A tool holder or sharpening jig is handy when using coarse abrasive sheets to remove a lot of metal.
After a good flat bevel is established there isn't a lot of work to be done. Learning to go from the quick rough metal removal to refining the edge by hand is as an essential skill of woodworking as any other. Once the edge is established, touching up an edge by hand is much faster.
Of course if one is starting with a hollow grind the need for a holder for sharpening is even less.
Now after about 20 years of woodworking, my sharpening skills are pretty good, but it still amazes me how skill can improve even after all this time.
One should not feel as if they have reached a point where there is nothing new to learn.
jtk
Last edited by Jim Koepke; 02-22-2019 at 10:58 PM.
Reason: phrasing
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)