Joinery - Sharpening a Chisel

In order to obtain a feather, which is rubbed upon the oil-stone, it must be flat; if it be even slightly rounded, it is impossible to get a good cutting edge, in other words, the chisel is blunt. The whole art of sharpening a chisel or other tool consists in being able to hold it at the desired angle upon the oil-stone, and to work it backwards and forwards without altering that angle; this can only be acquired by practice, and when once it has been acquired, it becomes a habit, and it is never forgotten or lost.

The oil-stone should be placed at a convenient height (usually upon the joiner’s bench) straight in front of the person, who should hold the handle of the chisel in his right hand, the back up, and the fingers underneath; two or three fingers of the left hand should be placed upon the front of the chisel, according to the amount of pressure required, and, with the elbows stuck well out from his sides, he should try to work the tool backwards and forwards without varying the angle; when he has succeeded in obtaining the burr for the feather edge, he has made great progress, and the rest will be easy; if he keeps his elbows down to his sides, he cannot sharpen his chisel.

The face of the oil-stone should be kept clean and covered when not in use; there should be a few drops of oil upon it when sharpening a tool—olive oil does very well—and care should be taken not to scratch the face with the corner of the tool. Sprig- bits and such like very narrow tools are best sharpened upon another oil-stone or across the ends of the oil-stone used for chisels, so that there may be little risk of injuring the face. If the oil-stone be kept in good order, there will be no trouble about sharpening the tools, and with sharp tools work is made easy.