You say "bevel", and I say...

[ChrisD]

"Bezel".

From the latest PW, Mike Dunbar explains the anatomy of a chisel edge and gives us a little lexical lesson:

"The wide surface is the back and the narrow sloping surface is the bezel. No, this is not a typo. It is actually the precise word. The dictionary defines a bezel as the sloping surface of a cutting edge. In other words, all bezels are bevels, but not all bevels are bezels."

And here's what Merriam-Webster has to say:

bezel

One entry found for bezel. Main Entry: be·zel
Pronunciation: 'bE-z&l, 'be-
Function: noun
Etymology: probably from dialect form of French biseau bezel, from Middle French
1 : a rim that holds a transparent covering (as on a watch, clock, or headlight) or that is rotatable and has special markings (as on a watch)
2 : the oblique side or face of a cut gem; specifically : the upper faceted portion of a brilliant projecting from the setting -- see BRILLIANT illustration
3 : a usually metal rim of a piece of jewelry in which an ornament (as a gem) is set

In another story, Mike Dunbar is no longer a contributing editor to Fine Woodworking.

[Crash2510]

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source bez·el (běz'əl) Pronunciation Key
n.
1.A slanting surface or bevel on the edge of a cutting tool, such as a chisel.
2.The upper, faceted portion of a cut gem, above the girdle and below the table.
3.A groove or flange designed to hold a beveled edge, as of a watch crystal or a gem.


[Probably French dialectal; akin to French biseau, from bis, two times, from Latin; see dwo- in Indo-European roots.]


(Download Now or Buy the Book) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Different dictionary different definition

Looks like mike can keep his job
different strokes for different folks

[ChrisD]

Phil,

I'm sure he had something to back up that definition!

As soon as I got a hold of the magazine, I went straight to Dunbar's article and looked for that word. I had read an old FWW article (which btw converted me to sandpaper sharpening) where he referred to the bevel as bezel.

Sorry, English is my second language and nothing fascinates me more than little nuances like this.

[Crash2510]

Chris don't you love how every word in the english language has 10 different meanings

[Ed62]

Chris don't you love how every word in the english language has 10 different meanings

That could mean a lot of different things.

Ed

[scorrpio]

There is something called 'most common definition'.

And it looks like about 9 out of 10 places define 'bezel' as basically a 'surround' used to hold the 'face' portion. Watch bezel holding watch glass. TV bezel holding the screen, PC bezel holding drive bays and control switches. Ring bezel holding the jewel.

Whereas 'bevel' is about universally defined as some kind of 'angled surface'.

Frankly, if you asked me to show a 'bezel' on a chisel - if at anything, I'd point at the split-guard ring that surrounds handle around the tang.

Dictionaries have a funny way of forming. Take an elderly scholar, who has trouble hearing, and has very tenuous grasp on woodworking terminology, the fact that 'bezel' is an actual existing word, and phonetically, 'bezel' does sound like it belongs on a 'chisel', and before you know it, 'sloping part of chisel' is added to the list of definitions in some dictionary, and then someone is bound to grasp on this linguistic hiccup to show off his 'knowledge'. And once a mis-definition gets into dictionaries, getting the backing universities to admit they messed up and make corrections is all but impossible.

[leehljp]

Chris don't you love how every word in the english language has 10 different meanings

In Japanese, some of the characters have half a dozen different pronounciations or sounds!

The "Day" kanji which looks like the "blank" in a set of dominoes when it is standing, that kanji is pronounced in each of the following ways
hi (he)
bi (be)
ka
nichi
tachi
jitsu

I had the bezel and bevel backwards in my mind. Thanks for the clarification.

[Bruce Cohen]

Does it really matter

I think all of you have waaay too much time on your hands.

Bruce

[ChrisD]

Does it really matter

I think all of you have waaay too much time on your hands.

Bruce

Not at all.

But sitting on the couch with my laptop at 9:30 at night or lunch time at work, yeah I've got some time.