Chisel Type, Sharpening Grit, Or...?

[Mike Shields]

I'm trying to chisel against the grain of walnut, and I think it's not going so easy.

The chisel is forged alloy steel. I've gone up to 4000 grit with a 30 deg pri and a 1-2 deg micro.

Is the sharpness being limited by the steel, the low grit, bevel, or a combination of the 3?

TIA.

[David Weaver]

All chisels are forged. If it's called alloy steel, it's probably chrome vanadium or chrome moly or some other trade named steel that's got a lot of something in it that makes it a little harder to get a sharp edge if you're not using a very hard abrasive.

4000 grit should be plenty, esp. if you strop off any kind of stuff that could be hanging on the edge.

chiseling against the grain is never going to go that well. A chisel is nothing going to control tearing out, and the lifting that occurs when the surface tears out is going to make actually using the chisel very miserable.

[Jack Curtis]

Have you tried holding the chisel bevel down when cutting?