Of course after not being used for 18 months my carving gouges, though having been wiped with oil and wrapped in canvas, were spotted with rust. So I spent most of the afternoon with vinegar soaks, Barkeeper’s Friend, and a Scotch-Brite pad before finally getting down to actually sharpening them. Nothing that is not regularly used can safely be stored in that garage through a North Carolina summer. I know this. And yet somehow I keep hoping.

I think now I’m ready actually to do some old-style carving next week, and hopefully cough up a box or two this month. But there’s nothing like an afternoon of tool maintenance to remind me how much I appreciate that chip carving only requires a single knife.