Shortly after getting started with woodworking, I started hanging out on the woodworking community site, Lumberjocks. It is a fantastic community that has been around since about 2007 or so, and features thousands of active members who make blog posts, tool reviews, posts about completed projects, all with countless photos, comments and discussion. It's been an invaluable source of learning for me.
Although the signal to noise ratio is very good, with most members being very helpful with links, tips and info, some members really stand out above the rest. One of those is Lumberjock's member Andy Lovelock, aka "Brit", from Dorset, England. He's been posting info, pictures and videos on various topics, but mostly old tool restoration, from braces to saws.
Today, I saw that he has outdone himself, by posting a 2 1/4 hour long video on sharpening western saws. The video is detailed, well edited and paced, and beyond thorough. The most amazing part is that he did this all for the love of sharing what he knows with his fellow woodworkers. As he states in his Lumberjock's blog post...
This instructional video has been provided free of charge and I’m not looking to profit personally from it in any way whatsoever. However, every year my local community puts on a charity Christmas carnival, the purpose of which is to raise money for local charities by collecting donations from the general public on the day. If you find the video useful and would like to show your appreciation, please consider making a donation at http://www.highcliffecarnival.org.uk/
It's this sort of "we're all learning together, so let's help each other out" attitude on Lumberjocks, and elsewhere in the woodworking community, that has made my journey of woodworking richer and more rewarding. I'll be making a donation in thanks, and I'll be watching this video over and over as I learn more about saw sharpening.
Take a look at his post and video here.
Thank you Andy!