As I get older I become more and more amazed that my parents were able to provide for my brother and I as well as they did. Coincidentally, I’m constantly learning about new side jobs that they did to make ends meet. For instance, my father worked as an electrician for the state of Connecticut. When he came home, we would eat dinner as a family and then my mother would go to work. After my brother and I went to bed he would head down to the basement and sharpen blades for local cabinet shops. I think it’s safe to assume that he didn’t have anywhere near the set up seen in the video above.

Granted, not every shop is as elaborate as Quinn Saw in St. Louis, but it’s pretty amazing the technology that goes into sharpening a blade thirty years after my father hung up his files. I always pictured a guy in a basement with a diamond sharpening wheel trying to keep quiet while his kids slept. Looks like I was a bit off. While there is certainly a lot a hands on time with the blades, using inspection cameras, replacing damaged teeth, and truing the blades, most of the actual sharpening is done by a computer.

After watching this video, I pretty sure my blades are long overdue for a sharpening. What about you? How often do you get your blades sharpened?