How To Sharpen a Chisel (The Correct Method)

Want to be able to sharpen a chisel in 45 seconds or less? This masterclass teaches you everything you need to know from geometry and preparation to grinding and polishing.

📝 See The Supporting Blog Here! (Extra Info)
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PRODUCTS RECOMMENDED IN THIS VIDEO:
🔸 Japanese Waterstone
🔸 Waterstone/Oilstone Flattening Plate
🔸 Affordable Diamond Stone
🔸 DMT Coarse Diamand Stone

🔸 Tormek T8
🔸 Tormek T4
🔸 Belt Linisher

🔸 Lie-Nielsen Honing Guide
🔸 Veritas Honing Guide
🔸 Eclipse Honing Guide

🔸 Plane Screwdriver
🔸 Leather Strop
🔸 Protective Oil
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CHAPTERS:
😤 Getting Impatient? Skip to the good stuff below: ⬇️
00:00 Intro
01:39 Geometry
06:42 Grinding
09:58 Lapping
15:20 Hollow vs. Flat Grind
16:05 Honing
21:46 Deburring
22:15 Stropping
24:14 Testing
24:49 Real-Time Demo
26:00 Outro
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MY FREE ONLINE COURSES:
🚀 Purchasing and Using Tools Correctly
🪚 How To Make a Dovetailed Box:
🛠 How To Make a Cabinet:
🧰 How To Make a Toolbox:
✏️ How To Design Furniture
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WOODWORKING BOOKS I RECOMMEND:
📘 Collins Complete Woodworkers Manual
📖 Workbenches: Design & Theory to Construction & Use
📚 The Overstory - My Favourite Fiction Books about Trees
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MY FAVOURITE TOOLS:
🪚 Knew Concepts Fret Saw
⬜️ Faithfull Engineers Squares
⚙️ Veritas Wheel Marking Gauge
🗡 Precision Marking Knife
🎥 Lumix S1H Mirrorless Camera
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KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ME:

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🕵️‍♂️ WHO AM I?:
My name is Matt Estlea, I'm a 26 year old Woodworker from Basingstoke in England and my aim is to make your woodworking less s***.

I come from 5 years tuition at Rycotewood Furniture Centre with a further 1 year working as an Artist in Residence at the Sylva Foundation, which is where I began growing my business. I then returned to Rycotewood to teach Evening Classes for 2 Years, while also teaching City and Guilds Furniture Making for 3 years. They were some long 12 hour days!

In September, 2021. I resigned from teaching at the school to focus on my own business.

In addition to all that studying and teaching during the week, I occupied my weekends working at Axminster Tools and Machinery in Basingstoke. For 5 years, I helped customers with purchasing tools, demonstrated in stores and events, and gained extensive knowledge about a variety of tools and brands. I discontinued this job role in 2019 to focus on teaching at Rycotewood and my own business.

I like to have a laugh and my videos are quite fast paced BUT you will learn a lot, I assure you.

Lets go make a mess.
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PS: Some of the links in this description are affiliate links that I get a lil’ commission from recommending at no extra cost to you. If you’d like to know more about how this works, and what businesses I work with, please read my affiliate disclaimer here:

[MattEstlea]

📝 See The Supporting Blog Here! (Extra Info)

More of this style of content coming next year! Hopefully with more regularity too!

[braidsmeetsbalthor]

I find myself constantly coming back to this video as a refresher for the various stages in sharpening. Really comprehensive guide, thanks Matt

[ddk]

Loved this video you explained everything with one exception. You showed the protrusion stop jig. Most newbies won't know that they need to make that jig. A angle finder is needed. That is the only thing I would recommend adding to this video. Other then that, I enjoyed it alot. Great job. I plan on watching more of your videos. PS I literally dropped my chisle a few times will working yesterday. It's been a while since using and sharing so wanted to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything and found your video. Made me laugh watching it bounce off everything, because I seem to drop mine alot.

[Kurt]

This is the most comprehensive video on sharpening I've seen. You not only learn how to do it but why you do each step and the geometry used.

[jcpatel]

Superb exposition of the basic science behind the practise of this outstanding woodworker.

[ABASE]

You're a bad man. I own just about every single sharpening system around and have been eying up a Tormak for years. I would have saved so much cash (and time) going straight to it.

[jimmortoniii]

By far, one of the most excellent instructional videos I have seen in quite some time. Clear, concise, and well organized. Thank you for your efforts on this! I very much appreciate it.

[DwightStark]

This is the most comprehensive instruction I've seen on sharpening. As we say in the States, you covered all the bases.

[codymcclung]

I appreciate you Matt, and the community. Love you all and hope your holidays have and will treat you well

[chrisalan]

The word you were looking for is 'palpable'. Great video.

[DasKelvador]

I’ve watched plenty of sharpening videos on YouTube and this is definitely one of the best and most helpful! Thanks for putting this together!

[grmatrix]

Your advice changed was most instructive, and changed a painful chore into a pleasure. I wish I had seen this sooner.

[mozza]

Don’t do any wood working and don’t even own a good chisel, but I found this fascinating. A very professional presentation and throughly enjoyable to watch.

[BlackBird-mvwg]

Deadly sharp... I have watched you for years and I am still so impressed by your unswerving ability as a teacher. Thank you for the video! Merry Christmas Matt!!

[Criminalizeverything]

I’ve been learning sharpening for 5-6 years now, Matt, your a gem of information making the complex simple to understand, thanks for your dedication to the craft❤

[mattydare]

I'm into my 60's and I was aware that everything needs to be kept sharp to work properly but wasn't aware it was such a rabbit hole!
You have obviously been taught by craftsmen/women and have now become a craftsman yourself. Your passion and knowledge is precious. Thanks for sharing.

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet but I've seen old conveyor belting used on the floor in areas where you are likely to drop tools.

[sageman]

Great video! It cracked me up though when you say, “you don’t need expensive equipment” and then bust out the Tormak 😂.

[raheslop]

I’ve seen many sharpening videos over the years but this not only made perfect sense but also when I tried it I got a chisel that I could shave with in under a minute

[Litehamer]

Good afternoon from a rather sunny day on in Essex: I’ve been trying to get in to woodworking for a while, with YouTube as my only guide. Up to now it’s largely been American creators with aircraft hangers full of commercial power tools. I’m glad I’ve found you as I was shocked when a chisel purchased to have a go wasn’t sharp straight from screwfix. Thanks for such a great video I’ll be binge watching for a while

[apistosig]

A no bullshit concise tutorial about sharpening chisels - this is how I have always done it (since 1974) - well done