Kinda, Sorta
A piece of salvaged oak, eight dollars’ worth of leather, and a childhood barbershop memory become one useful sharpening tool.
Why I Finally Started Taking Sharpening Seriously
Confession - It's really only in the past few years that I started taking tool-sharpening even semi-seriously. While I cognitively knew the necessity and benefits of keeping tools sharp, I never took the time to put it into practice. But a couple years ago I saw a couple Paul Sellers videos about tool sharpening, and they really caught my attention - he made it look achievable.
My First Homemade Sharpening Station
Back in September, 2018, after watching some of those Paul Sellers videos I was inspired to make a simple honing board. A couple pieces of scrap wood, a piece of tile and an inexpensive whetstone I picked up off Amazon, and I had the makings of a sharpening station. I didn't get super serious about it, you know - spending hundreds of dollars on diamond plates, etc., but I think for what I need this works just fine!
Why I Needed a Leather Strop
If I made the honing board in 2018, why make a strop now you may ask. Well, the truth is when I was refurbishing my Stanley No. 4 bench plane, when it came time to put a mirrored shine on the brass screws for the tote and nob, I had to use the bottom of my leather shop apron as a strop.
Obviously, in the case of shining a piece of metal leather is leather - I think! And as you can see here, it worked fine with the brass. But, if I'm really going to try to do better with sharpening my tools, I reasoned I should invest in a strop. Invest - sounds so...so...something, but in fact, the grand total for the strop leather was about $8 on Amazon.
What is a strop?
John Carmona - Sharpening Supplies
A strop is a surface that is used after the finest stone for the final stage of sharpening. The function of a strop is to polish the edge and work off any burr left behind by sharpening stones. Although other materials are used, strops are most often made of leather. Both suede and smooth leathers, technically known as flesh side and grain side, are used. They can be mounted to a rigid base, like a leather on wood paddle strop, or can be flexible, like a leather and linen razor strop.
Choosing a Hardwood Backing Board
Once the leather arrived, I had a few decisions to make. Leave the leather loose or affix it to a board? Smooth side up or the suede side up? I decided on a board. Because I would be stropping chisels, plane irons and the like, I thought hardwood would be much better than somethings like pine. I haven't done much work with hardwood, but I had some around, and that's a story in itself!
We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us. - Marshall McLuhan
People are always tossing old furniture on trash night in my neighborhood. Sometime last summer someone was tossing a beautiful art deco waterfall dresser. Unfortunately, it was in too rough of a condition to rehab, but I took the drawers. Below you can see what used to be a beautiful veneer, and the base wood beneath it. I kept all those, and certainly kept the drawer pulls...
The best part of all though, three sides of the drawers were oak! You better believe I saved every bit of it! And here it is stored between the joists:
Cutting the Oak by Hand
Sometimes, especially for just a small cut or two I don't want to get sawdust all over the place so I reach for my trusty handsaw. And quite frankly, after watching some more Paul Sellers videos on sawing (FYI - Sellers is a master furniture maker) I have endeavored to use my hand saw more often. It turns out I had a small piece of the oak leftover from some project I started that just didn't work out.
Here's my saw. I'm actually kind of embarrassed to show you my saw because it's well over 20 years old and it looks brand new. Just a testament to how dependent on power tools I've become. And while I'm going to try harder to do more by hand, my money says in 20 years my saw looks brand new! Good reason to stay tuned for the next two decades!
Barbers, Candy, Strops and Scents
The two incredibly short cuts made, it was time to affix leather to oak. Handling this shiny piece of cowhide brought back memories of the barber in my hometown. Since I was a little kid until my late teens I went to Vic's Barber Shop. His shop was in the little building pictured below, although back then it was all white with the twirling barber's sign out front.
Vic seemed like the nicest guy, to the point that he had a medicine cabinet filled with candies like Chuckles and Caramel Creams, and if you were a good boy, stayed still and didn't cry, Vic would give you a candy! I imagine he'd give it to the less-than-good boys too but of course I'd never know that! Why would a little strip of leather make me think of Vic? Well, I have very strong memories of the barber shop including its smells of sandalwood, bay rum and Pinaud, to the point that to this day everytime I go to the barber I'm immediately transported to childhood again - although the barber doesn't give me candy. Maybe I should rethink tipping.
Anyway, Vic, like all barbers I suppose, had a leather strop he used for his razors. Not only do I remember watching Vic deftly hone his razor before giving dad a shave, I also specifically remember asking dad why Vic did that with the leather - which I thought was a belt. That was the first time I heard the word strop. And that is why picking up this little piece of leather lead to you spending the last minute or so reading about my barber! Moving on - I used wood glue to affix the leather to the oak.
