The Perfect Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Sharpening for Woodworkers (Popular Woodworking) Review

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The Perfect Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Sharpening for Woodworkers (Popular Woodworking) ReviewAll woodworkers know Ron Hock. He makes and sells great blades for planes and knives. If you do not yet know him, this book is an introduction and a good way to benefit from his experience.
He starts by explaining what steel really is: a combination of iron with a small percentage of carbon. Then he explains the different properties of steel alloys. He describes how steel is made, forged, heat-treated and quenched. He explains how all of those operations affect the steel that tools are made from. Without too much boring background, you can quickly learn what took me decades to learn: how different steels affect tool performance.
Some readers may find this too academic, but I assure you of two things: 1- this is the most "user friendly" introduction to applied metallurgy I have ever seen, and 2-you cannot possibly understand sharpening without knowing at least a little about steel.
If you just love tools and are considering which tools to buy, then metallurgy is fundamental to spending wisely. For that reason alone, I can recommend this book because Ron's knowledge can save you THOUSANDS! (no exaggeration)
Woodworkers are bombarded with ads for a bewildering array of gadgets, machines, abrasives and "sharpening systems." Which one is the right investment? Ron explains them ALL and divides them into categories anyone can understand. You will have to "read between the lines" a bit though. The publishers are wary of offending their advertisers. So Ron must temper his critiques with practical compromises. He can't come outright and say, "this is the best way to sharpen planes" or "This system sucks." He must offer alternatives and show pictures of all manufacturer's products. The reader is left to use Ron's impartial facts and make his own decisions. If you do not like to think for yourself, or rather someone just tell you what to buy, you won't like this book. If you are capable of culling useful facts and applying them, you will gain immensely and save boatloads of cash on tools AND sharpening gear.
BTW: if you prefer to have someone just show you a single system that works well, Get David Charlesworth's book. His system works pretty well for most woodworkers, beginners and pros alike. Though expensive and slow, it is not too expensive or too slow. For those who have less patience and want to just "pay the fee and get on with it" David's way is faster. Ron's book is for those of us who are still curious and want to know everything about the subject because we are always looking for more efficient or less expensive methods. I have respect for the Old School Skills and know them intimately, but even my Father (born in 1898) would appreciate Ron's practical modern attitude. Also, Ron explains why David's famous "ruler trick" can work for plane blades but is not ideal for chisels.
So if you are new and uninformed, or experienced yet confused by the bewildering array of manufacturer's claims and products, this book will end that confusion quickly. The book is worth the cost.
Metallurgy can definitely seem a dreary arcane subject. (I fell asleep during several college lectures) But Ron's focused goal of sharpening keeps avid woodworkers intrigued. Obviously, Ron has spent many years answering woodworkers questions about tool steel in relation to sharpening, so in this work he culled together answers to most woodworker's FAQs. By providing information that relates directly to tool steel, he dramatically shortens your learning curve. I wish i could have had this book 30 years ago. It would have saved me so much time and a ton of homework drudgery.
What I love about the metallurgical truth Mr Hock presents: He debunks common marketing myths about various tool steels. What steel is better? A2 or O1? Why not use HSS or M2 steel for plane blades? Why might a chisel benefit from a different steel than a plane? How flat does a plane's sole have to be? How much time should sharpening take? What IS sharpness? How sharp does this tool really need to be?
Ron explains what truly experienced, over-educated (and kinda geeky) woodworkers already know, but he presents it in a way that is neither insulting to the reader nor confrontational to the manufacturers.
Speaking of manufacturers: It is painfully obvious that the publishing editors of Popular Woodworking kowtow to their advertisers. This glossy, full color tome is FULL of product photos for every type of sharpening jig, machine, gadget. I do not believe this is criminal, but it does add too much "advertising fluff" to an otherwise edifying concise work.
To be truly objective and honest, any book on sharpening should show the results of the various jigs and sharpening systems. Well, at the very end of the book, Ron does exactly that.
Without flatly stating "this system is better or worse", he shows us micro-photographs of cutting edges taken with a scanning electron microscope. Ron (and / or his publishers) actually commissioned Steve Anderson of Sonoma State university to photograph cutting edges after they had been sharpened by various abrasives and methods. If you want to SEE the "plane" truth, get this book solely for the last chapter. It is worth the price of admission JUST for that.
There is one GREAT new tip I got from this book about sharpening scissors; On page 197 Ron shows us a unique new trick for sharpening (actually honing) a pair of scissors with a common tool found in every woodworker's shop: a burnisher.
The tittle of this VERY valuable trick is "HANDY TRICK, sharpen your scissors in three seconds with your burnisher." I sat bolt-upright when I saw this. The single photograph explains how to do it. I immediately went to my kitchen where we have numerous pairs of dull scissors. (A wife, three sons and one daughter can ruin scissor as fast as I buy them.) I tried it. It WORKS!
Do you realize how valuable this one tip is? Most people use scissors in the office or kitchen everyday, or at least once a week. How much frustration does it cause you when they stop cutting well? How much money would you save if you could quickly renew the cutting edge on every pair of scissors in your house a dozen times?
Well, I conservatively figure that in our house, I could save at least $20 a year... not enough to retire with, but that would buy a round of beers or certainly defray the cost of this book. When the twenty pairs of cheap scissors get dull, (or lost) my beloved family members sneak into my shop and "borrow" my good scissors. They inevitably dull the edge on my good pairs, I have to spend infuriated time honing the edges again. For this single tip alone, Ron has done as much for my blood pressure as my nightly glass of wine. THANKS RON!
If you visit his website or buy is products, you'll see Ron Hock is a likable, easy-goin', down-to-Earth guy. He is also very knowledgeable! His writing style is easy-to-read and to-the-point. His video presentations on Plane Kits and other subjects are also succinct, although he made not be an on-screen "natural." ;-) He even brings some humor to these otherwise tedious subjects.
Although I could do without the manufacturer / advertiser "fluff", this book is full of solid crucial information if you want to know about sharpening tools. Although I already had a practical education in metallurgy, Ron's unique contribution to literature makes that otherwise dreary subject interesting and pointedly useful to woodworkers. The super-microscopic photos at the end of the book tell the truth, but you have to look for it; the truth doesn't shout out at you so as to avoid offending valuable sponsors.
Even though i already knew much of the material herein, I am delighted i got it as a useful reference for long-forgotten steel-science, and new emerging technology. It is surely one of the most thorough books on sharpening; one of the few that really educates from a foundation in metallurgy. Anyone who owns ANY tools, (including kitchen knives and scissors) will learn something valuable they can use for the rest of their lives.
And for me personally, the "three-second scissor trick" is worth the price. For that alone, Ron deserves some kind of medal... (maybe a "Domestic Tranquility Peace Prize?) Who knows? Some family with many dull-scissor problems might even be spared divorce!
Now, the only remaining question: "From what type of metal shall Ron's medal be made?" A2 or O1? ;-)The Perfect Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Sharpening for Woodworkers (Popular Woodworking) OverviewNearly every operation in woodworking uses a piece of steel between the woodworker and the wood. This steel needs to be cared for and sharpened for the best results. "The Perfect Edge" is an up-to-date book on sharpening every woodworking tool, using the latest sharpening stones, tools and techniques. The author brings more than twenty-five years of experience, working with demanding customers and staying on top of the latest trends.

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