Posted by Liliane Barlow on 28th May 2009

For the beginner in woodcarving, the greatest obstacle to success is having blunt tools. This DVD is a revelation. It not only teaches the basic art of sharpening, but also demonstrates what the newcomer has probably not seen before, a sharp and decisive cut made with a properly sharpened tool.

Having done two 3 hour sessions in an adult education course, I found, as I have before, that fundamentals are not taught properly. I had laboured with dull tools, and had little or no success and certainly no satisfaction. Upon watching the DVD, I immediately saw demos of my ragged cuts, complete with broken fibres, contrasted with a clean, shiny cut, which removed wood in a neat continuous shaving, and left behind a precise cut in which the woodgrain was clearly visible, and the requisite shine was brought to the cut.

The demonstrations emphasize the dos and don\'ts. Even disasters like chipped chisels and burnt ends where the temper in the steel has been destroyed are revived on screen. The newcomer, after watching the demonstrations, has a clear idea of process, how to use both whetstones and oilstones, a complete resharpening using a bench grinder, followed by honing with a felt wheel, and finally using the polishing buff. The viewer develops confidence along with knowledge.

Each main type of chisel shape is dealt with, as well as plane knives and woodcarving knives. What you realize very quickly is , this isn\'t rocket science, and you can do the job, even if you are not a whiz kid with a workshop full of power tools. For the day to day needs of honing and polishing, you can do quite well with just your stones and a leather strop.

I felt this DVD was money well spent, and gave me a key into developing the basics of woodcarving more quickly, and with fewer disasters. For anyone new to \'the game\' this is a must have!!