The oilstone wears
Jonathan Peck - N.Y.
>Here's how them old dudes did it
The oilstone wears according to the peculiar method of the user. I once
heard of an old labourer, with a walk so shambling that his wheelbarrow
wheel accomodated itself to it, becoming worn in such a way that no one
else could push the barrow with comfort. A wheelwright in my village, not
having a lathe, made his bride a rolling pin with the drawing knife and
spokeshave. It was out of the true, but she acquired the art of rolling
out good pastry with it. It was the despair of her daughter and friends,
but the good wife used it with satisfaction to the end of her days. I
have seen oilstones so crooked with use that none but the accustomed user
could possibly obtain a true edge from them. But it should be explained
that the crooks were lengthwise and that crosswise the stone was fairly
flat.
It is easier to sharpen a true edge on a wide tool with a narrow stone
than with a wide one. Thus I prefer the 1 3/4 inch width, which I have
proved to be the happy medium, and I will not entertain the 2-inch width
usually stocked by tool factors. The slight increase in width makes all
the difference in the result, because the wider the stone the more is the
tendency to sharpen in the middle - a habit to which learners are prone -
thus causing the stone to become hollow with wear. Correct sharpening is
the primary art of all good workmanship, and all woodworkers know that it
is almost impossible to obtain a true edge on a hollow stone. But should
a stone become hollow it may be remedied by rubbing it flat on the side of
a grindstone, or on a flat slab of York stone with water and sharp sand,
as the stonemason does in the preparation of his work.
Walter Rose