appropriate for this thread.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/modern-h ... 9zsch.aspx

Sharpening your chain saw. Have you ever cut down a tree and bucked it up into firewood length pieces? Its not that hard until you break through the tree trunk and your chain hits the ground. You can detect an immediate difference because the chain has dulled and cutting through wood slows down. When your chain starts producing saw dust instead of wood chips its time to stop cutting and sharpen the chain. Standard safety chain has semi circular cutting teeth and require a round file to grind an edge onto the teeth. There are some hand held tools that clamp onto the saw bar and hold the file at the correct angle to sharpen the teeth but after using these a few times you can determine the correct angle and use just a hand held file to sharpen the individual teeth. I carry a magic marker to mark the first tooth so I will know when to stop once all the other teeth have been filed. They make another type of chain known as chisel chain which uses a cutting tooth shaped like the number 7. This chain is not for the beginner because it kicks back easier and is considered more dangerous but it burns through tree trunks much faster than safety chain and stays sharp longer. Its easier and faster to sharpen because it takes a flat file to sharpen the edge of the cutting teeth. Your owners guide will list the correct angle to sharpen the chain to for best cutting results.

I sharpen all of my knives with a whetstone and water and I can get a shaving edge on most all of them, some I can get what I call a "hair splittin'" edge. The ones I don't are not designed to use a shaving edge, like a bush knife.

Anyway, the difficulty you are having with some types of steel alloys may be due to the hardness of the steel. I have a fair quantity of knives that are all individual when it comes to sharpening. Some sharpen quickly and some make me work at it for some hours. The quick ones are all soft steel while the workers are all rather hard steel, and some of those even came from China.

A helpful tip for maintaining an angle while sharpening. Take a square of paper, 4 to 6 inches square, fold it on a diagonal to make two 45 degree tips, fold it again through one 45 degree tip and end up with a 22.5 degree tip. If you're crazy like I am you can fold once more for an approximate 11 degree tip to help with a very sharp edge.
Place an edge of the folded paper on your whetstone, then lay your knife edge flat against the paper's angle of 22.5 degrees, or 11 degrees, and slowly work your knife edge across the stone. Draw the knife across the stone as if you are trying to shave a very thin slice off of the top of the stone. You will go through several pieces of paper because it will get ground down by the stone but, after awhile you will automatically start your stroke at the proper angle for the knife edge. This angle will give you a fair working edge. If you want to have a proper secondary edge,fold a square of paper once on a diagonal for a 45 degree jig and use that on a very fine stone to hold your honing angle for 5 to 10 strokes across the stone. That added secondary edge will have your knife edge much sharper than a single angle will.

You can keep your knives sharp by judicious application of a honing steel. Knives mainly get dull by the edge rolling over and losing it's acuity. A honing steel restores a straight edge. A steel will never sharpen a knife edge, it will only help to straighten it.

A ceramic stick that is called a "steel" does not straighten an edge, that stick removes steel to reform an edge. You can lose a lot of knife by using those things, I prefer a good, real steel.

The honing steels you often get in combo packs of kitchen knives, you know the, "12 knives plus 6 steak knives, a butcher block and a sharpening steel" type offers all over the place. Those steels are pretty much garbage and they will rapidly destroy an edge. This is usually due to the low quality steel used in construction and the very coarse ribs along the length that are supposed to do the straightening. Those just goober up the edge.
My personal steel was manufactured by J.A. Henckels, I paid quite a bit for it but, it's one of the absolute best knife care tools I've ever invested in. I'm still using it after 20 years and it's still producing a fine straight edge on everything.

I would like some tips of knife sharpening of the newer types of steels used such as stanless steel , or steel mixes , some I have found do not like my old wet stone sharpening, I find the more carbon in the steel the better it sharpens for me,, open to any tips , and still the bench grander works good on my axes ? thanks 308gun

Many of todays tools are manufactured in Cheena and they are made from soft, mild steel and will not stay sharp for very long. 40 years ago a person could buy a set of American made tools for cutting metal lath and they would literally last forever. Todays Home Depot variety metal cutting shears will stay sharp for about a week and then when you go to sharpen them they will not take an edge because the steel is too soft. This way you get to buy another new pair and your money goes to Cheena instead of the USA.

I'd get in on a tool care section.
I've been a butcher in a past life and I learned through a great deal of trial and error, lots of error, how to get an exceptionally sharp edge on knives. This fortunately will translate to other edged tools as well. Saws, planer blades, chisels, scrapers, cutting tools, etc., sharpening is only as tough as you make it. I do carpentry as a hobby so, sharp tools are a necessity and I don't purchase new to replace dull unless they're so far gone they can't be used in their first capacity anymore. Then I'll work them into some other type of tool adn keep going.
I also have a Reader's Digest "Back to the Basics" book that deals with sharpening tools and what to use for sharpening as well as a home handyman book from Reader's Digest that has a lot more information about tool care and use.

In times of need when you don't have a sharpening stone or whet rock you can use the bottom of a ceramic cup or plate to put a pretty good edge on a knife.

The reason you don't see anyone sharpening their saw blades anymore is TIME. It costs too much to sharpen your saw so you must have a saw shop do that chore for you. Same with circular saw blades, when they get dull you change blades and its back to cutting. Now that I have retired I may relearn how to sharpen handsaws.

I am a rank amateur in many things to do with tools, but I did teach myself to sharpen chain saw blades. I bought the tool (I believe a Stanley) and it helps you figure what angle for which size chain. I keep 5 blades always sharpened. When I was a kid I used to watch my dad sitting at this peddle grindstone, sharpening knives, axes, hatchets. Dad was a carpenter and would have never thought to send his handsaw out to be sharpened, so I watched him do that too. It is a lengthy process but can be done. I've sharpened my handsaw many times.

I can get by with regard to sharpening many things, but am dumber than a rock on others. Heck, I don't know what they're talking about when they say the chain saw rake should be ground to be set below/above the (insert whatever here). So, for sure I would love to see the tips and tricks of others, as well as the why's and wherefore's.

I've posted my techniques on other sites over the years and would, gladly, track down that information for our little circle of friends and associates here. As well, I'd go off on a stealing rampage and grab what I can for sharing (modified, of course, to keep it out of the plagiarizing zone (some degree of humor intended).

Areas to address might include:

1) Dealing with chain saws chains, various circular blades (e.g., table saw and circular saw), hand plane and planner blades, hoes, scythes, drill bits, router bits and shaper blades and specialty tools (e.g., Fein Tool blades, scrapers, etc.).

2) Materials used in sharpening (e.g., glass, granite, sandpaper, diamond stones, ceramics, etc.)

3) Sources for sharpening materials and equipment.

4) Techniques

5) A little bit of the "science" to explain why certain things do and don't work (e.g., what does a burnisher do on a scraper blade, and why does a steel work well after a blade is sharpened, but not after a period of neglect)

Sure. I would like to know how to sharpen toothed cutting tools like handsaws, in the field or workbench. I sharpen my chainsaws out of necessity, along with my firefighting tools and garden tools.

Is there any interest in a special section on sharpening and caring for hand tools?