Sharpening Chisels

[ggg71]

I recieved a set of Irwin chisels as an early Christmas gift today from my father. I know they need to be sharpened, but I'm unsure of the best thing to get. Any recommendations?

Should I just get a couple of stones? A grinding wheel? Slow, fast? What's the most versatile?

Thanks in advance!

Garth

[Randy]

Here are a few resources that may help:


http://www.antiquetools.com/sharp/

http://www.toolnewz.com/HandTool_Basics/Sharpening.html

http://www.shavings.net/SCARY.HTM

I currently use the scary sharp mthod referenced in the last link, but I will be switching to waterstones (norton or shapton). I have not to date used any powered sharpening devices but I do use the veritas mkII honing guide.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...072,43078&ap=1


Hope this helps,

Randy - a budding handtool enthusiast

[tcash]

Your new chisels should only require honing, which is the final stage in the steps to sharpen your chisels. It puts the final "edge" on the tool, removing the residual bead, or roll, making it razor sharp. You can do this with one of the many variety chisel-sharpening clamps to aid in maintaining the bevel while sharpening. I primarily use diamond plates from coarse to fine for real sharpening, and then I use Japanese water stones in grits from 4,000 to 12,000 to get that final mirror-polish.
You might also want to make sure the flat back of each chisel is flat by working it across each stone also. It will ensure a straight edge when you go to sharpen it.
An alternative is using a glass plate (1/4" plate glass), with wet-or-dry sandpaper, and work through the various grits up to 2,000 - this procedure is quick and efficient, and the glass ensures a perfectly flat surface. Either method will provide you with an extremely sharp chisel, and will make the edge easy in the future to touch up and maintain. The Woodcraft store has everything, and Veritas makes excellent guides, recently rated high in one of the wood magazines.
I personally prefer hand sharpening and honing, as it puts a flat face on the chisel bevel, however, you may also like to consider one of the wet-sharpening wheel systems, such as Jet and Tormek. I don't particularly like the hollow-edge they impart due to the curve of the wheel, but there is also a horizontal wet-sharpener of Woodcraft's own brand.
I know this was long-winded, hope it helps somewhat.
Good Luck -

[cabinetman]

I have not to date used any powered sharpening devices but I do use the veritas mkII honing guide.

I use a slow wet wheel for damaged edges and for general shaping of the angle desired. I also use stones and the wet-or-dry silicon carbide paper. Depending on the tool, I generally don't go to 2000. What I do find important is to have a critical angle that is absolutely uniform to the edge. IOW, there is a flat back and only one angle edge, with no burrs.



A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOREVER - John Keats

[drumpriest]

I agree that right out of the box your chisels will probably only need honing. But eventually you will be presented with a choice, to hollow grind or not to hollow grind.

If you are going to hollow grind, use a lubricated grinder 8" or larger if you can, that runs at a slow speed. High speed grinders quickly build up heat, which will change the carbon alignment in your steel, thus ruining a good chisel. If you hollow grind, it can make sharpening a good deal quicker, at the expense of the loss of some strength in the chisel. The smaller the wheel, the more material is lost, and the more strength is lost.

For honing, I have used water stones, scary sharp, and diamond stones. In short, they all work, it's really a matter of personal preference. The scary sharp is perhaps more convenient in that you wear out sand paper and just replace it, but it is more expensive over time. A water stone will eventually no longer be flat, and will need trued. (oddly, often with sand paper on a known flat surface) Diamond stones work great while they last, but wear out faster than a water stone, and are expensive.

At some point as the grit goes up you leave the land of sharpening, and enter the land of polishing. Different people have different opinions as to when this is the case.

Any questions, keep them coming....

[kwgeorge]

Well, I would agree with most of what’s been said here except for the “using out of the box with a bit of honing”. At least with my set of Irwin’s this was not the case. I found that the chisels were covered with a lacquer probably to protect them from rusting and this had to be removed first. The next thing I encountered was that the backs of these chisels were not very flat at all. Some were concaved others had low spots and so on. Having a flat back on a chisel is pretty critical in the quest for a sharp chisel.

I personally have tried about every sharpening method known and do believe at this time that for someone just starting out the Scary Sharp system has the least learning curve, is the most forgiving and the least expensive to setup. The system can be purchased from Rockler’s to get started quickly. With all my planes, chisels and other edge tools I myself have gone to the Tormek system for sharpening.

