There’s nothing quite as satisfying as watching a perfect curl of wood ejected out of the mouth of a hand plane.  Or, the sound of wood fibers yielding under the razor sharp edge of a honed chisel.

It’s a well known fact that sharp tools perform circles around dull ones. It takes less effort to use them, they provide cleaner cuts and they are safer, given that they get a purchase on the wood fibers instead of sliding across a surface.

The real trick is knowing when to sharpen. For some woodworkers who have a good feel for their tools, they can quickly tell when it’s time to break out the honing equipment.  For others, sharpening their tools is a chore they want to put off until the last possible moment.

This week, let us know how frequently you sharpen your hand tools. Do you hone every time you use the tool, or does it happen less frequently than that?

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