Turns out hand tools are actually useful...

[Bibliophile 13]

Oh, I agree. For my own purposes, the arm hair test has never worked well. I prefer to test my edges on wood. And there you get the ultimate test of sharpness. Does it cut wood easily and cleanly?

Looks like you've figured it out. Satisfying, isn't it?

[Timberwolf]

Yep the hair shaving thing isn't helpful because you can shave with a dull razor and get acceptable results.

..................
One step beyond shaving "sharp" is "hair popping sharp"...That's when the hairs just "fly off into space" when the blade barely touches them. You don't even have to move the blade.

[Hank Knight]

Wilbur Pan has a sign in his shop that gives the steps for correcting the performance of edge tools. It reads something like this:

Step 1 - Sharpen the blade.
If this does not correct the problem, repeat Step 1

Best advice I know!

[Rob Young]

..................
One step beyond shaving "sharp" is "hair popping sharp"...That's when the hairs just "fly off into space" when the blade barely touches them. You don't even have to move the blade.

I've watched people in the KCWG shop scrape and scrape and scrape on their forearm and claim "its so sharp, you can shave with it!".  My problem with the method is its application and that people just don't GET the difference you just made. 


I just leave the hair on my arms and get back to work now.  If the blade cuts like it is supposed to, little effort and a clean surface, then I know I've done my job.  No need to clog things up with a bunch of arm fur.  

Besides, it's cold outside, I'd rather keep my fur in place.

[Yetloh]

Welcome to the forum and the pleasures of working with really sharp tools.  You are fortunate to have discovered what the meaning of sharp really is.  Many never do.

When I was close to retiring about 20 years ago I realised I would need something to do if I was to remain sane and married, so I went on a beginners furniture making course at West Dean College here in the UK.  There I met an inspirational tutor and wonderful human being name of Bernard Allen.  I've been going back ever since.  The first (weekend) part of the course was devoted entirely to sharpening and tool tuning.  I am eternally grateful to Bernard for the skills he instilled in me in that first weekend; it has been the foundation for everything I have done since.  A couple of years later I met a guy at West Dean who was taking the full time furniture restoration/conservation course - West Dean is the premier UK place for a variety of conservation disciplines.   He was about 45 and, having spent about 30 years as a site carpenter/joiner, decided it was a young man's game and he should rethink his career, hence the course.  He confessed to me that only since he started at the College had he ever worked with sharp tools and it was a revelation.  This confrmed my suspicion that a very small part of the population, including tradesmen, have any real conception of what sharp is.

Jim

[Arlin Eastman]

Hand tools and sharpening is like driving a Car "If you do not put gas in it you won't go anywhere."

[Downwindtracker2]

The shock when I say "It's only a knife, it doesn't need to be sharp, a 1000grit is good enough."

[MattP]

I had a conversation with a chef recently where I mentioned to him that "sharp" for a kitchen knife was "dull, close to ruined" for a woodworking tool. He seemed confused and offended simultaneously.

[Steve N]

Yeah the epiphany occurs after you finally figure out what sharp is. For me it happened over a weekend spent with Glen Huey. I had been using a very expensive array of stones. Glen was using a WorkSharp 3000, so was Bob Lang. Sharp, very useful tools were available after that very short learning curve. Whodathunkit?