Carpentry Skills Improve

My wife and I have been remodeling a rental property we own. Saturday I was replacing several interior doors. The 30 year old luan veneer hollow core doors had just had it and needed to be replaced.

As I was chiseling out the recess for the hinge, I realized that the chisel I was using had belonged to my father. He was the last one who had sharpened the thing. His hands had honed it to a edge so fine that it peeled off slices of wood in thin and crisp curls. I guess I could have used a router, but I have little need for one and don't own one. And I wasn't going to get one just for a few hinge recesses. Besides, there is something satisfying about shaving out a hinge recess and having it fit just right.

Dad believed in sharp tools. He came from an era when tools were meant to be used, sharpened back to razor edge, and used again. Tools don't grow old. They may break. They may even wear out. But they are always useful. I see old tools in antique shops and I think, "Gee, I've got one of those and I still use it from time to time". When I finish with these doors, I'll get out the stone Dad bought for me years ago and put the edge back on the chisel. Dad would want it that way.