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.
What you first need to do is put a few drops of oil on to a sharpening stone
before you start to lubricate it.
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.
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.
You get a slip stone in order to hone away some of the burr before you
finally polish it on a strop.
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.
