How do you get the angle right when sharpening your chisels?

[Nealcrenshaw]

Seems i'm not getting the sharp edge like i want,i'm using a bench grinder do i sharpen it with the chisel facing the stone or by the chisel facing me sort of like a back angle. Also seems like my angles are lopsided what gives?

Or is it just a matter of eyeballing it to best you can?

 

[Ritter4.0]

Chisel facing the stone like you are trying to cut the stone. As long as it cuts well I would not worry too much about the angles matching.

 

[rsanter]

by hand, by eye

if you cant do that then many bench grinders have a rest that can be angled/tilted.
set the angle you need before starting the grinder and then go at it

bob

 

[Nealcrenshaw]

it just seems when the angles arent right its not as sharp as i would like it,sort of like i'm just grinding down the chisel instead of sharpening it.

 

[VegasBruce]

I have one of these. It works good till you get a feel for it.

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?item_ID=8973&group_ID=1020

 

[Nealcrenshaw]

how exactly does it work? just have at it until it fits?

 

[VegasBruce]

how exactly does it work? just have at it until it fits?

Yep, when it fits, its right.

 

[metal1313]

i do mine by hand, unless they are my **** job ones i use to mortise pressure treated wood. when i do use the grinder i do so on the side of the wheel, or the face if its really bad. i have a large grinder though, uses 10x1 wheels.

 

[BBQ&Love]

I use my Edge Pro Professional with the scissors clamp and get it perfect complete with a mirror finish. But I'm sick in the head like that.

 

[bchee]

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2417&rrt=1

 

[garfunkle24]

Metal chisels or wood chisels?

 

[ZRX61]

If it's metal cold chisels I use the Mk1 eyeball

 

[Trucky]

I use my Edge Pro Professional with the scissors clamp and get it perfect complete with a mirror finish. But I'm sick in the head like that.

Wanna sharpen my BM 950? It needs a good runthrough on an Edge.

Anyways, grab one of these things and you're set!

http://www.worksharptools.com/

 

[msnow]

Wood chisels use a honing guide as suggested above it works really well.

 

[Nealcrenshaw]

Metal and air chisels

 

[diesel research]

What grit are you using?

Dressed wheel?

 

[otis66]

They use to make an adaptor that fit on your bench grinder that would allow you to grind the correct angle on a chisel. I've only seen them in books. I just sharpen and dress my chisels as needed. I have some nice Snap On chisels that I've had since 1988.

 

[kc-steve]

There is a honing guide although I've never used one.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2417&rrt=1

Thanks bchee! I saw one of those for sale at an estate sale and passed. Nice to know where I can get one new!

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Weps]

you don't have to eyeball. there are numerous commercial jigs out there to work with typical grinder tool rests. you can also make something passable out of scrap wood.

if your angles are lopsided, i'm going to guess it's either your technique or an improperly dressed or worn/mis-aligned/damaged wheel/shaft. setting your angle and then moving your edge back and forth across the surface of the wheel may help your stability as well.

a center gauge will allow you to measure the angle on the chisel. if you don't have one, you can use the corner of a piece of paper to approximate. for steel, 60-70 degrees should give you good results.

 

[Nealcrenshaw]

I'm thinking about devising some sort of adjustable board and connect it to my bench grinder, i think where i went wrong was not eyeballing it,just grinding for a few seconds then flipping it over.

 

[american lockpicker]

I've been wondering about this for wood chisels.

 

[JSBriggs]

It just takes practice. I used to shape and sharpen lathe tools by eye/hand including thread cutting tools.

-Jeff

 

[Nealcrenshaw]

I'm going to try sharpening them by grinding them with the chisel facing me and see what kind of results i get, usually i go the other way.

 

[diesel research]

You still didn't mention what grit stone you are using?

 

[Nealcrenshaw]

I have no idea what grit stone it is,DR

 

[Brad54]

My grandfather, who I never met, owned a road construction crew. He had a LOT of tools. Dad got them, but just did basic car repair and stuff around the house.
When I was 17 and into cars, I went through his entire chisel/drift/punch collection and dressed all the mushroomed ends and chisel blades with my new Craftsman bench grinder. I probably did 30 or so. By the end, I was pretty good at it.

