Shoutout to the guy who showed me his sharpening trick

My chisels used to get dull after maybe 30 feet of mortise work, so I'd have to stop and hone them all the time. Then this older carpenter at the supply house in Tacoma showed me how he uses a piece of leather with a tiny bit of green compound on his bench. I strop the edge for about 10 seconds after every sharpening now. The edges stay sharp for what feels like triple the work, and the cuts are way cleaner. What other little tricks do you guys use to keep your edge tools cutting longer?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_reese1mo ago

Guess he didn't get the memo about trade secrets.

kim_brown11d ago

Trade secrets are overrated anyway. Sharing how to strop a knife just helps everyone get better. Keeping basic skills secret is just silly.

jesse_young271mo ago

Stropping is magic, @the_reese.