Bill Tindall
We don't have many discussions about the least amount one can get by with in sharpening, nor the most efficient path to get there. This information is to be found in shops trying to earn a living at it. What I see in these shops is an inexpensive grinder whose purpose is to quickly remove metal and a stone or two for edge refinement, freehand, and sometimes something for polishing the edge. Gigs, expensive grinders, multitudes of stones, complex routines are the training wheels for amateurs, those who require consistency in sharpening research, or persons on the book and lecture circuit. I could add, persons that get a significant part of their satisfaction in woodworking from sharpening. It is undeniable that the ability to split a hair or plane a 10m x 5 micron shaving is an admirable feat, worthy of achievement, if that is the where satisfaction lies.

Proclaiming best to this diversity is as pointless as saying my ancient Mazda is best for getting milk from the store compared to my friends Porche. I go to the store for milk. He goes to the store to drive to the store, and get some milk.

Anybody who regards sharpening as an annoying interruption to making stuff will soon discover what is adequate and most efficient, if they do much of it. I have a shelf full of training wheels I no longer need and steps I no longer use. It consists of jigs, stones, grit sizes, and routines I no longer find essential to make and fit a drawer.

The main useful purpose for having these discussions is to encourage those still on training wheels that it is possible to wean from them as experience is gained, and to be wary of buying expensive stuff that will one day sit, unnecessary, on a dusty shelf.