O.K., this is what comes of making a grumpy Monday-morning post before
downing one's morning java. I not-so-sweetly pointed out that SS, though
fine and dandy, doesn't really achieve anything in the way of edge
sharpness that folks wouldn't get with any number of existing sharpening
methods.
Strike one: I obviously underestimated (or neglected) the fact that
many newer folks hadn't seen a really keen edge before (BTW, a 1/2"
wide mirror bright bevel, pretty though it is, is no indication of
a keen _edge_.) Thus, if SS raises the awareness of lots of ww'ers, it
is a Good Thing in my book (but could the new converts please stop
hawking it as the One True Path?)
As I was penning my original post I did have some regrets that it might be
taken as an afront to my buddy Steve Lamantia (does not rhyme with with
"dementia"). Fortunately, Steve didn't really take it personally. He
did, quite correctly, remind me that all things are relative, beauty is
in the eyes of the beholder, and that everyone of us will choose a method
based on a slightly different set of priorities.
No argument from me. I was only reacting (negatively) to a subtle
suggestion in several recent posts (not Steve's) that the _end result_
of SS was somehow better than the results (edges) real ww'ers have been
using for centuries.
This, IMHO, is bullshit.
Just think of those poor, deprived cabinet makers of days gone by...
all those wonderful chisels by Bucks, Swan, Witherby, et al., and to never
have experienced the epiphany of a SS edge. ;)
(o.k., I may be laying it on a little thick.)
BTW, I agree with Steve's assessment that some of Bryan's cuts may have
been caused by an edge other than the bevel. When I first starting using
my new Blue Chips and Sorby morticing chisels I endured some really nasty
cuts from the crisply machined edges before I realized what was up. I
recently re-discovered this when using a previously un-used size of
morticing chisel from the set. A few swipes with emery paper takes care
of the problem.
Regards,
Don Berry
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