Origin of Sharp Skate

Side sharpening " is a term that I coined several years ago to describe my systematic approach to freehand sharpening. This system is intended to make tool sharpening repeatable consistent and most importantly, learnable. Folks have been turning there blades sideways for many years but I don't think sideways sharpening as a method has been seriously considered. The reason that no one has done this before is that our stones have not been flat enough to allow "side sharpening". (think about trying to side sharpen on grandpa's oil stone ). Most of the woodworking community has only recently realized that a flat stone is really important. When I was a woodworking student 30 years ago, no one talked about super flat stones. Metals were softer and stropping was in.

My effort is about getting extraordinarily flat bevels. This requires extraordinarily flat stones. The biggest advantage of side sharpening is it's tendency to keep the stones flatter. On a really flat stone, side sharpening will create significantly better geometry than traditional front back sharpening. Why, because the bevel doesn't ride up on the slurry and you can go past the ends of the stone. Traditional systems all hollow the stone because you have to hold back before you get to the end of the stone.

As I refined my "Side Sharpening" method through teaching, I realized that a "Side Sharpening" jig would be a big help. I began inventing a new jig that would solve the problems of traditional "front back" jigs. I wanted something that would support freehand sharpening, not replace it. The skills we build through freehand sharpening are invaluable to many aspects of craftsmanship. I believe my Sharp SkateŽ will help us to improve our skills.