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Sharpening Chisels joiners please advise


elgreco
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Oilstone......I'm old school.....lol if you can cut the hair off your arm you gotta good edge also will feel sticky if you run finger along edge... Gently of course...

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Just use a grind wheel to get angle then finish with oilstone to get edge but don't hold chisel too steep as you won't get a good edge and don't do it too shallow as even though it will be sharp it won't be durable.And remember to rub the back of the chisel (the underneath) on the oilstone. Look on YouTube for vids.

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Some interesting replies to this one.

Oil stone, water stone or diamond sharpening stone.

Chisels need two angles- grind at 25° and hone at 30°.

The secret is to keep on top of them. You never really want to have to grind a chisel. If you do then take your time and keep it cool by dipping in water. If you use a coarser stone to occasionally re do that angle you should never need to use a bench grinder.

The honed edge needs to be done on a finer stone. Take your time with it and try to keep the strokes even. If using a diamond stone it is not so important but if using an oil stone remember to go in a figure of 8 movement to keep the wear on the stone even therefore keeping to edge even.

Once you think you are happy with the honed edge lay the chisel flat on the stone and rub along just once or twice to take the bur off the back edge.

As said before if you can shave the hair off your arm it's good to go.

 

I'm a joiner and cabinet maker by trade and this was one of the 1st things drummed in to me when I started my apprenticeship.

 

Edd

 

Edited to add that for a DIY er the sharpening guides are OK. The at least get the angles right but if you can learn to do it by eye then it's much better.

Edited by eddoakley
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Get the first stage of sharpening ground on a belt sander roller as its wider it will give an even edge . Use the roller and it will hollow grind which is a sharper cut and easy to look after.

I use a diamond stone to hone mine after and a leather to polish the edge.

Make sure to debur the chisel on a scrap piece of timber after stoning as it will blunten the chisel fast.

 

 

If your local to Tamworth I always help pigeon watch members out and would grind and hone it for nothing at our workshop.

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Some interesting replies to this one.

Oil stone, water stone or diamond sharpening stone.

Chisels need two angles- grind at 25° and hone at 30°.

The secret is to keep on top of them. You never really want to have to grind a chisel. If you do then take your time and keep it cool by dipping in water. If you use a coarser stone to occasionally re do that angle you should never need to use a bench grinder.

The honed edge needs to be done on a finer stone. Take your time with it and try to keep the strokes even. If using a diamond stone it is not so important but if using an oil stone remember to go in a figure of 8 movement to keep the wear on the stone even therefore keeping to edge even.

Once you think you are happy with the honed edge lay the chisel flat on the stone and rub along just once or twice to take the bur off the back edge.

As said before if you can shave the hair off your arm it's good to go.

 

I'm a joiner and cabinet maker by trade and this was one of the 1st things drummed in to me when I started my apprenticeship.

 

Edd

 

Edited to add that for a DIY er the sharpening guides are OK. The at least get the angles right but if you can learn to do it by eye then it's much better.

I think I grind most of mine monthly but only a tiny bit. I like a razor sharp chisel and hollow grind. One of my apprentices sharpens but the other well erm you know. I'd be better using a bolster

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as a new beginner the better way is to buy a honeing guide they are cheap enough at a tenna

 

for the abrasive i would suggest a multi pack of wet and dry paper on top of a flat surface, glass is best but people use wood and ply and all sorts, all it needs is is to google scarry sharpening to find that info

 

the basics of sharpening is very very simple

 

make the first inch or so on the back of the chisel very clean and smooth

 

then do the big angle and lastly do the small angle if required

 

to do so by hand and eye is just time and effort

to do so with a guide is a short cut

the trend is ok but i think very very over rated and over priced

 

as for doing sharpening well and clean thats the easy bit, just practise for 30 years

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just my tuppence worth... Practice, practice, and practice.

most chisels are made from the same stuff, tool steel. the finish is what you pay for, I have some cheapish chisels, the ones with the indestructible handles? that I use for general day to day stuff, all I did to these was flat sand with wet and dry sand paper on a flat piece of plate steel all the surfaces to get the grinding marks out, finished off with 400grit and they're very smooth, and very flat. this helps with cutting, they haven't been on a bench grinder in years, just the rough side of a stone to shape, then the fine side to sharpen. just keep them away from nails, brick, and concrete, and they'll last a lifetime.

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Hi as a competent DIYer I occasionally have the need to hang doors etc. Are those Trend chisel sharpeners any good or overrated? What do you consider the easiest way to get a good sharp edge

Thanks

Tom

 

If you are serious about your DIY then get (if you haven't already) just a few really good chisels. Say an Inch as a basic one and a 1/2 inch if you can run to it. Get the backs really good and polished flat then practice your sharpening. My really good ones have a mirror finish so I can see my angles in the steel which is very helpful for 45Degree cuts as you can reflect a 90 in the steel which is easier to judge than a 45.

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I think I grind most of mine monthly but only a tiny bit. I like a razor sharp chisel and hollow grind. One of my apprentices sharpens but the other well erm you know. I'd be better using a bolster

Hahaha, yeah I know what you mean! Some of the guys that have worked for me- you wouldn't want to catch your hand with one of their chisels, it would give you a nasty bruise!

When I was in the workshop you could shave with my chisels. The 2" that was used all the time was sharpened several times a day and was scarey sharp. When you are on site it's harder to take such care as you often hit nasty stuff, depending on your type of work obviously.

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Grind the bevel (this should already be done) and hone the micro bevel (cutting edge)

 

I prefer water stones but oil stones are just as good.

 

Grab yourself a honing guide although I do mine without. But I do it every day. Honing guides can be bought from Axminster tools for £10

 

Don't forget to remove the bur of the back when you have honed. Just push the back of chisel flat on the stone and take a few sideways passes to remove it.

 

You should only have to re-grind periodically.

 

Don't forget hinges can also be done with a router. Will need to square the ends with a chisel but may be easier for you.

Edited by mpk
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Welcome to real man's skills :lol: Practice - practice - practice - it will eventually come right for you. Don't expect too much of yourself to begin with - just keep aware of what helps and what doesn't and look at teh chisel itself - that will tell you if you are going squint etc. It should look square and you can check with a square until you know it yourself.

 

Pushkin :good:

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Grind the bevel (this should already be done) and hone the micro bevel (cutting edge)

 

I prefer water stones but oil stones are just as good.

 

Grab yourself a honing guide although I do mine without. But I do it every day. Honing guides can be bought from Axminster tools for £10

 

Don't forget to remove the bur of the back when you have honed. Just push the back of chisel flat on the stone and take a few sideways passes to remove it.

 

You should only have to re-grind periodically.

 

Don't forget hinges can also be done with a router. Will need to square the ends with a chisel but may be easier for you.

 

I've been hanging doors for 30yrs and always cut the guts out of a hinge rebate with a router now then tidy up the edges with a nice sharp 1 1/4" chisel.

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I've been hanging doors for 30yrs and always cut the guts out of a hinge rebate with a router now then tidy up the edges with a nice sharp 1 1/4" chisel.

Trend even make a hinge jig so you can do them all off site including the linings (on the flat) and just fit them all there. Even easier again :lol::good:

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