Recommended Reading

[Rossy66]

As I delve into the massive swimming pool of YouTube videos, I feel I am not getting the structured information I need to develop my knowledge in using my new Tormek T8 so I was wondering if anyone can recommend any books I can buy so I can pull up a chair, make a nice cup of tea and get down to the nitty gritty of learning sharpening. My experience is over 30+ years of sharpening on multiple stones but this was from a working chefs point of view so my need of sharpening understanding was very basic. As I get ready to do a "very" soft launch of my new business, I want to learn what and why I do something wrong (and right) and how to fix it. Honing is still a challenge for me so I ordered the MB-102 jig so I can replicate the same angle that I sharpened on. Nothing to scientific, just a really good understanding of the process from beginning to end.

I do want to take this opportunity to that everyone who have replied to my previous post and I hope to gain the knowledge so I can eventually contribute to posts instead of just asking questions.

[Ken S]

David,

You ask an excellent question. Over the years, I have acquired a formidable book library of sharpening and woodworking books. In the past few years, my studying has become almost exclusively online videos. For years, I complained to Tormek about the lack of good instructional videos which went beyond short, marketing videos. The answer was always the same, "We would like to; however, our staff just doesn't have the time".

Covid changed that. Travel bans made the old demo at trade fairs strategy non working (one of the very few benefits of Covid). We finally have a series of well done online videos which go beyond easy marketing.

My advice is to limit your precious study time to really studying the Tormek online youtubes. Do this until you acquire a very solid foundation in the Tormek technique. Please note that I am not saying that the Tormek method is the only good method or that it is the only method. By mastering it, you build a solid comparison base to evaluate other ideas. It can help you avoid two pitfalls:

The first pitfall is inexperience with the Tormek. This includes things like using whatever honing compound one happens to already have. I don't know if Tormek PA-70 compound is really better than other brands or not. I do know that Tormek has standardized on it for many years.

Related is non wetgrinding thinking. Like you, I have decades of bench stone sharpening experience. It is valuable related experience. It is not the same as Tormek sharpening.

The second pitfall is, for lack of a better term, "marketing propaganda". While often not incorrect, this often ignores the entire picture. Is water "messy", or is grinding dust unhealthy? Is the useof an anticorrosion solution "expensive" or do thebenefits outweigh the cost? And, what isthe real cost?

I expect any vendor toadvocate his own product.Ihave noproblem with that; however, all vendor information, including that of Tormek, should beable to withstand reasonable criticism.

In conclusion, Irecommend study of the handbook andTormek's online classes.

Ken

PS I apologize for the typos. I recently had cataract surgery on both eyes and am awaiting new lenses for closevision.

[RichColvin]

David,

Ken is right that the Tormek classes on YouTube are a great place to start.  The playlists on their YouTube channel is available at https://www.youtube.com/@TormekSharpening/playlists.

Regarding books, there is a bit of difficulty answering your question directly.  Generally, the best book I recommend for woodworkers is The Complete Guide to Sharpening (1996), by Leonard Lee (of Lee Valley).  It is quite thorough and well done.

For other types of tools,  there are good sources, but I have found that the best books are for sharpening given tools and the books are usually tool-specific or at least category-specific.  For example, I have come to find these are some of the best books:

• For knives: "Concerning the Sharpness of Blades" (PDF, date unknown), by Tremonia Feterkurier and Knife Engineering: Steel, Heat Treating, and Geometry (2025), by Dr. Larrin Thomas.  The late Dr. Vadim Kraichuk of KnifeGrinders (http://knifegrinders.com.au) also published a number of really great articles on his web site.
• For twist drills: "Drill Bit Geometry" (an article from 1989), by Joseph Mazoff
• For metal lathe & milling machine tooling: Design and Use of Cutting Tools (1952), by Leo J. St. Clair.
• For handsaws, Set & File: A Practical Guide to Saw Sharpening (2024), by Matt Cianci
• For cold chisels, Use and Care of Hand Tools and Measuring Tools (2020), by the U.S. Department of Defense.  This is AKA: Air Force TO 32-1-101, Army TM 9-243, Navy M6290-AJ-MAN-1010, & Marine Corps 10209-10/1.

In the web-based Sharpening Handbook (https://sharpeninghandbook.info), I have attempted to compile the list of these resources two ways:

• as a composite list (https://sharpeninghandbook.info/indexBooksVideosWebSites.html), and
• by tool to be sharpened

If you take this as a journey to enjoy rather than a destination, you will find there is much to learn as we all do.  And you will find that new information is being released to update your knowledge (e.g., Knife Engineering: Steel, Heat Treating, and Geometry in 2025 by Dr. Larrin Thomas).

Kind regards,
Rich

[WimSpi]

From my previous profession (carpenter), sharpening is nothing new to me.

In recent years, I have immersed myself in sharpening by watching high-quality videos. I have benefited most from the videos by the late Dr. Vadim Kraichuk of KnifeGrinders and from Tormek itself. I find that there are many videos on YouTube by people who present themselves as experts and, above all, as the best in their field. That takes a lot of (unnecessary) time.

I have also learned a lot on this forum by reading carefully and asking questions.
From all that information, I have created my own workflow for sharpening, which I now use.
I sharpen knives, chisels, and also hand saws (but sharpening handsaws is completely different from knives and chisels).