A Sharp Tool is a Safe Tool

We could put the edge quality of a tool into one of three categories: sharp, dull, or dull to the point it won’t cut anything. When we talk about “A sharp tool is a safe tool”, we are not talking about the last case because the tool is unusable in that state.

What is considered sharp? A sharp tool will cut with minimum effort. What is considered dull? A dull tool will still cut provided with medium to high level of effort.

What do a sharp tool and a dull tool have in common? They will both cut our flesh effortlessly.

So why do we say “A sharp tool is a safe tool”? It is because a sharp tool will cut into things we want to cut much more readily so it will skip our hands. It is because a sharp tool allows us to have more control of the cut. It is because a sharp tool is a joy to use so we are not frustrated. We all know frustration in the shop leads to potential accidents.

Keep it sharp and stay safe! How counterintuitive! I know!