John in NM
>"This, IMO, is not the place to teach others how to sharpen saws. Too many cooks who are usually contradicting each other and cause mainly confusion for the person interested in learning."

Because in spite of all the arguments that arise, that is exactly what makes a forum useful and interesting. That would be a thread I read with interest and learn from. Some of us even learn from the too many contradictory cooks, trying out their different methods and learning both methods that are effective and in-effective for ourselves. There is no single "right" way to do anything.

When this forum fills up with endless discussions of buying overpriced tools on ebay, and the strange compliment "you suck" is when I get bored and go elsewhere. To each their own.

In this case I have to say I admire Alan's attitude and intiative and I'm a bit mystified why others are so eager to stomp on both. That is hard to respect.