Old School

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The art of sharpening a knife on a wet stone is no longer widely practiced in this day and age of specialized gadgets. It remains, however, the most versatile method for putting an edge on any tool made of steel. For my woodworking chisels and planes, I refine edges to a degree called “scary” sharp. When tuning up Jeanine’s cutlery, I aim for something a little less dangerous, knowing she is prone to using these utensils to trim parts of her own body. Normally this project would take me 30 minutes for a half dozen knives but when I entered my shop, I discovered a leak in the furnace condensate pump drain line which required immediate attention and an hour of my morning. The problem was the result of an improper connection between a plastic hose and the copper drain line made by a lazy installer.