The Screwy Carpenter

My sweet Hubby Man is very industrious. He works by day and loves to work with wood (and sometimes metal) in the evenings and on his days off. He has completed many projects but I wanted to introduce him with one of his latest.

We often find “treasures” that we look at with enthusiasm and the other looks at with a quizzical look. In our bedroom we have a chair I was thrilled to get for free at a yard sale. He looked at me like I was nuts until it was all reupholstered. He often brings me a rusty piece of metal he has found and says “Look what I found!” My response, “Um… that is a very nice piece of rusty metal…”  This was his latest find:

I looked at him quizzically and asked “you want a girly mirror?”. Well, needless to say he did not keep the flowers.

I am not much of a woodworker but My Screwy Carpenter is not a lover of writing so please be patient with me as I try to explain. I have already told him that he is going to have to interject some technical info and answer any questions you may have.

The Carpenter has always had a mirror in some form in the garage. He has used it when sharpening his tools. I did not know why so I asked of course. (it is in my nature to ask though sometimes I regret it if he gets too detailed. He usually stops explaining when my eyes glaze over. )

Why a mirror?

He uses the glass as a leveling surface. Glass does not change form or swell when it comes in contact with water. Therefore, it is a perfect surface when you are honing/sharpening chisels or plane blades.

His goal was to have a mirror he could easy store on the wall. The previous mirrors where always stored at ground level and often at risk of breakage.  That is how the last mirror met its demise.

First step: Create a sturdy backing. No flex.

The first mirror was ¼ of an inch thick and was not in need of backing as long as it was on a flat surface. This mirror is 1/8 of an inch thick so it was needing support.

Putting Backing on the Mirror

Why? If the mirror does not have a sturdy back it will break and/or the mirror will flex giving your metal a bow when you sharpen it.

Second Step: Create drainage spot / gap in frame.

Creating the Drain Spot for Mirror

Why? When sharpening blades there is a lot of water involved. The gap allows for easy drainage. It also allows for sharpening of flat chisels

Step Three: Create Cover to nest into frame.

Mirror with cover

Why? Nothing else hits it and things are prone to move around in the shop. It’s also how the last one broke

Step Four: Add your own kind of bling.

Why? Because flowers are not allowed in the shop.

Completed Sharpening Mirror

Wondering how to sharpen/honing blades? There are LOTS of videos and blogs available.

Here a link that will bombard you with wonderful information about sharpening:

www.finewoodworking.com/how-to/sharpening-chisels/118111.aspx

If you want more details, would love The Screwy Carpenter to answer your question or just want to say hello… please leave a comment.

I think my favorite comment during the making of this blog spot was from The Screwy Carpenter when I was taking picts. “So, is this what it is like to be on a reality show?” 🙂 love it.

– Frabjus Lady and The Screwy Carpenter