I will say that as much as I hate to sharpen a sharp tool makes all the difference in the world.

Ken

[gsmittle]

As an alternative to the plate glass, Woodcraft sells a flat granite slab. They weigh about 20 lbs. I have heard of people using automotive polishing compound directly on the slab for the final honing, but I stick to sandpaper. I can't help but think that polishing directly on the slab would eventually wear a non-flat spot on it.

I usually stick my sandpaper down with water by soaking the paper for a few minutes, then slapping it onto the slab. Works most of the time....

As near as I can tell, there are at least as many sharpening methods as there are woodworkers.

g.

[ggg71]

This thread has been incredibly helpful. Thank you so much everyone!

You've all convinced me to stay away from a big grinding wheel (for now), and just get either a couple of stones or the scary sharp system. I suppose I will have to go down to Rockler and take a look at what they have and make a decision.

It's truly amazing how much thought and process goes into this woodworking hobby!

Garth

[scorrpio]

Check this video - quite nice.

http://www.woodmagazine.com/wood/sto...ref=cat5610002

[SARGE..g-47]

As already stated Garth, there's more than one way to skin a cat. I started with Arkansas blacl stones but are very difficult to find anymore. Moved to the Japanese water stones and they do an excellent job, but are messy in general and that fact is hard to avoid. Have to be careful storing them in winter as they can freeze and crack.

So....... now it's just scary sharp for me as it is quick (I buy the adhesive backed rolls of paper in different grits for Klingspor's. With a Veritas to insure proper angle I can get home in practically no time at all with a touch-up or a few passes stroping along the way. Well .. if.. if.. if you take a little time to flatten the backs first when you get chisels or plane irons as many are convex or concave from the factory grind. Once you do get the backs flat and shining smooth and edge will follow on the fronts much more easily with a jig or hand held once you acquire the touch. A final few slaps with a strop to take off the wire edge that flat backs and precisely ground bevel acquire where the angles meet is the icing on the cake.

If you want to drop by my shop in Atlanta, I'll give you a set of Stones, containers and even a stone holder. They're not for sale.. but first one by on their way to Florida to escape the cold gets a belated Xmas treat...

Hope everyone had a very, Merry Xmas and extended wishes for New Year!

[ggg71]

Sarge,

Thank you very much for the advice and kind offer! I'm up in Boston at the moment, so I doubt I'll be wheeling by anytime soon, though warmer weather does sound nice. I do have a couple of friends in Atlanta that I'm completely overdue to visit, so if I ever make it down perhaps we can get together and talk shop!

Have a great holiday season!

Garth

[DeanKC]

Garth,

You've already seen a lot of great answers, and the one bit of advice that is probably most sage, that there are nearly as many valid sharpening solutions as there are woodworkers.

A lot of years ago, I had opportunity to sit in a class with a pair of European-trained master craftsmen. The class was on chisels, sharpening and using them. One of the major points that I came away with was that you're likely to end up with a few different chisels (or even sets of them) for different tasks. I have one "Two Cherries" chisel that will never EVER be used with a mallet. I have a couple of Irwin, Stanley, Craftsman, and similar chisels that have been sharpened to a blunter-than-normal edge so that the cutting edge is a little longer lasting than it is otherwise. I have a set of Marples that I bought 20 years ago that hold an edge very well and reserve those for finer work. The craftsmen's advice saved me a lot in the way of faulty expectations. If you know that the edge is never going to hold beyond a swat or two, you don't beat yourself up!

The comments by others about flat backs, mirror polishing, and removal of protective coatings are all great ones. The use of hand or power abrasives is really more an issue of your own taste and thought. My own preference would be to use a combo of an 8" fine wheel to establish a hollow grind, and a series of stones and hones to make (and keep) that edge keen and the back true and shiny. And for the Stanley & Craftsman chisels, I use a wheel and then only a lick or two with a hone. They can't hold a fine edge for long enough to make it worth the time going through the grits. The Irwins are better, but not by a lot, IMO. Might just be the grade of Irwins that I inherited. They're certainly nothing that would be considered high end. Unless you get chisels with great steel, you're not going to hold an edge for long. It's all about "return on investment" of edge for time spent.

Hope it helps. One more opinion offered.