Tool Sharpening

    Good morning all, I just wanted to take a minute to tell you about a business I've been working with for my saw and other cutters sharpening for quite a while now.  They are located in Salt Lake City so the only downside is that you'll need to mail your blades, shaper cutters, and router bits to them.  The upside is that they do excellent work and if you have a question they will call you up to answer it.  It's been getting harder and harder to find a good source of sharpening here in Las Vegas.  Woodworkers Emporium used to send their blades to them but that's been years ago so not sure what happened.
     In any case, they are called Accurate Carbide and here is a LINK to their website.  Just to give you an idea of costs, I UPS'ed two blades to them for about $12.00.  For a typical carbide combo blade, 10" x 40 teeth they charge $16.40.  I had some concerns about them and Chuck called me personally to answer the questions I had.  Turn around time is about a week but you can plan around that.  What I do is rotate three blades, one is beyond sharpening so when the two good ones get dull I put it on the table saw and use is while the others are out.  I really dulled them for the box series where I used lots of exotic woods!  As I work in my shop I'll set aside any other cutters that need to be sharpened and send it all at one time to save on shipping.
     I learned about them at one of the big woodworking shows.  I use Tenryu blades and the factory reps in that booth recommended them for sharpening their blades.  Check them out, they may be just what you need.

Photo's, Video's, and The Meeting Blog

Waiting for the Main Event

     We had roughly 23 members at our meeting last Wednesday, September the nineteenth.  The weather is improving and so was the comfort level inside Jamie's shop which was perfect as we had lots of demonstrations and valuable information. These are things we can try in our own shops, seeing them demonstrated in person helps to understand what to do.  As is customary, we went around the room for our brief intro's and there were about 3-4 new faces -- welcome!
     Before the scheduled demonstrations we had our show and tell session.  Starting off with Ed, who brought in his latest lathe project, this segmented turning:

Ed's Segmented Bowl

     If you've ever used a lathe one of the important things is making sure your wood is securely fastened to the faceplate -- flying wood is never good!  Ed brought in an adjustable faceplate that he found plans for and made himself.  The rubber items that securely fasten the wood are bathtub stoppers.

Longworth Chuck

     For any of you that are interested in seeing how this chuck works and/or want to make your own, here's a LINK with plans for making it.
     In keeping with the wood turning theme, Don (president of the woodturners group)  brought in his latest bowl design which is really pretty amazing.

Don's Bowl

     To create this design he started out with a  3/4" x 7"  piece of Leopardwood.  This was cut into circles that were tapered and got progressively smaller.  The tool used for that is the bandsaw.  After cutting they were run through a sander to prepare them for the next step which was to glue them back together into a conical shape.  Finally, this is attached to a faceplate and Don worked his magic and skills to produce the bowl you see here:

Completed Bowl

     Quite often, the things we make in our shop reflects where we are in our life situation.  Some of us can look back on what Jonathan has been working on and remember doing that for our families and others of you may have this phase to look forward to.  He's been working on child related items like this neat Cow Jumped Over the Moon piece:

Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the Cow jumped over the Moon ...

     Apparently what started out for his own kids ended up as a must have for neighbors, cousins, and so on.  That's the fun part of being able to create these things.  To help him create more efficiently and accurately, Jonathan also brought in his recently completed drill press table.  Jamie was quick to offer her drill press as a place to set it up and evaluate but he declined.
     Last of the show and tell session was the boxes that I brought to share.  I was asked to do a show of them and have been busy making 29 different examples.  This kept me pretty busy coming up with something different from what you usually find.  The show was last Thursday and will be up at the Urban Ranch General Store until the end of next week.  I really appreciate those of you that were able to come to by, check out all of the work, have some wine/beer and snacks, and just be supportive.  Thanks for that and the purchases some of you made as well.

One of the Gilded Dog Series

     Trying to get recognition and market your work is a pain for me but it was lots of fun to come up with the unique box designs.  Got to feed my wood addiction!

