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Ignore the naysayers. This jig produces square, sharp edges every single time.
By Christopher Schwarz
Page: 28
From the October 2004 issue #143
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Many of my fellow hand-tool users give me a rash of grief about my simple side-clamp honing guide, which has been a fixture on my workbench since 1993.
“Isn’t it time you learned to sharpen properly?” they ask. And then they rattle off a list of the advantages of sharpening freehand:
• Freehand is faster because you don’t have to set up a jig every time you sharpen.
• You remove less metal with freehand sharpening so your hand tools will last longer before they’re used up.
• Freehand sharpening produces edges just as sharp as those produced with a jig.
• The side-clamp jig won’t work for odd-shaped or very short tools.
• Sharpening with a jig is just for beginners. Real hand-tool users can sharpen without this little one-wheeled crutch, they say.
From the October 2004 issue #143
Buy this issue now
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