The Far-Eastern Wood Butcher: Prime cuts from the far east.

What on earth are they? A user made box of assorted Arkansas stones. They are America's answer to: The Wales' Welsh Slate (Dragon's Tongue); The Scotch Tam O'Shanter; The English Charnley Forest stone; The Japanese Tenin Toishi; The German Thuringian Hone; The Chinese Guangzhou River bedrock; The Belgian Coticule; You get the idea. Local rocks that you use to sharpen mama's kitchen knives.   A collection of smaller pocket-sized Arkansas stones  In this entry, I will not try to tell you what you probably already know. What is the point of describing that oily rock you already have under your bench, in your drawer, in a can of kerosene? Note also, that the sharpening I describe here is best applied to woodworking in general. I am an amateur handtool woodworker. Sharpening a straight razor would be entirely another branch of science. I do not profess to know all there is to know about sharpening or Arkansas stones; I simply failed ...

How I cut a tenon To ensure good, tight fitting joints, 3 things are required: 1) Accurate layout 2)Accurate cutting to the line 3)Sharp tools to achieve 1 & 2 First you mark out. A knifed line is better than a pencil. A pencil smudges. A knifed line is clear, and provides a reference for a chisel. In sawing to a line, a knifed line keeps the cut neat with no frayed, jagged fibres. Try it. you'll find your layout vastly improved. I'll buy you a pint if it doesn't. A saw cut is then made at the shoulder to define the tenon length. Rip cuts are also made to demarcate the tenon width. No need to saw to line, as fitting to mortise will determine the final dimension of tenon. Paring to line is important later, not now. Here, the chips literally fly in squares as they are cleaved. Easy work. Chisel does not have to be very sharp at this point. Cleave nearly to line. Leave about 1/16 for your sharp paring chisel later during fitting to mortices. ...

 Tools assembled piecemeal over the years. In the beginning, there are tools discarded by your grandfather. Some will barely work.Some needed a little fettling. When you successfully nailed 5 pieces of plank, you call that a box....A box that only you (and maybe your mother) will love. And you thought to yourself,"..what kind of house can be without a rusty old hammer?.."The box served as a pull-out drawer under your bed for the next 5 years, was repainted with leftover white paint, served as a stool, a prop, a small table, a saw horse, before retiring as a full-time flower bed. It was ugly, it was crudely made, but mainly... it's made by you. All thanks to the hammer. Beneath the rust, it was stamped "STANLEY" On the wood handle, "Genuine Hickory" Saw that Word on a hockey stick. Must be some kind of tough wood. Soon, the neighbourhood hardware store forages progressed worldwide, with internet. I have yet to name a tool I cannot find o...