Graham

Things I am very happy to have:

• iPhone


• Google Maps

Things I am incredibly happy I know how to do at night with no flashlight on a moonlit evening in the freezing cold:

• tie a bowline

I fashioned with dr_mrow's help a sheath for the knife I forged on Saturday. When I get some time with a buffing wheel and clean the knife up I'll show it off, but it's protected now.

I got from my family a felt buffing wheel some months ago. For a variety of reasons I didn’t bother installing it until today.

I am regretting that delay now. With the right honing compound it gets better edges faster than my waterstones + stropping. It’s not as good at keeping the edge straight as my waterstones are, but damn is it effective. I sharpened a chisel and put it back in my leather tool roll and it effortlessly punched through the leather and out one side.

I am simultaneously delighted by this and terrified of what will happen if I slip with that chisel. I’m gonna start counting all my fingers after working with it, because with it that sharp I’ll never know if it cut me.

I received a traditional English style pigsticker mortising chisel today. It’s somewhat difficult to really convey my impressions of the thing in text, so have some photos instead.

( some photos of chisels )

I haven’t had cause to use it yet, although I will soon, but all the reviews I have of the beast say it’s the best mortising chisel currently on the market, and every bit as good as the old mortising chisels of yore.