Just realized I've been sharpening my chisels wrong for like a decade

I was watching a video from a guy in Vancouver who does restoration work, and he was showing how he hones his chisels. He kept talking about the 'wire edge' and how you have to get rid of it completely. I always just did a few passes on my 8000 grit stone and called it good. So I took one of my bench chisels and really focused on feeling for that tiny burr, stropping it off on a piece of leather. The next cut into some maple was completely silent and the shaving was like a ribbon. I mean, I've been getting by, but the difference was insane. It's one of those things you don't know you're missing until you see it done right. Has anyone else had a basic sharpening step they were totally skipping?

4 comments

4 Comments

robertcarr2mo ago

Oh man, I did the exact same thing with my plane irons.

blake7922mo ago

Same thing? Honestly, is it that big a deal?

the_wade10d ago

...and actually, @blake792, that's exactly what I thought the first time someone got all technical about bevel angles on me. I was at a woodworking meetup and the guy next to me was explaining how his 25 degree bevel was "the secret to life" or whatever (he was a little intense about it, you know?). Anyway, I asked him pretty much the same thing - like, come on, does a couple degrees really matter that much? He just looked at me and then went back to sharpening his chisel. I still think people overthink it sometimes, but I've also noticed my smoother does chatter less at 25 vs 30. So maybe he had a point, even if he was a bit snobby about it.

the_terry2mo ago

I read that a 25-degree bevel is pretty standard for smoothing planes.