Hand Tool Maintenance-Don't Ruin Your Tools!

by Robert W. Lang

Woodworking, like fishing covers a lot of territory, so the audience for our magazine and website is a diverse lot. When I learned how to make stuff out of wood, the internet didn't exist and there was only one magazine and few books available on the subject. Lacking these modern resources, I was forced to make do with the advice of guys who had been making stuff most of their lives. I never had the benefit of extended discussions about taking care of my tools so they wouldn't be ruined. I never thought about:

What's the best oil to use to wipe down my tools?
What's the best rag to use with the best oil to wipe down my tools?
What's the best plan to make a dedicated tool oiler, because even the best rag is sorely lacking?
Should I wipe my tools down every time I touch them because human skin excretes incredibly corrosive substances that will instantaneously cause devastating rust?
When I finish wiping down all of my tools should I start over because the atmosphere of planet Earth also contains incredibly corrosive substances that will instantaneously cause devastating rust?

Looking back, the sum total of advice I received was "get it sharp and get back to work". The chisels in the photo above were purchased new in 1979. I try to keep them sharp and free from big gobs of foreign stuff. I use the back of the edges to scrape off glue, and wipe them off with whatever is handy, if I notice. If I don't, I scrape off the surface with the handiest sharp object. I suppose that I could spend some time making them look like they just came out of the box, but I would rather be making stuff. There's a long way to go before they're completely useless.