Traditional Oil Stone Holder 2

No it isn't a butter dish.

After making a nice holder for my Norton Medium India Stone, I thought I'd better also make one for my black Arkansas stone. I used an offcut of quartersawn Sapele and sandwiched some European Beech down the middle of it to make it wide enough. I use this stone primarily for polishing the edge on my carving tools before stropping. I wasn't working to any kind of design really, except that I knew I wanted to do the Cupid's bow on the bottom. The rest I just made up as I went along, which is my favourite way of working wood.

I've always thought that to pick up a sharp tool and make it do something is a privilege and a joy, for the hand feeds back to the brain as surely as the brain guides the hand. To see, hear and feel how a tool is behaving and respond instinctively is always my goal. Whenever I experience this truth, I feel I tap into that continuous 'circle of creativity' that occurs millions of times throughout a project and my life is enriched because of it. Of course I only experience this pleasure if my tools are sharp and I've come to appreciate my stones as one of the most important tools in my shop.