Woodworking Secrets

The secret to woodworking is that wood has only a little to do with it. A good woodworker is really an accomplished metal worker.
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As I get more experienced, especially in building boats and projects with curved surfaces, I've had to understand how to use chisels, planes and scrapers. ~
The essence of these tools is a sharp blade edge.
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I've found that Japanese waterstones progressively up to 6000 grit can put a razor sharp, polished edge on a chisel or plane iron. But it is tedious business to do it by hand. Last year, I bought the Makita Sharpener that uses a powered rotating waterstone. It works quickly and with great results.
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For my scrapers, I use the Veritas burnisher to get the right hook and sharpness to the blade.
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Understanding your saws and other power tool and tuning them correctly is the other secret, involving a good mechanical feel for the machinery and what it is designed to do. This woodworking technique involves wrenches and screwdrivers and has nothing to do with wood.
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Basically, to become a good woodworker, you have to be very good with metal. Seems wierd.