I’ve been given many tools over the years by friends, family and other craftsmen. It makes sense when you aren’t using a tool, or you buy a new one, to pass the old one on to someone who may have a use for it. I recently purchased a new Makita 9820-2 Horizontal Wheel Wet Blade Sharpener and did just that. My old Makita still worked pretty well, it just needed a new 1600 grit stone and some more epoxy repair. My friend Adan makes knives, and I knew he could really use one of these machines for blade shaping. So I decided after twenty-one years of use I could splurge and buy myself a new one and pass the old one on to a friend. I’m interested in knife making too, so I’m really looking forward to Adan showing me some of his techniques after using this machine.
Allan gives his old Makita machine to Adan
Makita makes some quality items and the Makita 9820-2 Horizontal Wheel Wet Blade Sharpener is definitely one of them. I know I’ve sharpened my chisels, plane irons and joiner blades hundreds, if not thousands of times. In my early woodworking years, I would procrastinate on sharpening my blades because I didn’t have my technique down. Now that I have mastered this machine, I sharpen my knives the second I feel they are not cutting at peak performance. It’s so easy once you spend the time to learn how to use this machine. You’ll never tolerate dull knives again.
My father-in-law gave me an old hatchet made from excellent Swedish steel. The handle was very spongy so I made a new wenge handle for it. My friend Adan saw the hatchet and appreciated how special it was so he insisted on making a custom case for it. He knows I like nature and canoeing, so he hand tooled some artwork into the leather. It really means a lot. I didn’t realize what a artisan he was and then found out he had no wet sharpening machine to shape his knives, I wanted him to have my old Makita machine. Now we are going to help each other make some cool hunting knives.
Old hatchet given to me by my father-in-law with new wenge handle.
Custom leather hatchet case made by my friend Adan Flores.
So if you have an old electric drill you’re not using, or an extra clamp, or something that you think would be appreciated by a friend or neighbor, I say pass it on. I enjoy giving when I am able. I don’t give tools with the thought that I’m going to receive something from someone else, but it often happens. Share your old or unused tools. Giving is good.
Visit AskWoodMan’s Flickr stream to see more photos of this hatchet and case, as well as other tools that have been refurbished, gifted, or passed down to Allan over the years.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
We are a professional manufacturer of various kinds of sharpening machine circular saw grinder. Great sharing! Thanks for your article. I would also like to share you my articles about sharpening machine and circular saw grinder, hope you will like it.
My good friend loaned me his makita 9820 and I was so impressed with what I could do with a planer blade that I used it to sharpen some arrowheads. The issue is the arrowheads were not as hard as I thought. What is the best way to redress the wheels?
thanks
Matt
Hi Matt, Yes it is a remarkable machine. As to dressing the wheel: many many years ago I tried to dress the stone with a wheel dresser and the results were terrible. What I have found is just keep using the stone with long flat blades like planer blades and the stone will come into true again. And even if the stone is not perfectly flat due to a friend sharpening say arrowheads, you may lose a little knife to stone contact but it is not worth worrying about. It is just important in the setup of knife to stone cutting relationship to know which part of the stone will contact the knife first. You could also sharpen a planer or jointer blade with significant wear or nicks, that will require more steel removal and let this retrue the stone. Thanks for the comment and don’t hesitate to write back if my answer was not sufficient. Allan
Hi @eyaneyan , You have a very nice website, and your machines look top of the line. Thank you for commenting on my site. Best regards, Allan
I touch up my ‘Kita stones with a hand-held diamond paddle and water. Cleans up the surface without damage.
I’ve had mine for almost 20 yrs. as well. Can’t see the need for all the other super expensive sharpeners and jigs.
Bill
Hi Bill Sorry for the lateness of my reply but have been having password problems due to hacking. I would like to know more about your touch up method for your stones and the type of diamond paddle you are using. No rush but if you could tell me about your technique I would really appreciate it. I bet others would also. Thanks for taking time to write. Allan
I use the EZE-LAP paddles with good success. Use lots of water to “wash” the swarf off the stone surfaces and I don’t do it often.
Hope this helps.
Bill
Hi Bill, Yes I use those EZE-LAP paddles all the time. I call them sticks and not paddles so I didn’t know what you were talking about. It makes sense to use them the way you are. Thanks for commenting. Keep in touch.
{ 1 trackback }