LN chisels...ouch

[Phil Mueller]

I’m wondering what the thinking is behind leaving the edges of their chisels so darn sharp. Are they just for chopping, or do they believe they would never be used for paring? Am I just holding it wrong, in their opinion? Every time I use one, the box of bandaids come out. I guess it’s time to just file them down a bit. But, why wouldn’t they do that at the factory?

Don’t get me wrong. Great chisel, just painful to use out of the box.

[Mike Henderson]

Yeah, I dubbed the edges of mine with a stone.

Mike

[roger wiegand]

Same problem. Rounded over the sharp edges with a fine file down to about an inch from the sharp end. Problem solved in about 20 seconds per chisel. Some people like that knife edge so that's probably why they leave them, but I won't live long enough to sharpen them beyond the bottom half inch or so.

[Ben Ellenberger]

I just use 320 sandpaper on the edges of my chisels. I leave the last inch of the chisel untouched. Before I did that I would end up with little cuts in my fingers whenever I choked up on my chisels. It doesn’t take much to break the edge with sandpaper.

[mike stenson]

Me too (I dubbed from about an inch or so up with a fine diamond stone). Although the last time I commented on this, someone here informed me it was just because I had poor technique...

so prepare for that ;)

[Steve Voigt]

I would drag the arrises across a fine stone, not a file. Files don't last long if you use them on hardened steel.
You (the OP) don't say what type of chisel…for a mortising chisel I would leave the arrises sharp, so you can scrape the sidewalls. For a bench chisel, a very slight dubbing is fine.

[Jerry Olexa]

LN has a great reputation for high quality tools that are ready to use right "Out of the box".
My experience has been similiar

[John C Cox]

I became acquainted with sliced fingers soon after I bought my first Blue Spruce chisels, back in Ye Olde Days Before Lie Nielsen chisels when they were the only high end chisel game in town...

I think they do it as a selling point towards folks doing dovetail work. The sharp sides take it out of direct competition with (typically more cheaply priced) firmer chisels and towards more pricey chisels...

[lowell holmes]

When I sharpen my chisels I sharpen it absolutely sharp and them lift the handle a bit and push against the bevel for two or three strokes. This takes the extreme edge off of the chisel. See if this helps.