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+-- Thread: How sharp should chisels really be? (/showthread.php?tid=7340621)
RE: How sharp should chislels really be? - Timberwolf - 07-04-2018
(07-04-2018, 03:30 PM)Arlin Eastman Wrote: Jack
Do you mean the back has to be flat?
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No...I mean the "sharpest" edge has zero bevel..and that can't exist...And the lower the angle, the weaker the edge is going to be, regardless of what it is made from.and to offset that we increase the bevel angle until the edge stays sharp and strong enough to our satisfaction..I know you have observed that a knife seems sharpest when it "slices" into something on an angle, as opposed to just "pushing" the edge straight into something?...Like when you "skew" the plane's angle instead of pushing the blade straight into the wood? Or using a "skew" chisel on a wood lathe?..A slight angle makes a huge difference in how it cuts.
RE: How sharp should chislels really be? - AHill - 07-05-2018
[quote pid='7640931' dateline='1530663862']
What experience taught me is that 10 minutes into using a tool that was sharpened good enough, performance really dropped off and I realized I needed 5 or 10 minutes of sharpening instead of 1 minute. So it’s okay to make it just good enough. It’s really fine. It’s just inefficient. And if you have bevel edged chisels and you dry grind, you really risk over heating if you aren’t careful. That’s why my answer is make them super sharp. Nicer to use and easier to maintain. But no wrong answer. I’ve sharpened tools with stones I found, I sharpen my chef’s knife on the ceramic bottom of my coffee cup!
[/quote]
+1
It does take longer to initially bring up an edge to "razor sharp". (For me, that's at least 8000 grit, and usually followed by stropping with 0.5 micron green stuff on leather.) But once you've established that edge, it only takes 30 seconds or less to maintain that edge by frequent stropping. The only tools I have that don't get that treatment are my lathe tools. Sharper is better 99% of the time. Doesn't matter if it's a mortise chisel, scrub plane, or paring chisel. Sharper tools means less force required to push the tool, more time between sharpenings / honings, and a higher quality wood surface when you're done. I echo Adam's observation that this method saves time in the long run.
RE: How sharp should chislels really be? - Timberwolf - 07-05-2018
(07-05-2018, 09:17 AM)AHill Wrote: [quote pid='7640931' dateline='1530663862']
What experience taught me is that 10 minutes into using a tool that was sharpened good enough, performance really dropped off and I realized I needed 5 or 10 minutes of sharpening instead of 1 minute. So it’s okay to make it just good enough. It’s really fine. It’s just inefficient. And if you have bevel edged chisels and you dry grind, you really risk over heating if you aren’t careful. That’s why my answer is make them super sharp. Nicer to use and easier to maintain. But no wrong answer. I’ve sharpened tools with stones I found, I sharpen my chef’s knife on the ceramic bottom of my coffee cup!
+1
It does take longer to initially bring up an edge to "razor sharp". (For me, that's at least 8000 grit, and usually followed by stropping with 0.5 micron green stuff on leather.) But once you've established that edge, it only takes 30 seconds or less to maintain that edge by frequent stropping. The only tools I have that don't get that treatment are my lathe tools. Sharper is better 99% of the time. Doesn't matter if it's a mortise chisel, scrub plane, or paring chisel. Sharper tools means less force required to push the tool, more time between sharpenings / honings, and a higher quality wood surface when you're done. I echo Adam's observation that this method saves time in the long run.
[/quote]
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IME, a sharp edge eventually chips or folds over..If it chips, stropping will do very little good, but a folded over edge can be completely rejuvenated by a few careful strokes on a strop, or a second or two on a leather belt or wheel.
RE: How sharp should chislels really be? - hbmcc - 07-05-2018
(07-04-2018, 03:10 PM)Handplanesandmore Wrote: This is a piece of useless advice. Wrote: Simon
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Stwood_ Replied:
That's real blunt.
Him, you, or the advice? A sharp thinker would know which is useless. A dull one might mess up the point......
hbmcc-- In my post holiday misery, and short rest just testing temperament. Our Natives sell the loud fireworks.
RE: How sharp should chislels really be? - Arlin Eastman - 07-28-2018
Just thinking of what was said a microbevel and wondering how that is done.
Is the edge bevel done first and then the back bevel or visa versa?
Also what degree is best for the micro bevel?
RE: How sharp should chislels really be? - barryvabeach - 07-29-2018
(07-28-2018, 04:59 PM)Arlin Eastman Wrote: Just thinking of what was said a microbevel and wondering how that is done.Arlin, yes, the bevel is done first, then the micro bevel, and it is usually only a few degrees more than the initial bevel. This is probably the best site discussion on front and back microbevels, and sharpening as well. http://www3.telus.net/BrentBeach/Sharpen/index.html
Is the edge bevel done first and then the back bevel or visa versa?
Also what degree is best for the micro bevel?