      We had two really informative demonstrations at this meeting.  The first was with Dennis who showed us how to make an Ogee, bracket foot.  As with all of these demonstrations he made it look pretty easy but that's only because of his experience in making these.  It is something that all of us can do, seeing it "up close and personal" is so much better than pictures in a book.




   
 Making the cove began with a piece of 8/4 stock and templates.

Template Drawn on End

Template for Side

     In actual practice Dennis would use one piece of wood for each pair of the feet.  You start with adjusting the height of the blade for the depth of cut needed.  He then counts the number of revolutions as he returns the blade below the table.  After setting up the fence, he'll return the blade to that height in small increments.

Double-Stick Tape to Secure Fence

     The fence used to guide your cut is attached to the tablesaw at an angle.  Different diameter blades will give you a larger or smaller radius on your coves which determines the size of your molding or, in this case, cabinet foot.  You could use clamps but Dennis's chose is this 3M brand tape he gets at CTI here in Las Vegas.  There was a lot of interest in this store and the tape so here's a LINK to them, they are located at Valley View and Hacienda.
     After making the required passes to achieve the depth of the cove, the next step is to cut the shape on the bandsaw.  This can then be sanded with either a spindle sander or by wrapping some sandpaper around a piece of dowel.

Refining the Curve

      By using a block plane the edges are chamfered and brought to the desired profiles.  The piece shown above is a sample, in practice it would have been long enough for both sides, mitered and joined to form the complete foot.
     Lupe did an outstanding video which can be seen on YouTube, here is a LINK to that video.  I'm somewhat computer challenged so let me know if this doesn't work for you and I'll try to figure it out.  The video is really informative and will show you much more than I could write.
     Next up was another outstanding demonstration from Ted.  He's doing a staircase up in Sandy, Utah out of rift sawn, white Oak.  The newel posts are made by having a four sided taper that starts at about 7"  wide and goes up to 4" or so.  The style of them is an Asian/Craftsman one and hopefully he'll take some pictures of the completed project to share when the job's done.  Since there were a number of posts to make it was well worth the time and effort for him to make a perfect template to follow.  I've enhanced this picture to try and clarify it so no, you don't need to adjust your set!

Template for Newel Posts

     The piece on top is the template and it is perfectly centered on the piece needing to be cut out.  You can see how the template piece has brackets screwed to it that go around the needed part.  These are screwed into the top and bottom of the post sides and will be capped over on top, bottom you won't see.  If you've ever done pattern routing with a hand held router or on a shaper, this is the same concept.  The first step is to clamp a T-shaped fence (called an Overshot Fence) to the tablesaw rip fence.

Installing the Overshot Fence

     There is ample space between the piece being cut off and the rip fence to insure nothing will bind and be shot back at you.  There's also space between the top of the piece being cut and the overshot fence.

Adjusting for the Cut

     The outer edge of the blade is in line with the fence.  As the template is guided against it the results will be a perfectly matching part.  Where a router or shaper uses a bearing, the edge of this fence serves the same purpose.  To assemble these parts the edges next had to be cut at an angle which was accomplished by tilting the blade.  Next up was to move the fence to the opposite side of the blade, lower the blade and cut a slot in each mitered edge to accept a spline for glue up.  Ted said that to hold these together for the glue up all he needed was masking tape across the edges.
     Once again, my words and Lupe's photographs aren't enough to really describe this process but Lupe has made another great video showing Ted in action on YouTube.  Here's the LINK to that one as well.  Lupe is doing a great job on these, if you agree tell her so next time you see her.
     Well, this one (or me!) got to be rather long winded but there were a lot of good things happening, shared, and discussed at this meeting.  Last thing I'll add is that there will be a swap meet in the parking lot of Woodworkers Emporium.  It'll be on Saturday, Oct. 13 from 9am to noon.  From what I understand you can bring in your stuff to sell without any charge or comission.  Until next month, or maybe sooner, that's all for now!
   

