I have begun making some strops for my carving chisels based on a design from Australian Woodsmith Issue 126. Like many woodworkers I buy magazines but rarely make what’s in them. However this project struck a chord as I have been wondering how to keep the carving chisels razor sharp. I reposted an article about the use of a strop earlier on the blog.
The article by Andrew Thomas in Australian Woodsmith is very detailed making the whole project a breeze. I made the four curved strops from Tasmanian oak as I had some left over from something else. I’m always reluctant to throw bits of timber out. The oak will provide a solid for the leather that will be wrapped around them.
I followed the instructions closely and made each of teh four strops as per the article they are all 100mm long and range in width from 75mm to 40mm. As is visible in the attached photo there are lay out lines. The radii were laid out using a compass each strop has a diffrent diameter at each end 25mm & 30mm, 15mm & 20mm, 8mm & 12mm and 2mm and 5mm. This range of curves is enough according to the article to cover most chisels.
The article also includes some useful tips on using and loading the strops with cutting compound.
I look forward to always having sharp chisels and a handy supply of bandaids.
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