Worth Your Time.

Finally, I have posted something on this site worth reading... fortunately for you it wasn't written by me.  A new blog is actively emerging from the brain of Mr. Don Williams, and based on its early development it promises to be an excellent resource.  I'll be following along with his writings to, among many other things, follow the behind the scenes looks at the HO Studley project.  Good luck to you Mr. Williams and thank you for creating this blog!

the Barn at White Run
http://donsbarn.com/

British Invasion.

This is how I have appeared to my mail carrier for the last few weeks... he is very grumpy.

My addiction has been acting up again, and I have been scouring the interwebs for some antique tools that have been on my waiting list.  Several of my finds are coming from the good old UK and as such they sometimes take a while to ship.  As a result, when a package shows up with a Royal Mail stamp I loose my $#*&  calm and scream like a fifteen year old girl at a Beatles concert (my neighbors are waiting for the men in white coats to come carry me away).  The most recent arrival is an Eclipse No.36 sharpening guide.  This is the one on which Lie Nielsen based their sharpening guide design, and I must say I think I prefer the
original.

I don't always use a sharpening guide as I do a lot of my sharpening freehand.  I do use a guide when I am initially setting a bevel on a tool or I am sharpening something for someone else because I like to make sure the tool's bevel starts at a precise angle.  I love my Veritas MKII sharpening guide, but I was starting to get the 'seven year itch' and wanted to see what else was out there.  I have used this eclipse a couple of times since its arrival and already and I must say I like it the best of the side clamping sharpening guides I have used.  It clamps tightly and rolls freely, it's heavy (not plastic) and looks like it'll stand up to many years of use.  Additionally, I like that the company stamped the protrusion distances and corresponding angles right on the tool.  I am going to make a wooden shortcut guide as can be seen in this LumberJocks thread (I'm also looking for the Record No.161 that is shown there...but don't tell my wife).  This Eclipse will find its way into my traveling tool kit as it is small and effective.  I give this little guy two thumbs up and recommend digging around for one if you are considering a side clamping honing guide.