Coves on a Tablesaw !!!!

What the heck !!  

   Coves on a tablesaw?

'Ya been drinking or something??

Tablesaws cut square & straight,

   Coves are round & radiused -- 

       You are definitely confused.


     Yes, that's right and here's a picture to prove it.  Not to give away my age or anything but here is a sample of what we used to make in high school woodshop back in the day.  These skis weighed a ton but were almost always coved.  The guys who'd done them before claimed that the shape of the cove determined how good the ski rode through the water.  Based on my own experience though it didn't seem to matter much; my coordination couldn't get much of a ride no matter how the cove was cut!

     At our 7:00 pm  meeting tonight, Dennis Patchett will show us how to make some small, ogee cabinet feet that are destined for a cedar chest.  The process starts out with cove cuts made on the tablesaw.  You'll get to see first hand how to determine the size and depth of the cove and also how to locate the fence or fences to do this safely on your own tablesaw.
     This promises to be an interesting demonstration and something we can all use to enhance our own projects.  Feel free to bring in some of your latest work to share with the group but also take some notes on this really interesting process.

See you there

Jigs and Things Part II

      This is a continuation of the first part.  Not sure what happened but after sitting here composing the blog all of a sudden things froze up and I got an error message.  I eliminated some of the blog and attempted to save it but it wouldn't cooperate with me.  So, looking at my notes I really don't have too far to go so will do this before going out to the shop --- too early anyway for a Saturday and with the cloud cover today may be a little bit cooler!
     The seeds for this meeting about jigs were planted when Jamie blogged about the hassle of making tapered legs.  They're for the bed you'll see towards the end of the blog, it's beautiful!  In her blog she complained about that crappy, two legged, hinged fixture that rides along the rip fence, I'd bet that at least half of you reading this have used that one.  Seems as if it's darn near impossible to tighten it plus it just doesn't feel safe.  Here's the jig I've used for many years that works great:

Tablesaw Taper Jig

     Although it looks complicated and has a number of parts, if you frequently build chairs, tables, beds, etc. that call for a tapered leg this is worth building.  Instead of riding against the fence this jig rides in the miter gauge slot on the left side of the blade.  If you look closely you can see a white runner under the jig made of UHMW polyethylene.  Every time this comes up it raises interest so here's a LINK to Lee Valley about it, I've bought some of it at Woodworkers Emporium too. In use, here's how the sled will look:

Mock Up of Jig in Use

     You draw a line for the starting point of the taper and also a line on the end to indicate the size of the leg at the bottom.  Then you slide the guide piece so that the leg extends over the sled that amount and tighten the wing nuts.  The beauty of this jig is that you can cut 4 sided tapers too.  If you are a subscriber to Fine Woodworking on-line you'll be able to get the plans and see a video from this LINK.  If not the article was in Fine Woodworking #178  on pages. 46-49.  This was the August 2005 issue.  Also, the author is Richard W. Beebe II so a google search may turn him up too.
     Here's the bed that inspired the sharing of jigs and our very successful meeting.  I don't know how many of you follow Jamie's blogs but this has been the focus for some time.  Here's the headboard:

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

     Two things inspired the carving.  One was that Dennis was teaching his class on carving at the time so she thought, hey, why not carve this thing.  If you check her blog she also carved the footboard with the saying of "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie".  The way she colored the carving was to use milk paint.  The surrounding area was masked with rubber cement to protect it from the paint and then top coated with oil to really make it stand out.

Close Up View

The other inspiration came from an artist she knows by the name of Judy Kensley McKie.  If you do a google search on her you can see the influence of her work in Jamie's.  I found a cabinet she carved and  now I'm inspired!
     The meeting wrapped up with a drawing for some gift certificates Kate brought in from Timbers.  I was pretty hungry but not lucky enough to get one.  The winners were Leroy, Rich, and Lupe -- Thanks Kate!
     Another last minute item was Rick telling us about a website called Instructables.  It's a site that instructs you in all types of things.  I checked it out and here's a LINK to that site.  I looked at the opening page and although it looks interesting I'm pretty much computered out by now.  Time to get into the shop and work on boxes, hinges, and anything else that won't find me sitting at a keyboard!

