I like this for reading:
http://www.rd.com/familyhandyman/articles/200004/sharpen/main.html

However, everyone has their own opinions on how to properly sharpen a particular tool. Perform a search on google when you need to sharpen a different item or ask the folks here, they always seem to help me.

Wow, when you find out who publishes the encyclopedia of sharpening, let me know. But first, here is the encyclopedia of cutting/shearing.

How many ways can a cut be produced with a metal edge?
- shearing (like scissors or a paper cutter)
- chopping (like an anvil lopper; one sharp edge)
- cutting against resistance (pocket knife in paper)
- shredding (like a lawnmower blade or brush hog)
- riving (rolling cutter into a soft surface)
- some other ways that do not occur to me just yet

How many ways can sharpening damage be produced?
- annealing - using a grinder on a thin edge by overheating
- excess hollow grinding - reduces strength
- incorrect angle - too blunt or too sharp - wire edge
- other ways that I have not yet converted a dull tool to a useless tool

It is important to recall that:
1. Some factory edges cannot be restored. The blade is disposable. (utility knife)
2. All sharpening removes metal. Eventually the tool must be discarded because the blade is too weak or too short to be of service again. Don't remove more than necessary.
3. One must define "sharp enough" for blades that may have dings or waves that can still function. If a lawnmower blade has a 1/8" deep depression in the edge, it's not necessary to remove 1/8" of metal across the length of the cutting edge.

Most cutting tools have owner's manuals with sharpening instructions. My theory about sharpening things is to follow the manufacturer's recommendations or take it to a service shop that knows what they are doing (not all of them do).

i dont do this all the time ,as it takes time. but and awl
will leave an edge both durable and sharp. u can use a grinder ,then finish the edge with a file.
the pros have available, special sharpening machines that will put out an razor that holds pretty good. but who can affrd the tool.
it aint cheap.

I would love to find out how to sharpen a handsaw

There are at least two types of wood-cutting hand saws. There are some hand saws used in fine woodworking that are disposible. Rip saws are designed to cut with the grain of the lumber; crosscut saws are designed to cut lumber to length and require a tool to "set" the teeth in an alternating pattern off the centerline.
Start here:
http://www.vintagesaws.com/library/primer/sharp.html

Thanks Nor_easter, that's a nice article.

Here's another good article, about sharpening loppers (my current task).

--Jonathan

Here is a link that might be useful: sharpening loppers

The most important thing I ever learned about sharpening I learned from a guy who had a little sharpening shop outside Truro, Nova Scotia.

My chainsaw had become dull and I was not satisfied with it's performance after trying to sharpen it with various jigs and guides I had bought. Convinced I needed a professional, I went to this guy because of his excellent reputation as a sharpener, especially amongst the sawmill operators who were his primary customers. I knew he had a fair amount of equipment in his shop, and I was hoping it had a machine in there that could make my saw cut like new.

I stopped in to drop it off and Roy looked up, glad to have a visitor. I told him it was sawing crooked and not too fast and asked if he had a machine for sharpening chain saw blades. He said "sure do" and picked up the saw, placed it in his vise and started looking closely at the chain. He started explaining how I must've hit a rock or something as he grabbed a file and started with a few easy strokes here and there, working his way around. "Yeah, some of these are pretty bad alright".

I continued a short conversation with him in the friendly Nova Scotia manner and was just about to ask him about when I could pick it up when he loosened the vise, pulled out the saw and handed it to me.

"That's two dollars"

"What? You're done? What about the special machine, precision angles and filing down the runners?"

"The runners look O.K., the angles are close enough, the only machine I need is a good file. You can pretty well tell by looking at the points if it's sharp. If the light glints off the pointed edge, keep filing. When it stops reflecting, it's sharp."

As impressed as I was with his efficiency of motion in sharpening that saw, I was even more impressed when I put it back to work. I can still remember the thrill I had when it cut BETTER than new.

I have applied his hint about sharpening "till the glint disappears" to all my wood cutting tools, including saws, planers, chisels, etc. I may not have all the angles exactly right, but I am convinced that a good edge is 90 percent of what you need to know about sharpening. Trust your eyes.

It sort of drives my customers a little batty to see me freehand a tool. I have a slight advantage over them however- the tool I am free-handing is probably the 3000th one just like it. I just tell them that after the first thousand times it gets a little easier.
scorps, bruzzs, incannel gouges, cutlery, slicks, etc

The encyclopedia of sharpening is Leonard Lee's Complete Guide to Sharpening http://www.leevalley.com

The primer we ALL need to read is Sharpening Made Easy http://www.sharpeningmadeeasy.com

Here is a link that might be useful: Sharpening Made Easy