How sharp should chisels really be?

[Arlin Eastman]

At what point is it going overboard?

I can see some chisels being really sharp that need to take off .005 of a shaving but does it really matter if you are just taking out hunks of wood or chopping out DTs or joints?

If a person needs to take just a tad off of the end or side of a DT I think it should be sharp but when I take off wood for a box joint by chopping downwards I do not need it to me super sharp or it will break off the edge or whatever.

Or how about a Mortis chisel does it really need to be super sharp or sharp enough to cut down a few layers to break the wood out.

What do you think?

[mvflaim]

At what point is it going overboard?

I can see some chisels being really sharp that need to take off .005 of a shaving but does it really matter if you are just taking out hunks of wood or chopping out DTs or joints?

If a person needs to take just a tad off of the end or side of a DT I think it should be sharp but when I take off wood for a box joint by chopping downwards I do not need it to me super sharp or it will break off the edge or whatever.

Or how about a Mortis chisel does it really need to be super sharp or sharp enough to cut down a few layers to break the wood out.

What do you think?

I sharpen my chisels sharp enough to slice through a piece of paper or shave end grain. Mortise chisels are sharp but the bevel angle needs to be more obtuse to cut though the grain without getting stuck.

[Strokes77]

Sharp enough to get the job done, but no sharper...

[DFJarvie]

They should be sharp enough to cleanly cut the wood with minimal effort. If you need to push hard their not sharp enough. I use a hollow grind, fine India oil stone then a white Arkansas stone. They cut fine.

[Timberwolf]

At what point is it going overboard?

I can see some chisels being really sharp that need to take off .005 of a shaving but does it really matter if you are just taking out hunks of wood or chopping out DTs or joints?

If a person needs to take just a tad off of the end or side of a DT I think it should be sharp but when I take off wood for a box joint by chopping downwards I do not need it to me super sharp or it will break off the edge or whatever.

Or how about a Mortis chisel does it really need to be super sharp or sharp enough to cut down a few layers to break the wood out.

What do you think?

..........
Arlin, I think we have to define the word a little better...A straight razor and an axe can both be considered "sharp" but you wont chop much wood with a razor and you wont want to shave with an axe. And it depends on how much "touching up" you want to do with the chisel...and the wood and the steel helps determine that...too hard and the edge chips and too soft and it folds over...So to compensate for that, we increase the bevel angle...Softwoods can tolerate a lower angle while other exotic woods insist on a much higher one...My solution to this is, I sharpen to a much lower angle and test the edge...If it dulls quickly, I increase the bevel angle incrementally, to the point that satisfies me..IOW, sharp as the wood and steel will permit...My steel of choice for the carving tools I am making is High Speed Steel...It can be sharpened to the lowest angle and it holds it's edge much longer...Altho the trade off is, it costs more and it is harder to work..almost twice as hard to grind as ordinary tool steel. To me tho, it is darn well worth it..

https://www.google.com/search?q=wedge+ac...52&bih=603

[Aram]

Hi Arlin,

Mortise chisels don't need to be especially sharp.

For joinery, dovetails etc., my thinking is you know you are cut when you see the blood trail. But you never felt it. 


Big grin but not far from the truth. And it has happened. I hone until I can shave arm hairs. People argue this forever. Yeah, hairs are not wood. But I've cut some decent joints that way. Whatever problems I've had with my dovetails, it was never because my sharpening fell short. 

For precision paring, like removing a minuscule amount from the baseline, if I have been using the chisel, I usually go a few strokes on my finest stone. It helps.

[Scoony]

Sharp enough that when I bump them against my finger (not intentionally) I bleed all over the project. Happens a lot.

[Arlin Eastman]

Mortise chisels are sharp but the bevel angle needs to be more obtuse to cut though the grain without getting stuck.

So who does a bevel angle and which ones and what degree between the very front and the back part?

I know it was a big discussion a years ago but do not remember any of it?

[bandit571]

They USUALLY start at 25 degrees where the bevel starts...halfway to the edge, they tend to go to 35 degrees.......My one Japanese Mortise chisel has a single 35 degree bevel.

Mine are sharp enough to do the jobs I need them to do.....Maybe a quick strop on the leg of my jeans while they are in use....it is more about keeping them sharp, rather than that whole  "Trip to the sharpening bench"  sort of thing....

[mvflaim]

So who does a bevel angle and which ones and what degree between the very front and the back part?

I know it was a big discussion a years ago but do not remember any of it?

My mortise chisels angles are at 35 degrees and they cut just fine. I've never had an issue with them so I never experimented with changing the bevel angle.

mike