How to Maintain Use And Sharpen a Chisel

How to Maintain Use And Sharpen a Chisel - A quick guide to the world of Chisels!
Huge thank you to the Woodworking Junkie for the Idea to this video.
you can see his channel here.

I am only talking about bench chisels in this video as to talk about all of the types would make this far longer then it needs to be.

I use Olive oil on my tools as I like the smell and it does not leave much residue, but most mineral oil, 3n1, or spirit oil will work just fine.
Keep your Chisels oiled as that is what stops corrosion and alows them to work in the wood much smother.

I suggest purchasing a cheaper wooden chisel set to begin with. as your skill increases and the need to better chisels increases you will know what you want and like.

As to using a chisel I often use it with the bevel down more often as that gives better control and provides the ability to cover curves.

however, when I need to follow a strait line with the chisel the bevel is up.

When it comes to sharpening a Chisel;

When brand new or the edge is in need of repair begin by flattening the back. I normally start on 80 grit sand paper on a piece of glass. this takes down all the high spots and flattening the back. next I take it to a 500 grit stone then a 1000 and finally a 4000 grit stone. last I finish it off on a piece of wood with gray polishing compound. then repeat all of those steps to grind the bevel on the other side of the chisel.

When just re sharpening the chisel I start on a 1000 grit stone tell I see the scratches reaching all points of the tip. the on to 4000 grit stone for the same. last I take it to the strop (strip of leather with polishing compound) and run the bevel on that 30-40 times. I test it on the hair of my arm. and call it good.

You Can find me:

[nextplayortho]

Harbor Freight/Aldi specials!! I refuse to spend $100+ dollars on a new set of chisels and have been perfectly happy with the HF ones; easy to sharpen and hold a nice edge.
-Ty

[Tappar]

I really enjoyed this one, lots of great info

[Allenrobinson]

DUDE!! that was soooo fast! Thank you very much! I need to get on amazon and pick up a stone, leather and compound for sure. That was alot of great info that i surely needed! Im working on a small pen box right now and i miss cut the center.. Im going to try and chisel is out square and save the project (and the video) again thank you very much! still cant believe how fast that was lol

[MikeKapotsy]

Nice James, it's always interesting to me to see how everyone does things a little differently. I have wanted to get more into hand tools. I do not have a traditional workbench to hold pieces. Been planning to add an end vise on my assembly table, and considered buying the shape on stones from Japan but they are pricey!

[Ad-gcth]

Hi. Great video, so clear and detailed information 👍
There is one thing I would like to know if you don't mind, What grit side sandpaper/wet stone is commonly used for maintaining a new wood chisel/knife and also for repairing an old wood chisel /knife?
I get frustrated in thinking which grits sides should I need?
Because there are so many grits sides out there 😢
So in simple, which grits sides will be sufficient for the purposes I mentioned above?

[BDM_PT]

Hi there from Portugal,
In Portugal the first set(Aldi) can be found in Lidl supermarkets for less then 10€.
Thanks

[Nearoth]

Clear and to the point, great video. I also use me cheap chissel but have some better Bahco chisels I haven't used yet.
I think it's a good idea to have these short videos also for the future to point people to when they ask about sharpening, like Jay us doing with his tool talks.
I was wondering do you shapen on the forward and backwards motion or just keep pressure in the pull? And do you use a lot if pressure?
Thanks for the video and have a great day.

[bbrachman]

James: Since you recorded this video, you switched to the diamond stones. For daily use maintenance, would you just use the fine and then the very fine plates? Then strop? Or, can you simply use the very fine plate and then strop. I do not use my chisels as much as you do (yet). I started with the Harbor Freight set and then bought the Stanley Sweetheart set. (I love these!). Thanks again for all your advice.

[RedBeardCarpentryWoodworks]

Great tips on sharpening! Do you prefer water or oil on your stone? Definitely going to touch mine up!!

[nixonwu]

could you recommend a set of chisels under $20 from Home Depot because I am on a budget and I don't live near a Harbor Freight store and my family doesn't do much online purchases

[qigong]

Hi, I just went to a swap meet and this guy had two "Marples" chisels. They looked old, the handles were blue and had a white stripe where the iron meets the handle. The blades looked dark grey. The shape of the handle was like a skinny eggplant with nothing on the end. I offered the guy $4 but he wanted $10. I passed on it, because I just wasn't sure if they were a later Irwin model or the English model. It did not say 'made in England or Sheffield' or anything. Just said Marples. How the heck would I know if its the higher quality old one or the newer model? Or should I stop obsessing.