How-To: Sharpen a Chisel (When You're Serious About It)

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By Sean Michael Ragan
Posted 2012/02/10 @ 3:00 pm
Category Tools, Woodworking

“Spirit is the sword and experience the sharpening stone.” – Arab Proverb

This moment of zen brought to you by Instructables user carlbass. [Thanks, Carl!]

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BY Sean Michael Ragan

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I write for MAKE, serve as Technical Editor for MAKE magazine, and develop original DIY content for Make: Projects.

In the Maker Shed

Makey Makey Standard Kit

Arduino Uno Rev 3 (Make SMD Version)

Getting Started with Arduino Kit v3.0

Raspberry Pi Starter Kit - Includes 512MB Raspberry Pi

7 Responses to How-To: Sharpen a Chisel (When You’re Serious About It)

tyler on February 10th, 2012 at 4:18 pm said:

Is this just a pic showing off a sharp chisel or is there more coming soon with actual instructions? Maybe there is something wrong with my browser and I can’t see the instructions? I don’t know…

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- tyler on February 10th, 2012 at 4:20 pm said:
  
  Didn’t realize you have to click through the link.
  
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figaro06 on February 10th, 2012 at 7:15 pm said:

This is an awesome write up! Great piece of work and a great technique for sharpening a wood chisel. You can indeed but yourself easier with a dull knife, or chisel.

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Austringer on February 10th, 2012 at 8:59 pm said:

If you’re going to play with tools, be serious about it all the time. Using a dull tool makes you work harder with greater chance for slippage and damage to your project or yourself but in exchange you get more tear our and crushing of the fibers you’re trying to cut.

Besides, once you get it sharpened once, it’s a lot easier to keep it that way.

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Paul-G on February 11th, 2012 at 6:57 am said:

If you can find one I would STRONGLY recommend an Eclipse No 36 honing guide.

I was given one and was amazed at how much it improved the quality and usability of my chisels and planes. Worth its weight in Gold.

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Pingback: How to properly sharpen a chisel | unmaintained
skr on February 12th, 2012 at 12:49 pm said:

The chisel in the picture is not “seriously” sharp. It should have a mirror finish on the bevel.

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