Now I've got a Multi-tool disc/belt sander attachment on that grinder, and use it to sharpen chisel ends. For odd chisels like a Cape or Diamond point, I'll do them by hand on the belt sander (which has a metal flat base under the belt). I'll sometimes do cold chisels that way too, or if I want to restore a point (some of my early attempts are sharp but have too pointy an angle), I'll set the miter gauge on the disc sander and touch the end of the chisel to it, making it perfectly repeatable on both sides.

I don't have one of the chisel guides shown on the Snap-on link, but I'd very much like to get one, and make all my chisel points "RIGHT." I've got a pretty good collection of chisels now, and use them a lot.

-Brad

 

[diesel research]

I have no idea what grit stone it is,DR

I found a lot of shop stones typically do a butcher job on cutting tips, due to all the chatter.

I sure wish I had access to a belt sander these days.

Northern also has a low rpm (120) water cooled blade sharpener that would be cool to test out.

 

[Monte]

www.tormek.com

 

[diesel research]

The tormek and the previous chinese one I mentioned seem to have a good bit in common.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200395649_200395649

 

[Drew_flux]

does your grinder not have a tool rest in front of the wheel? i adjust the angle and start grinding. also is your wheel flat,it may need to be dressed.

 

[CD1]

There is a honing guide although I've never used one.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2417&rrt=1

That's what I use. HF used to sell that exact same product years ago too.

 

[snorky18]

I do it by hand. BEFORE turning on the grinder, lay the chiesel on the wheel like you are going to sharpen it. tilt it back and forth to find the correct bevel angle. Take note of the correct bevel angle, and the position (angle) of the handle to the wheel. Then once you turn the grinder on you'll be really close on the correct angle, the rest I do by feel.

 

[Frank The Plumber]

Be careful running nice wood chisels on the grinder. If you heat them up you ruin the temper and they will not hold an edge.
If you have any kind of money into your chisels or Japanese specialty chisels you should look further into how exactly to properly dress their edge.
There are entire thick books written on proper technique and application.

 

[Weps]

The tormek and the previous chinese one I mentioned seem to have a good bit in common.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200395649_200395649

i'd consider it a tormek clone. grizzly makes one too, i think. the wheel on the tormek is larger - which will get you closer to a flat grind, but any wet grinding capability is good to have. it's probably the tool that 80% of bench grinder owners should have bought.

 

[snorky18]

Be careful running nice wood chisels on the grinder. If you heat them up you ruin the temper and they will not hold an edge.

Good advice. I forgot to mention the part about a very light touch on a fine grinding wheel, and I own cheap(er) chiesels.

 

[woody 73]

Step one: buy the white stone wheels they are more friable.
Step two: Buy a slow speed grinder.
Step three: Stop into any woodworking store and buy a jig designed for chisels(metal & Wood).
Step four:Buy a 4-way angle guage from the above store.
Step five: you are in business (although when your neighbors find out you are in for it!

 

[wood02]

TORMEK...for sure!

 

[diesel research]

TORMEK...for sure!

Do you own one? $600 seems a little steep, you can buy a LOT of chisels before that pays off.

 

[jragain]

Three steps to get razor edge on wood chisels. Lap the back of the blade on a piece of glass and diminishing grits of sandpaper until you get a mirror finish. Get a good quality honing guide from Veritas or Garrett Wade (they are not expensive). Follow the instructions as far as the two grits of stone used to create the basic bevel (I am at work so I don't have access) and the angle to create the primary bevel. The real secret to shaving sharp chisels is the micro bevel created after you are done with the primary bevel. Using only the fine stone, create a sharper angle (per the honing guide instructions) and make a few strokes to create a mirror-like micro bevel. Once you create the micro bevel it is easy to keep a keen edge by just touching that bevel up when needed. You only need to redo the primary bevel if you chip or otherwise damage the edge. Use a magnifying lamp to check your work.

 

[Coach James]

I'm with jr. I've used the glass and sand paper method for several years. It is easy to keep the chisel at the right angle as you are not fighting a grinding wheel plus the chisels do not get hot.

Coach