Work Sharp Sharpening System - Manual (Page 34)

Appendix 1 - The Sharpening
Center
Throughout this
manual we have
talked about and
shown the Work
Sharp sitting on a
shop made roll-
ing cart I call a
“sharpening cen-
ter.” I find this
cart really con-
venient as it
keeps my Work
Sharp right at
hand no matter
where I am in the
studio. It lives
here behind my
24” band saw
right under an
adjustable arm
light.
It is simple to
build. You also might find something
similar in the kitchen section of a spe-
cialty furniture store. For the rail, stile
and flat panel style of this one, use any
paintable hardwood you have to make
the rails and stiles. A hard surfaced,
man-made material is ideal for the pan-
els.
Cut grooves in the rail and stile pieces to
accept the panels to make the sides,
doors and back. Screw these compo-
nents to plywood or surfaced MDF top
and bottom pieces. Use inexpensive
hinges and off the shelf pulls and cast-
ers.
Splurge a bit and have a local sheet
metal firm make a stainless steel top. It
is simply four folds with the corners
welded that you can glue over a piece of
plywood or MDF. Make this top a bit
larger than the structural
false top and screw it to
the structural false top on
the cart from inside.
Stainless steel is an ideal
surface for your sharpen-
ing center since the act of
sharpening either your
hand cutting tools or twist
drill bits creates abrasive
dust. It is easy to wipe off
or vacuum off the stain-
less steel and you don’t
need to worry about
scratching or damaging
this surface moving
around your scary sharp
chisels, lathe tools, plane
blades or carving tools.
To keep the stainless
steel looking good I like to