(04-06-2020, 02:35 AM)Arlin Eastman Wrote: Ron
Would A2 or O1 work as well? I have both in 1/8" thick and 7/8" wide. Or how about planner blades??
Arlin working hardened planner blades into a chisel blade is not really a feasible pursuit.
A2 is a pretty good woodworking steel however when one wants ultimate sharpness, as in chopping a clean baseline for very tight fitting dovetails 01 has distinct advantages especially in the softer woods where you need to the edge to shear quickly and not crush fibers.
In paring Kumiko in woods in material like cherry or white oak I see a noticeable difference in how well 0-1 pares clean as compared to my A2 chisels. I've also notice that in woods with changing density in grain A2 tends to fracture worse than in more consistent material like say cherry or maple.
When helping with the FORP event where groups of people are working French Oak all day for close to a week, every chisel whether A2, PMV11 or whatever ends up with a serrated edge from working that material. Once again differing density in the material. So what's the biggest difference. The time it takes to recover the edge. High carbon steels tend to dull in lieu of fracturing therefore it takes less time to recover the edge as compared to an abrasion resistant steel like A2.
All in all I think you spend more time recovering the edges in A2 than you gain in edge longevity. Just my opinion, your mileage may vary.
I tend to maintain my edge tools as I work so for me I like the tool that will yield ultimate sharpness.
Don't misunderstand chisels made with A2 steel are certainly quite serviceable tools and we are really nit picking the finer details here.
At present no one offers this type of chisel with an 0-1 steel option.
Hope that answers your question.
Ron
