Shoutout to the old guys who taught me to sharpen by hand

When I started at the shop in 2010, my boss made me learn on oil stones, and a chisel took 15 minutes to get right. Now the new kid just got a $400 Tormek and has perfect edges in under a minute, but I swear he doesn't know what a dull tool really feels like. Do you think the speed is worth losing that basic skill?

3 comments

3 Comments

janab825d ago

You said the new kid doesn't know what a dull tool feels like, and that's everywhere now. We skip the basics. People can't cook without a meal kit, can't navigate without GPS telling them every turn. The shortcut gets the job done faster, but you lose the feel for the work itself. That 15 minutes of struggle taught you more than just sharpening.

tessa_hart185d agoTop Commenter

Notice how @janab82's point about shortcuts means we never learn to fix our own mistakes. Like if your GPS fails, you're just lost, but if you learned the route you could find your way back. That basic knowledge is a safety net we're throwing away.

adams.vera5d ago

Totally get what @janab82 is saying. That basic skill is like a backup plan you don't even know you need. I mean, if the easy way out fails, you're just stuck.