Basswood for a strop???

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Maximumbob54

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I have been seeing for a while now that the "new hotness" is to use basswood to make a strop. The usual additive is diamond emulsion spray but I've also seen the usual compounds spread across them.

But why basswood???
 
People have been using basswood for a strop for years. I first heard about it with guys talking about how they use a paint stirring stick (basswood) loaded with compound to finish the sharpening. Basswood is cheap and easy to find. I picked some up from Hobby Lobby and cut it into 3 x 5 lengths to use with different compounds.

The benefit is that wood has pores to hold the compound and doesn't flex like leather, so you can really get a keen edge with some practice.

Plus, if you ever want to change compounds you can just use another stick, or sand down the one you have.

Give it a try and see what you think!
 
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Dried Basswood is easy to shape and easy to source. You can get it flat without a lot of fuss, and it doesn't seem to warp or cup with humidity changes the way some woods do when thin. It just hits a sweet spot between being able to get it, being able to work it, and being tough enough that the average end users stropping a blade won't damage it so fast that they feel cheated.
 
Maximumbob54 said:
I can walk into most any Home Depot and buy a few feet of oak. Would that not do the same thing?
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Yes, it would. I've picked some up at H.D. for the same purpose.

As previously mentioned, basswood is popular because it's inexpensive and can be found in hobby supply stores, pre-cut to sizes that are ideal for a strop. It's sold for carving crafts like making wooden models, etc.. I originally used it for that convenience and it works fine for stropping.

Any wood that's cut to an appropriate size and is smoothly finished will work for strops. And woods with a very tight, dense grain are also good (basswood, poplar & maple, for example, all of which I've used at times). You might see over time, experimenting with different woods, that you'll favor a particular variety for your own specific reasons. Basswood works well in part because compounds applied to it will embed very well into the surface and it's also firm enough that it won't easily be compressed or dented under pressure from your blade. Softer woods like balsa are also popular for strops, but they're prone to that sort of compression damage and will be more needy for resurfacing over time to keep them flat and smooth. Oak is VERY HARD and can work well, but sometimes I've felt the grain is a little bit too open as compared to a tighter-grained wood like basswood or maple.

When the strop gets heavily loaded with metal swarf, it can easily be resurfaced by sanding or shaving a layer off the surface with a hand plane - that's my favorite method. Makes it completely smooth and clean again for reapplication of fresh compound.
 
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Maximumbob54 said:
I can walk into most any Home Depot and buy a few feet of oak. Would that not do the same thing?
Click to expand...
Oak also likes to chip and split on a sharp edge. It has good density and mass, but the tradeoff for that is that it can sliver along the edge as opposed to denting or deforming. On something strop sized it is not a big deal unless you accidentally bash it on something. I like Basswood for a strop because I can keep a sharp 90 degree angle on the side, where Oak is better off with a broken or rounded edge that isn't as ideal for sharpening. You can keep a sharp angle on Oak, but I haven't been happy with much of the stock from the big box stores for the last few years. The growth rings are terrible, the trees have been farmed with tons of water that mean large rings and more prone to tear out, warping, and bizarre WTF just happened moments with wood that was goddamn flat right before you cut it. I may be biased.
 
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