There are many types of woodworking chisels around. But
no matter which type of chisels you have they all need to be
cared for and at some point your woodworking chisel will
need sharpening. During this article we will explain how to
care for your chisels and the steps you need to take for
woodworking chisel sharpening.
It is important that you do not store your woodworking
chisels loosely in a draw where they will be able to bang
against each other, which will cause the edges to become
dulled. It is best if you hang them on a rack on place them
in a drawer in individual dividers. By doing this the
chisels will be less likely to bang into each and cause
damage to them.
What is more important though is that in order for a
woodworking chisel to work properly the cutting edge must
remain sharp. Below we provide you with steps you will need
to take in order to properly sharpen your woodworking chisel
using sharpening stones of progressive grades. You may also
find that you need to touch up your chisels regularly by
honing the flat side as well in order to keep them in the
best working condition possible.
1. What you first need to do is put a few drops of oil on to
a sharpening stone before you start to lubricate it.
2. Now hold the chisel at a 20 degree angle to the stone and
slide the cutting edge of the chisel up and down the stones
length. You need to work both sides of the chisel blade
evenly in order that a burr edge forms along the cutting
edge of the chisel.
3. The best way to test for the burr is by very lightly
dragging your finger away from the cutting edge. Should you
be able to feel a slight roughness to the edge of the chisel
then you know the blade is ready for the next step in the
sharpening process.
4. You get a slip stone in order to hone away some of the
burr before you finally polish it on a strop.
5. In order to remove the final remaining bits of the burr
edge as well as polish the chisel blade you need a leather
strop. What you do is draw the blade across the strop away
from the cutting edge first one side then the other until
the whole of the burr has been removed.
You will know that your woodworking chisel sharpening has
been completed by just resting the cutting edge of the blade
very lightly on your fingernail. If the blade starts to
catch slightly or feels sticky then the blade is ready to
use, but if it skids across the nail then you need to work
on sharpening for a little longer.
