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Where do you mount your leather strop?

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3K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  CharlesA 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I should be able to figure this out. I have a bench-mountable leather strop for chisels and plane blades. I haven't found the perfect location for mine yet so that it is convenient and easy to use. The top of my bench would fit that bill, but it will just be in the way.

Have you found the perfect solution?
 
#2 ·
I use my strop glued to a scrap the same way I do my sharpening stones and diamond stones. I have a large piece of plywood with little "fences" that hold the different stones, plates, and strops in place. The plywood slips over a small work table and little cleats hold it in place. Not very clear, but you can see a picture of the set up on my Bargain Sharpening Table Project. 3rd picture
 
#3 ·
That's a nice setup, and I've thought about making a board like that for my stones.

For my strop, I want it somewhere where I can easily use it every time I grab a chisel for use that day, and close to that for planes. I'm amazed how much difference that last bit of sharpening can be.
 
#4 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have a similar problem and will make some thing like TheWoodenOyster by making a sharpening tray that will fit in a drawer. I have so little room, so every space is dear. I think if it is bench mounted you have to have a dedicated sharpening bench and I don't have the room. My option I think will be to pull it out of the drawer and set it on the table saw, while I use hand tools at the bench. (I use oil stones, so I'm not worried about water on the saw.) Or when I am done at the bench, I'll put on the bench and resharpen all the used blades before putting them away.(Adding a lip so that its like a bench hook will help secure it while clamping the other edge.) Thats my thought anyway. I just have to build it. (I also need to build a better bench)
 
#6 ·
I haven't found a good one yet, but a barber's strop to hang from the waist seemed to work well for my old barber. Not sure how it would work in a wood shop though-it might get in the way and the barber's strop doesn't have the right orientation or stability for chisel edges. Until I figure out something better, I keep a strop mounted on a board handy to quickly refresh an edge. Oyster's got a nice setup-might have to give that another look.
 
#9 · (Edited by Moderator)
How about gluing a short piece of 3/4" dowel to the bottom and dropping the dowel into a dog hole?

- sikrap
It works, I just tried it, but I didn't glue a dowel. Instead, my strop is leather glued to a wooden paddle with a hang hole. So I drilled the hang hole to 3/4" and stuck a Kreg plastic dog through it and into the bench (the Kreg dog has a cap on it so it doesn't fall in).
 
#12 ·
Follow-up: the 3/4 dowel idea works quite well. Fits right in a dog hole. I slap it in, use it, and put it away. Thanks for the idea.
 
#13 ·
Why not do what I do give the dog some very salty pretzels, and when he sits in the shop beside you with his tongue hanging out use that to strop your tools.. Just kidding I use a thick strop glued to a wheel instead of a wheel from my grinder machine in other words instead of a wheel used for grinding it takes about two mintes to swop it over. Alistair
 
#15 ·
I know this isn't answering your question but…..Just something to think about: depending on your final "stone" a leather strop may dull the edge instead of making it sharper. I find a pull of the final edge through some Oak end grain does the same job of removing what's left of the burr but with out dubbing the edge like a leather strop can. Of course as with all things woodworking YMMV.
 
#16 ·
Bubba, I was a late convert to the strop, but I've tested my chisel and plane irons from last stone and then strop-I used the test of how cleanly it sliced through a piece of paper, and the strop definitely helped. I usually strop the chisel before and/or after each use.
 
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