We need sharp tools!
It is truly remarkable how necessary sharpening is in order for our society to function properly. Crops are harvested with sharp tools by hand, and on harvesting tractors. On the retail side, some of the grocery store staff use sharp knives and scissors to make produce, deli, and meat displays look good.
Chefs, gardeners, and beauticians need sharp tools. Carpenters, upholstery workers, and barbers need them, too. The list certainly does not end there. Even the most basic little pocket knife is important. Nearly everyone I know has two or more pocket knives. We definitely need, and certainly want sharp tools.
Cutting is ubiquitous
Factories use machines specifically designed to cut thru everything from steel to fabric to candy wrappers. We cut grass, hair, wood, and plastic.
Lumber can’t be milled on the scale that it is done world wide without sharp saw blades. Take a moment to consider all the b-zillions of cardboard boxes Amazon uses to ship our orders. Each and every one of them is cut to size in a factory with sharp blades somehow. And that is just Amazon!
Cutting as slang
Even the word “cut” has multiple uses in our lexicon. “I had to cut my meeting short”, or, “Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face”, or, “I can’t believe that @#$% just cut me off!”
When you really break it down, we are happiest when we are cutting almost everything. Since when did we get so crazy about cutting stuff?
Did fire come first?
I figured that surely fire would have been created first. After all, didn’t we create a tool to cut a little bite off what was over the fire to taste if it needed more seasoning? I was sooo wrong!
We have been developing sharp tools for a very, very long time. Our ancient ancestors were creating sharp tools since the Stone Age. So, then did a fire happen because we could sharpen the tool to help create it?
Or did sharp tools come first?
Archeologists have established that early humans were creating sharp objects with stones approximately 2.5 million years ago. Fire, on the other hand, was a little late to the party by about .5 to 1 million years, depending on which internet sources you trust.
Interestingly, a University of Colorado study established significant advancements in sharpening techniques done 75,000 years ago. Wow! It sounds like “We’ve come a long way” might qualify as an understatement!
Techno Sapiens
Sharpening is definitely not rocket science. Nor does a medical license require sharpening skills to perform brain surgery. Although, you could probably use an ancient arrowhead to perform some minor incision as an absolute last resort in the wild.
Books have been written on the subject. Classes have been offered. Machines have been created. How-to videos have been posted. Sharpening is obviously an important part of life.
Today, sharp tools are needed in so many walks of life. My hope is that my blog will help you understand a little more about what a professional sharpener does. More importantly, I hope to give you additional skills and knowledge so that you may have more comfort and enjoyment in the cutting you need to do. Ultimately, I am here to help you, whether you are a customer or not.