After clamping with a small dumbbell weight and my jar of bits n stuff on a scrap board, the leather was well affixed to the board!
Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains. - Diane Ackerman
As you can see, I left some board exposed on the left of the strop. This is so I can clamp it to the bench that way I can just focus on the honing!
Some fun articles from The Art of Manliness
Absolutely no affiliation with House 173
∙ How to smell like a barbershop by Brett
∙ The ultimate collection of manly smells by AoM Team
∙ 101 style tips for men by Antonio
∙ Why every man should be strong by Brett
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You might also enjoy the Acme Packing Company
The final product
All pieces assembled, okay - leather glued to wood, I had a strop. I immediately applied some green polishing compound, a bit too much actually...
I took all my chisels and honed them on the strop, which really did seem to put a finer edge on them. If nothing else at least they'll be plenty shiny!
For each chisel, I laid the bevel flat against the leather and pulled the blade backward so the cutting edge trailed rather than dug into the strop. A few light passes were enough to polish the bevel and remove what remained of the burr from sharpening. I tried to keep the angle steady and resisted the urge to bear down, this is more about refinement than force. The difference was subtle to the eye, but the edges felt noticeably cleaner and sharper in use.
And that's the honing strop. I used the leather side rather than the suede side, but I think there's a use for both, especially when I think of the shining my leather apron gave to the brass screws on the plane. Hmmm, thinking there might be another strop coming along!
Stay safe out there!
I knew what the leather was going to smell like before you ever got to Vic’s.
Not the exact piece, of course. Just that old barbershop mixture, powder, aftershave, warm towels, hair tonic, and something medicinal you could never quite name. My barber had a strop hanging beside the chair too, and I thought it was a belt too.
The actual project is almost absurdly simple. Cut a board. Glue down leather. Rub on compound. Done.
But that's why I liked it.
The best shop projects are not always the ones with complicated joinery or expensive materials. Sometimes a small thing solves a problem, uses up a scrap, and wakes up a memory you didn't know was still waiting around.
Also, your twenty-year-old handsaw looks better than mine did the day I bought it. I am not sure whether to admire that or report it as evidence! - The Old Barbershop Kid
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between sharpening and stropping?
Sharpening removes metal to form and refine the cutting edge. Stones, diamond plates, sandpaper, or other abrasives are used to establish the bevel and remove damage or dullness. Stropping comes afterward. It uses a much finer abrasive, often polishing compound carried on leather, to remove the remaining burr and polish the edge.
A strop will not repair a chipped or badly dull blade by itself. It is the final step after the edge has already been sharpened on a stone. Used properly, it can improve sharpness, polish the bevel, and help maintain an edge between more involved sharpening sessions.
Should the smooth side or suede side of leather face upward on a honing strop?
Both can work, but they behave differently. The smooth grain side gives a firmer, flatter surface and is often preferred for chisels and plane irons because it reduces the chance of rounding over the cutting edge. The suede or flesh side holds compound more readily and can provide a slightly more aggressive polishing action.
I chose the smooth side for this strop because I intended to use it mainly for flat woodworking edges. Since the leather on my shop apron also polished brass effectively, I may eventually make a second strop with the suede side exposed for other uses.
What kind of wood should be used for the backing board?
The backing should be flat, rigid, and stable. Hardwood is a good choice because it resists denting and helps keep the leather surface flat beneath the tool. Oak worked well here because I already had salvaged pieces from an old dresser drawer.
Pine or another softwood can still work, especially for light use, but it may dent or warp more easily. The important qualities are a flat surface and enough thickness to stay rigid while stropping.
How much polishing compound should be applied to a leather strop?
Only a light coating is needed. The compound should be rubbed onto the leather in a thin, even layer rather than packed on heavily. Too much compound can build up, become uneven, and make the surface less effective.
I applied more green compound than necessary the first time. It still worked, but a lighter application would have been cleaner and easier to manage. Once charged, a strop usually does not need fresh compound every time it is used.
How do you strop a chisel or plane iron without rounding the edge?
Keep the bevel flat against the leather and pull the blade away from the cutting edge. Never push the edge forward into the strop, because it can cut the leather. Use light pressure and maintain the same angle established during sharpening.
A firm backing board and smooth leather help prevent the edge from rolling into the surface. A few controlled strokes are usually enough. Stropping should polish the edge, not replace careful sharpening or dramatically change the bevel angle.
Keywords
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