   

Wednesdays' Jig Filled Meeting

     I think most of us will agree that the meeting was a real interesting one due to the fact that so many of the members brought in their favorite shop made or purchased jigs.  As I was taking notes for the blog I noticed that several jigs for making circles or arcs were brought in and neither of them were the way I do that process.  Just goes to show how true the phrase "more than one way to skin a cat" is.  I used to have a pretty good time when I'd use that saying teaching the boys in the prison!
     As is a big part of our meetings, the time before was spent catching up on what we've been doing and discussing woodwork in general plus anything else of importance.

Just Waiting for the Show I

Just Waiting for the Show II

     The traditional yet not everyones favorite part of the meeting is the self-introductions go around the room and tell us who you are.  This time Jamie started it off by telling us we could say as much or as little as we wanted to and oddly enough, most folks gave more info! There were a few new faces plus some who have been absent for a while.  During the introductions Ed brought up and showed us the turned pieces he's made on his recently acquired lathe. They were really well done and seems he's well on the way to making wood turning part of his repertoire.

Ed's Turned Objects

     For any of you interested, the local woodturning group meets the second Tuesday of every month at Woodworkers Emporium located on Arville, just north of Russell Road.  They start their meetings at 6:30 and they're similar to ours except of course, the focus is on lathe work.  Then this Saturday they will have an open house from 9-12 but I can't guarantee getting this blog out in time for that so if you were interested I hope you took notes!
     Well, off we go to the jig sharing part of the meeting. Rich started out with a couple of interesting jigs.  This one:

Dado Guide

garnered a lot of attention.  If you ever use dado's to insert a shelf you'll know how rare it is for your router bit to match the thickness of the shelf exactly.  With this jig you put the shelf between the two sides then slide and lock the right side one over, capturing the thickness of the shelf.  Now, with a 5/8"pattern bit that has a top mounted bearing you'll be able to rout a dado that matches the thickness exactly -- pretty neat.  One other jig that he brought in was this one:

Threaded Insert Jig

    This would be used to install those threaded inserts we all use without breaking off their ears or putting them in crooked.  It was interesting that Jonathan, our resident jet mechanic, recognized the design as something similar to what he uses on the F-15.  This came from Lumberjocks and I found the link for it HERE.
     Next up was Leroy who showed the miter joint sled he uses on the tablesaw for his box making:

Tablesaw Miter Sled

If you're after a tight fitting mitered joint the pieces have to be cut accurately.  By using an Angle Cube to set the blade at exactly 45 degrees and then making sure the sled cuts an exact 90 degree edge this system is the way to go.  By using stop blocks you can insure the pieces will be the correct size and you probably won't even have to touch them up with a shooting board.  At the same time, Leroy showed a small stand that he made using inlayed and over-lapping circles.  Those of you that saw it will remember how nice it looked but we didn't get a photo of it.
     Next up was Lupe who first showed us a really nice looking circle cutting jig made by Delta and used on a bandsaw:

Delta Circle Cutting Jig

It looks to be very well made so I was curious to find out a bit about it.  Here is a LINK to what I found out but it may no longer be made.  Amazon lists it as well and I found a couple of listings where it was offered on Craig's List in other cities.  This one was a "slam dunk" but Lupe's next jig was a doozey!

