The Complete Guide to Sharpening

by Leonard Lee

You know how frustrating it is to work wood with tools that are dull. All that is over. Tool expert Leonard Lee has consolidated a lifetime of study of sharpening methods, techniques, and devices into the most practical reference on the subject . In The Complete Guide to Sharpening , you'll discover the most effective ways to sharpen your tools–from chisels to drill bits. You'll get better edges than on most razor blades, and you'll learn how to shape them to cut better and stay sharp longer. In fact, Lee's simple principles and some basic equipment wil allow you to sharpen any woodworking tool you are likely to encounter.

Genres: Woodwork, Nonfiction, Reference, How To, Cookbooks, Crafts

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 1995

Reviews

[Gérard Doux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive, technical, scientific, but also very easy to understand, with tons of nice pictures and sketches.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

One day, I said to myself, "hey, I want to learn how to sharpen blades." I purchased this book, and learned that one doesn't merely decide that he would like to sharpen blades. I now respect the craftsmanship of an expert blade sharpener. I may still take some baby steps - at least acquiring the capability to do the rough sharpening of garden tools, my principle goal anyway - but we'll see if it makes sense for me to take it further.

[Kenton Erb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most helpful revelation to me was learning how wood grain reacts at the edge of a blade.

[Christopher Hachet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I work much more efficiently with sharp tools. This book helped me along that journey. Highly reccomended.

[Flint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful for understanding how to sharpen any tool. Less useful for understanding the nuances of knife sharpening.

[Smellsofbikes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly comprehensive book -- if you're a woodworker. He has a whole section of electron microscope pictures of the results of different sharpening techniques, and goes through just about every woodworking tool that has ever existed, talking about how each is used and how sharpening it should be approached. He talks about the difference between oilstones and waterstones, micro-bevels, sharpening fixtures, wet and dry grinding, how to regrind screwdrivers so they work right, how to set up competition two-man saws: it's amazing. He's also a funny writer, not in the jokey way but in clever, wry asides about how things go wrong and why he believes things, sometimes in the face of all evidence to the contrary.

[Geoff]

This is one of the two sharpening texts that I've seen recommended. I've skimmed this one, and it appears both thorough and technical. The reviews on Amazon favored this text over Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Sharpening.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and comprehensive. Covers the full process from grinding a new blade through to final sharpening. Includes coverage of a wide range of stones and abrasives, and some great ideas for difficult jobs like honing gouges. Also covers scrapers and misc edged tools.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad book if you like sharp tools.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Reference book, good pictures, enjoyed the elemental explanations of tools, how they work as context for the need for sharpening.

[Joshua]

Great book! For anyone who wants to sharpen anything. The hows and whys of sharpening.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clear, thorough, and genuinely enjoyable to read.

[Michael Seery · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title says it all!

[James Tomasino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely the right book to get. Thorough and clear instruction and explanation. Easy to read with good imagery and illustration.