On Tue, 06 Feb 2007 19:52:18 -0500, Joe Bleau
wrote:

So, bravo for the guys who whip it out freehand. I think in that
department I can keep up with the best of them. I just don't believe
they can sharpen as well or as fast as I can using a jig. The only
thing I lose is bragging rights. I don't mind being considered a wimp
so long as my tools stay sharp and you shouldn't either.

Hey, whatever works- but the question in my mind was never about the
shinyness or infinite microsharpness of the tool. It's always been
about getting a working edge on a working tool and getting back to the
project- without spending several hundred dollars on gadgets!

Since the litmus test always seems to be making a bald spot on one's
forearm, I can easily claim that level of sharpness with a freehand
sharpening. If you (literally, even) want to split hairs, then a
jig-formed edge might win the day. It's even possible it's faster to
use a jig once you're very familiar with the setup procedure, but that
depends on the person. Adding a jig of any sort adds setup time- it
may be a little or a lot, but it's still there.

It's the same old argument that goes on about all sorts of things in
this (and other) hobby. Everybody would like the have the "best" of
everything- but for any number of reasons, not everyone can have that.
So it's not a bad idea to remind people of the "good" from time to
time so that some work can get done. There really isn't anything
wrong with a guy buying gadgets because he likes them- but it is
damaging to the hobby as a whole if buying gadgets becomes the whole
point of it. When a group starts claiming a single thing as gospel
and harping on the new fella to spend $1000 he might not have on each
tool in the shop, it can turn an otherwise talented person away- if
not from the hobby itself, then at least it can sour them on the
group. I've gotten a lot of value out of this and other groups, and
I'd hate to lose the input of someone who may have a great deal of
talent and insight because they don't have a lot of money, and feel
like they can't run with the "big dogs" who do.

There's also the halo effect of naming things "essential" that we may
not always see. We've all seen the quality of most tools decline over
the years, while senseless "features" are added to them willy-nilly.
I would submit that this has a *lot* to do with advocating the "best"
at all times, and declaring that anything else is ineffective. A guy
reading that may well realize that he does not have the money for a
$200 honing guide, and go out and find a $7 one at the local hardware
store that will fit his budget, and use the thing with automotive
sandpaper. The accountants doing their thing see that those $7 jigs
are selling like hotcakes, the stones are mouldering on the shelf, and
that's what we end up with- while the useful older tool that sold for
that price gets yanked off the shelf to make room for the cheap
knockoff of the good gadget.

Sure, there's always room at the top- but let's leave a little wiggle
room at the bottom and the middle, too. Woodworking doesn't have to
be a rich man's sport (as a point of interest, it's a poor man's job
description- if you don't believe that, go take a look at a carpenter
or cabinet maker's tax statements and try and figure out where $200
for a friggin' guide is supposed to come from!)