The Mother of All Hinge Mortising Jigs

This seemingly simple arrangement of knobs, wood, and metal was taken from one of the PBS woodworking shows.  You know the kind, they build a solid wood dining table with four chairs in about 28 minutes!  My students could never understand why I wouldn't let them do the same.  Lupe gave her very colorful and detailed explanation of how this thing worked --- I'm sure we'll be seeing version 2.0 in the near future.  It's designed to quickly and accurately cut the mortise for inset butt hinges and although it did what it was designed to do the journey to get there sounded like a long and winding road.
     When we think of woodworking there are many directions you can go.  You can turn on lathes, you can carve, you can use power tools and hi-tech joinery methods, you can put your focus on hand tools, or; as most will end up doing, use a combination of those ways that appeals to you to do your work.  If you're wired for enjoying the quiet atmosphere of hand tools there are a couple of tools you can make to enhance that enjoyment.  Eric brought in a pair of winding sticks:

Winding Sticks

      These are extremely useful if you're using planes to remove the twist or wind from a board.  I believe that you can also buy them pre-made out of metal but it's such a simple tool why not increase your own skills to make your own.  On his, he uses a piece of duct tape on the far sticks but you can also use a contrasting color wood.  When you put them on the board, you sight over the tops of the two sticks.  If the board is perfectly flat you would see the same amount of tape all the way across.  It not you'll notice which edge is high, use a plane to remove some of that, move the sticks closer together, sight again, plane, etc. until the tops of the sticks are both parallel as you sight over them.  To go along with the winding sticks he also brought in his shop made, wooden straight edge.  I never knew why every example I'd seen has bottom edge perfectly flat while the top edge is tapered towards each end from the center.  He explained that this is to expose the end grain gradually and thus limit the effects humidity has on a piece of lumber.  Another good project to make to hone your hand skills.
     Something we're more concerned about here in the desert is the effect the sun has on us and our houses.  Jim brought in the fourth of fifteen shutters and showed us the system he got through Rockler, here's a LINK to that from the website.  If you click on that link you'll see there are a number of different jigs and bits needed to complete the project.  Here's some of the items:

Shutter System from Rockler

    Here is one of the shutters Jim has completed:

One of Fifteen

Just as with anything we do, the first one takes more time than the next.  By the time he gets done with the last one he may decide to go into business or else offer the system up on Craigslist!
     In keeping with the circle making jigs, Rick brought in this one which really looks substantial and well engineered.

Radius Jig

It's laying among some of the parts of the shutter system but the large, white circular piece he's holding is where the router is attached.  If you follow that to the left there is a black bracket which would be clamped onto the piece of wood that you're going to cut the radius on.  You can slide the router holding section on the arm coming from the bracket to adjust the size of your arc.  He very generously offered it to Jamie and the school to use.
 

Pop Quiz before the Meeting

        I know what you may be thinking right about now -- Quiz, Huh you gotta be kiddin' me!!  Well play along with me, read these definitions and make your selection.  C'mon, after 30+ years in a class room it's hard to break some old teacher habits!

Definition of JIG

1

a : any of several lively springy dances in triple rhythmb : music to which a jig may be danced

2

: trick, game —used chiefly in the phrase the jig is up

3

a : any of several fishing devices that are jerked up and down or drawn through the waterb : a device used to maintain mechanically the correct positional relationship between a piece of work and the tool or between parts of work during assemblyc : a device in which crushed ore is concentrated or coal is cleaned by agitating in water

      So, how'd you do?  If you chose 3a as your answer you made the right choice and will fit right in to the meeting tomorrow at WooditIs.  If you selected any of the other answers either you should go to an Irish Bar, a fishing hole, or a rock plant.  A better suggestion would be to come to the meeting and learn about the jigs we'll be talking about there.

     As woodworkers we probably all make a jig or fixture when we need to do repetitive steps in a project where accuracy is important.  A jig or fixture can also be used to make an operation safer and easier.  Some of them may be that "quick & dirty" method used once but others may be something you reach for any time it's needed in your work. Like Jamie said in the announcement we're asking you to bring in a jig or fixture that you've either made or purchased that enhances your woodworking.  As an example, maybe you've drilled holes in the sides of a cabinet for adjustable shelving and painstakingly measured for each one.  Sure it works but it is time consuming and the results are often less than perfect.  You probably bought a jig similar to this one to simplify, streamline, and speed up the procedure.

