Stones can and were trued pretty easily. Some water powered wheels were quite large. I often read people wondering how folk in the olden days did things and it usually only differs in the amount of time to get something done. If anything., the :ancients: seem to have had a lot more practical common sense than many growing up in the past half century or so. The only other thing that has really changed is available tools and materials.
I know more than one high end katana polishers that mention toothy edges but it is a matter of degrees. The old tyme Japanese had razors for shaving as well. Gee, come to think of it, so did many around the world thousands of years ago.
Early modern military swords were sharpened for the troops. Generally or at the discretion of their commanders.
Leather stropping swords is not unknown or not recommended by modern smiths. If it floats someone's boat, why not? On the other hand, I don't feel the need and have other things to do.
Medieval swords were noted by Ewart Oakeshott as sharp as carving knives (which was recently bolstered by a smith saying sharper than most peoples kitchen knives).
Coke or Pepsi?
GC
