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Took me 5 years to realize I was sharpening chisels wrong
I used to grind a steep bevel on all my chisels, like 35 degrees, because I thought sharper meant tougher. Then I did a kitchen cabinet job in Denver and the old homeowner came out and watched me work. He asked why I was fighting the wood so hard. I told him I like a durable edge. He handed me one of his chisels and said try this. It was at like 20 degrees and it cut maple like butter. I spent the whole day feeling stupid. Now I keep my bench chisels at 22 and just touch them up more often. Way less effort, cleaner cuts. Has anyone else been grinding too steep for too long?
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henry1501d ago
Wait, you mean I've been overcompensating with my chisels this whole time?
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wells.evan1d ago
Overcompensating with your chisels" is a great way to put it, honestly. I used to bear down so hard on my bench chisels I'd leave dents in the workpiece. Then I read some old-timer saying the tool should do the work, not your arm. Now I just let the sharp edge kiss the wood, and I'm getting way cleaner paring cuts. You're probably just muscling a dull edge, not pushing too hard.
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