       The focus of our meeting will be to bring in those jigs, fixtures, and shop aides that you've either made or bought and sharing them with the rest of us.  I'd suggest bringing some paper, pencil, and tape measure to get the details on something you may find useful for your own shop and work.  Of course you can bring in your current project to share if you'd like but we thought it would be beneficial to all by sharing something that makes your woodworking go easier, safer, and quicker.

Meeting of July 18th. : Sharpening Demo

Pre-Meeting Wood Talks

     We had another good turn out for this month's meeting with several new faces and an abbreviated, go around the room and who the heck are you!  As usual, before the meeting started the members broke into informal groups swapping tales about the woodwork done during the last month.  This is a good time to reconnect and socialize and is always interesting.
     We began the meeting with a show and tell session.  Derrick started off by showing us his clipboards that he's been making from whatever scrap materials he's able to scavange.

Derrick's Clipboards

     He brought in 3 examples and each one of them is unique.  They're assembled with regular wood glue and begin life as a 1" or so thick block of laminated "stuff".  He uses solid wood as well as some plywood that creates a neat herringbone design.  They are then run through the planer, flipping and angling as the wood dictates to prevent tear out and then sanded to 600 grit.   A coat or two of wax and you end up with a very unique and useful project.  Derrick, if you contact me I have some interesting pieces of exotics you can scavenge from me!

     Leroy brought in a good sized chunk of Olive wood that was given to him by a neighbor.  I'm estimating that it was pretty close to 2" x 6" x 3' and really could use some scrub plane or jointer work.  Be interesting to see how it will finish turn out.  He mentioned a website that I gave him that has virtually any species of wood photographed in great detail, here's a link to that, it's pretty interesting I think.           http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/

     Ted mentioned that he has a 10" Unisaw for sale and also brought in a Woodworkers Logbook.

Logbook & Unisaw For Sale

     It's the binder that he's holding in the picture.  It was from Lee Valley but when I checked their site I couldn't find it.  If you search for Woodworkers Logbook at Amazon they listed 4, used copies but there wasn't any detail or picture.  If you need Ted's contact information to see about the saw just contact me and I'll forward it to him.

     Before we get to the main event there's one more thing to mention.  You've probably all seen the bench top workbench I bring in to do my demonstrations.  Jamie will be offering a class on how to build one of your own that I'll be teaching.  The class dates are August 13 - 30 and will meet on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6-9pm.  Even if you're a young guy your back will thank you for being able to raise your work level when routing, carving, cutting joints, etc.  Us older guys have a hard time straightening up after being haunched over the wood for a while!  To sign up for the class contact Jamie, if you want any other information feel free to contact me.

On to the main event, Sharpening.   To paraphrase Jamie, she said:

                  "Ask 10 woodworkers how they sharpen and you'll probably get 12 different answers"

Eric Ready to Go

She's right on with that expression.  Eric gave an excellent demonstration and whether you've been sharpening for years or just getting into it I'm sure we all gained a bit of knowledge from him.

     Eric started out by asking the group what our experiences were and what we would like to gain from his talk.  He made a generous offer to us and said that since the tool junkie in him had amassed pretty much any sharpening tool you could think of he'd let us try it out from his collection before spending money on something we're not sure of.  For him, his sharpening goal is to have his tools be sharp and perform the way he needs to use them.  Other than carving tools, the main shape of tools used for cabinet or furniture work will have a sharp edge and a flat profile.  The most common angles are 25 and 30 degrees.  To illustrate exactly what a sharp edge is, he used this aid:

Sharp Edge 

     Basically a sharp edge is two angles that come together with a minimum radius.  I think I got that right but you all will know what I mean.  You want a zero radius where the back and the bevel meet, that defines sharp.  There are a number of ways to go about getting your tools to that point.

