Customer Reviews

Taunton's Complete Illustrated Guide to Sharpening

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have two books on sharpening. Which is a lot when you consider that sharpening is more of a chore than anything else. But it is a very important chore (second only to sweeping up), and one that can make woodworking a pleasure or a great pain. Until you develop good, disciplined sharpening techniques your work will be spotty at best. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a hand tool purist. But one of the reasons I have so many power planes, routers, and shapers is that, for a long time I was a very mediocre sharpener.

Thomas Lie-Nielson makes some of the finest planes in the world. I have three, and each has proved out its value repeatedly. Much of the reason I bought this book was to see what he had to say, even though my copy of Leonard Lee's 'Complete Guide to Sharpening' has stood me in good stead. Unfortunately, Lie-Nielsen is a much better toolmaker than he is a writer. His presentation is quite dry, and not as detailed as I would have liked. And for some strange reason the photographer managed to 'miss' the action or make it difficult to puzzle out what was happening.

In spite of this, Lie-Nielsen manages to explain somethings that Leonard Lee left out. He also offers more discussion on shaping the steel as well as sharpening it. His section on sharpening axes is a classic of straightforward clarity and brevity, for example. But While I am a fan of Taunton's 'Complete Illustrated' series, this time their offering falls short. Lee's book is half the price and every bit as useful

Although I have a great deal of respect for both the author and the publisher, I was forced to give this book a negative rating. This is due to the fact that the book offers no real recommendation as to which system to use for sharpening or real advantages and disadvantages for each method. I bought this book because I don't know a lot about sharpening other than woodturning tools. The author briefly discusses the various systems, waterstones, oilstones, grinders, sandpaper, etc. But I was not able to make an informed decision as to which was preferable and why.

The chapter on sharpening woodturning tools only briefly discussed the various ways to sharpen each of the major types of turning tools without going into detail. No discussion of the carious grinds to put on a bowl gouge, for example. So I was forced to assume that the other chapters were unnecessarily brief as well.

The book is beautiful and the color photos were well done. But if you are going to buy this book because you are a rank beginner at sharpening, I think you will be disappointed as to how little information is in here and will look in vain for recommendations.

The author builds some of the best hand tools out there today. I know because I own some. Other books and magazines published by Taunton are well thought out and beautifully presented. But this book lacked the detail I expected.

Although the book has great illustrations, it just doesn't give much information. Yes, the author discusses the sharpening of virtually every cutting instrument, but usually only using a certain jig that you probably don't have. There is little depth to this book; it's like a vast ocean that is only an inch deep. The book is a better review of sharpening tools and jigs on the market than it is about sharpening, and if you have these tools, you don't need the book to tell you how to use them.

I would have liked to see in-depth sharpening information- what a tool that is sharp looks like and how to get it there with basic tools. The book rarely achieves this.

This book is for wood carvers and not for the neophyte wondering how to best sharpen a kitchen knife or a lawn mower blade. Lots of information and photographs, but it's hard to figure out what motion is going on from the still photography.
In the first hour of looking through the content, I found several typo's and even more "wordo's". e.g. Page 70 - "Some Japanese stones have only one bevel." I don't think that "stones" have bevels - guess they meant "knives". Stilted language could be replaced by some simple advice. How about some straight-forward step-by-step instructions for sharpening a knife?

After an introduction to the basics of sharpening, the author take you step by step through the process of sharpening all the different kind of tools you can think of.

The author start by exposing the different method of sharpening from using sand paper to using expensive ceramic stone. It is up to you to decide which one is for you based on your budget and taste.

I would have given it a 5 stars if the picture don't always illustrate the point properly and because I would have liked more information on using a wet sharpener which as become quite popular nowaday.

I don't quite understand the negative reviews of this book. I own several books on sharpening, including Leonard Lee's, and find the Taunton guide to sharpening to be better organized, more to the point, better illustrated, and easier to access (that is, the index is very useful) than any book I know of on this topic.

Granted, if you are new to woodworking and want someone to recommend what system to buy and then walk you through the steps of sharpening tools with it, this book will not do that, nor should it, in my opinion. There are as many opinions about what sharpening system and methods are best as there are systems, and there are a lot of systems.

An old time woodworker might swear by the Arkansas oil stones he learned to sharpen on, while a Japanese carpenter would never use anything but a waterstone and his own skill. Similarly, people who are able to pay a lot of money for a mechanical wonder such as the Tormek don't want to be bothered with more manual methods, whereas other woodworkers love the feel of a blade on the stone of their choice, and have little but disdain for such aids as the Veritas Mark II sharpening jig and it's associated accessories.

In short, there is no such thing as the best way to sharpen a blade, and Tom Lie-Nielsen would be doing you a disservice to lead you in any particular direction in that regard. (Actually, most woodworking magazines carry articles touting one system or another, such as the DMT diamond dust kit, the "scary sharp" method using abrasive papers, and so forth. All of them will put a sharp edge on a blade if done correctly; it's up to you to decide what you can afford and what works for you.)

I don't think many people would buy a book about cars and expect it to tell them which particular car they should buy, and it's a similar situation with sharpening systems. If you're looking for specific information on difficult sharpening challenges (e.g., skew blades), though, you'll find a lot of useful information here, clearly presented.

I was unsure whether to get Thomas Lie-Nielsen's sharpening book. Not because I don't have great respect for his tools; I certainly do, and have several of them. Still, I already had Leonard Lee's sharpening book, and have always considered it as an outstanding reference.

Lee's careful consideration of the physics of the cutting edge and explanation of what the sharpening process would attempt to achieve for each tool exemplifies the philosophy of fine tool use. The multiple ways of sharpening are clearly described for each tool.

Having received Lie-Nielsen's book, however, I am very impressed with the number and quality of the photographs accompanying each sharpening procedure. They are crisp, clear shots, in color, and have been taken in close to the work, so the reader can readily understand the techniques being used. Frankly, I recommend that the serious hand tool user obtain both of these very worthwhile books.

This is a very clear guide to sharpening tools, knifes, sissors and anything elce you could think of. The book contains clear instructions with the tools and equiptment you need described and shown in clear, color pictures. A very usefull resorce book for the amature as well as the professional. Twenty five dollars seemed like a very resonable price. Fast shipping from this merchant helped to seal the deal. Great purchase ! Joe Miller, San Francisco

This is a very practical book on sharpening well illustrated which covers almost any sharp tool used in woodworking that has an iron cutting edge (not carbide). Unfortunately I got a defective copy (with some pages misplaced) which Amazon promptly replaced at no charge.

An enjoyable read. great info on many topics, even some that you never though of but great background.