How to sharpen a chisel

Everywood worker should be very confortable sharpening their tools.  It is the first thing you do when you buy a chisel or most times youuse it.

North Bennett Street School


Chisel has back face.  cutting out wood along a line.  your current measurements are relative to where you have just been.  a stragiht chisel allows to to make a straight cut.


First make a back flat.

check that the oil stone is flat (by holdinga ruler against it and looking for gaps)

lube the stone.  oil stone has a specific oil that prevent surface from clogging (easy to get all dirt off with a cloth)



Use the whole stone to keep stone flat.  you can see what is flat by looing at the reflection in the chisel.    An inch from the tip should be shiny (thats the firstpart)

next joint the edge.  that means ensuring blad is 90 to the length of the tool.  see if the tip is sqaure.  square the top to the side.  this means making the tip sqaure and dull.  this lets you see how much you are taking off. 
remvoe burr on oil stone.

third start removing material from the angle ('creating the hollowround') so the dull tip is a hairline, but still not sharp.  the angle should be 30 for hard wood, 25 for soft.  28 is recommended

leaving the tip dull(jointed) means you know it is still square.

finally start honing process.  'raise a burr'  then you know the two faces are meeting.

oilstone to arkansas stone

and then strop (jeweler's rouge on a strip of leather)

last,te st in a piece of wood.  no tearing of the wood, check both sides of the blade, for symettral