"Sharpening the Axe"


prov163

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Abraham Lincoln once said, "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."  Sounds like a mundane way to start a project, but there's a lot of wisdom in there.

 

I was in my shop last night, for the first time since finishing everyone's Christmas presents.  It was, to say the least, a bit of a wreck.  Sawdust everywhere; dull tools; scraps of lumber laying around...  So, I started cleaning up, reorganizing and doing tool maintenance.  Normally, this would be a nuisance but I was thoroughly enjoying it.  I'm really looking forward to the rest of the project, which includes sharpening all of my plane irons, chisels, etc.  More than anything, I'm now looking forward to the next project!

 

Maybe that's partly what Lincoln meant!

 

So, do you consider cleaning up and doing tool maintenance mundane, magical or somewhere in-between?

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There is peace and solace in doing something repetitive that can be done on autopilot. I find my zen in sharpening and there are times I will sharpen and then polish to a mirror shine for now other reason than it is pleasing to the soul. I have been known to spend many minutes just wasting wood and taking whisper shavings...only to then have to resharpen.

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