I wrote on one forum a few weeks ago about The Woodrights Shop recently broadcasting a few episodes in a row about sharpening more or less.
Three weeks or so ago, Roy Underhill hosted Mary May, a noted wood carver. While very interesting to watch her techniques carving and while it is not specifically about knives, there is a less than 10-minute portion in the middle of the show about sharpening and was, to me, fascinating.
Really nothing new but still interesting. Don't try cutting with a dull tool. Lock in the angle with good body mechanics. Form the burr. Remove the burr. Strop lightly. Don't roll the edge.
Last week, Roy built a wooden vise specifically for sharpening saws. Mildly interesting. OK, I found it very interesting.
This past Saturday was entitled: Sharpen That Saw He puts to use the saw vise from the week before.
It can be seen at. http://video.pbs.org/video/2365021491/
Again, its not directly about knives, but the illustration of how and why something is sharp is stimulating. The difference between cutting with the grain and across the grain and how & why that changes sharpening is well illustrated, in a cheesy sort of way.
At one point Roy says a word and there was simply nothing in my accessible memory that connected. It was as if he had made up a nonsense syllable. After some research on Google it still took me a few more rewinds and turning up the volume before I heard and began to understand fleam.
If you have that fascination for all things sharp and you might enjoy these episodes.
Three weeks or so ago, Roy Underhill hosted Mary May, a noted wood carver. While very interesting to watch her techniques carving and while it is not specifically about knives, there is a less than 10-minute portion in the middle of the show about sharpening and was, to me, fascinating.
Really nothing new but still interesting. Don't try cutting with a dull tool. Lock in the angle with good body mechanics. Form the burr. Remove the burr. Strop lightly. Don't roll the edge.
Last week, Roy built a wooden vise specifically for sharpening saws. Mildly interesting. OK, I found it very interesting.
This past Saturday was entitled: Sharpen That Saw He puts to use the saw vise from the week before.
It can be seen at. http://video.pbs.org/video/2365021491/
Again, its not directly about knives, but the illustration of how and why something is sharp is stimulating. The difference between cutting with the grain and across the grain and how & why that changes sharpening is well illustrated, in a cheesy sort of way.
At one point Roy says a word and there was simply nothing in my accessible memory that connected. It was as if he had made up a nonsense syllable. After some research on Google it still took me a few more rewinds and turning up the volume before I heard and began to understand fleam.
If you have that fascination for all things sharp and you might enjoy these episodes.
), and also pay extra attention to segments featuring knives & sharpening. Lots to be learned in these things. One of his guests demo'd good use of a Scandi-style knife for carving (looked like a Mora); other shows feature use of a small axe or hatchet for carving & shaping tasks. Other shows I watch for some of the same stuff are The Woodcraft Shop, Rough Cut, Wood Turning Workshop and occasionally the This Old House/Ask This Old House shows, though the knife & sharpening content is usually minimal. All that said, I'm fascinated by woodworking anyway. 
