Just realized I've been sharpening my chisels wrong for 10 years

I was over at a buddy's shop last Saturday helping him hang some cabinet doors. He grabbed my chisel to clean up a hinge mortise and made a face. Asked me if I ever bothered to look at the bevel under a light. I hadn't. He held it up and showed me the wire edge was still there and the angle was all jacked up from using a cheap guide. I always just took the tool to a bench grinder when it felt dull. Never thought about the heat messing with the temper. He walked me through using diamond stones and a strop and the first shaving I took felt totally different. How often do you guys actually flatten the back of a new chisel before using it?

2 comments

2 Comments

kevin_carr4d ago

I actually got taught the opposite years ago from a guy who restores old stanley planes. He told me grinding is fine as long as you dip in water every pass or two and never let it go blue. I've done it that way on my bench grinder for years and my chisels cut just fine.

lily974d ago

Oh MAN, this takes me back to the old days. I once tried to "cool dip" a chisel after grinding and ended up with a weird rainbow pattern on the metal that looked kind of cool but the edge chipped like crazy on the first cut. Sometimes I wonder if the water trick actually works or if it's just old timer lore that gets passed around.