Water Stones

     Generally man-made materials, cut fast but messy.  Stones require frequent flattening.  First ones were usually from Japan but now available from many different sources. 

Diamond Stones

     These are industrial grade diamonds joined to a metal plate.  They're generally slower cutting but do not require flattening and are durable.  

Oil Stones

     These are a natural material, most of us have heard of Arkansas stones.  They use oil as a lubricant and are a bit neater than water stones.  They won't require flattening but are not the best choice for many of the hi-tech, modern metals used to cutting edges today.

Glass and Abrasive Papers

     Sometimes referred to as the "Scary Sharp" method which is inexpensive to start out but the costs continue as you need to replace your supply of abrasive papers.  You need a piece of float glass, at least 3/8" thick and 3M #77 spray adhesive to stick the paper to the glass.

     I omitted prices for these different methods because there is such a wide range.  I'll go out on a limb and say that you get what you pay for.  Only you can answer the question as to what the sharpening equipment is worth to you -- you know your budget constraints.

     After discussing the different sharpening methods there are a few aids that help you achieve that sharp tool so you can do your best work.  The simplest is a black sharpie to color the edge before you sharpen.  This will show you where your stones or grinding wheel is making contact.  

     Along with a simple roller guide (Jamie sells them) your wise to make what Eric referred to as a projection jig:

Projection Jig

     Simply put, the blocks are screwed/glued to a  piece of plywood and once you've put the tool you're going to sharpen into the roller guide you place the roller against the edge of the ply and the end of your blade against the appropriate block.  It'll take a bit of time setting things up with a protractor but once you've made this jig you'll be able to quickly set the correct angle.

     The first step to sharpening any flat blade is to flatten the back.  Remember that sharp = 2 surfaces coming to a zero radius.  Unless the back of your plane iron or chisel is flat you won't be able to achieve that.  Fortunately this only needs to be done once unless you were to severely damage the tool.  You can use any one of the sharpening methods to achieve this and use the appropriate fluid to keep your stones clean.  You start with the roughest grit needed and can monitor your progress by checking your scratch pattern and marking made with your sharpie.  Turning the tool 90 degrees for each grit will help you see that scratch pattern.  After the back is flattened you can turn your attention to the bevel.

     There are two basic ways of getting that bevel.  If you have a grinder you can begin with hollow or radius grinding.  If you don't have a grinder the bevel can be achieved using the hand methods.  Grinders tend to scare people because although they work quickly they can also screw things up quickly and there's the risk of taking the temper out of the steel by over-heating.  Eric had an excellent suggestion and that was to go to flea markets or garage sales and buy "crap" chisels and files to practice with.

Holding the Chisel on the Grinder Tool Rest

     Notice how the grinder has all guards in place, the can is for water used to keep the tool cool.  What appears to be an old style razor is actually a wheel dresser.  This is used to flatten the wheel but Eric recommends putting a slight crown on the wheel to avoid over-heating the edges of your tool.

     Grinding is only needed if the blade has been damaged or honed so often that it is too short to put the appropriate angle on.  The grinding process can be done by hand, generally using coarser abrasives on glass -- and again; this doesn't need to be done very frequently.

     After grinding the edge needs to be polished to ensure long life and clean cuts.  The more of a polish you can get, the better and easier your tool will work for you.  A sharp tool is much safer than a sharp tool that you have to force through your work.  You can use any of the ways discussed to polish your tools.  Work from the roughest grit through the finest ones.  How do you know you've gone far enough --- feel for that wire edge that will form on the back of the tool as you work the bevel.  

     Erics' demo was well planned and presented.  To go back to what Jamie said about asking woodworkers about sharpening in my opinion it can be summed up like this: Pick your own poison and find a method that works for you and perfect it to do the type of wood work you want to achieve.  If you're new to all of this maybe take Eric up on his generous offer to experiment with the different ways using his sharpening equipment before you invest your money into your own set-up.