Locked in whether you like it or not: yet another sharpening thread

[Tony Wilkins]

Didn’t want to put this on the freehand vs jig debate so…

There was a lot of talk about freehand being easier with a flat bevel ie no microbevel). I find this true with my Japanese tools. I keep a flat bevel on these as I was taught and find it easy to freehand them. As I was spending ten minutes looking for my angle setting jig*, I thought about that thread. But here;s my two problems. Firstly, I have a microbevel on many of my tools as I learned the Charlesworth method of sharpening and I don’t want to grind all of them to get rid of it. Bee, speaking of David (and Cosman) I have used the ruler trick on a lot of plane blades (even though in retrospect they had flat backs). I’m not even sure how to undo that easily.

so I guess I’ll putter along with what I have because it’s like momentum and I’m too lazy to change.

*it had fallen under the table

[Mike Henderson]

It wasn't clear to me whether the microbevel you mentioned was on the front of the bevel or on the back (ruler trick). On my tools, the microbevel on the front is tiny, so if I wanted to get rid of it it wouldn't take a lot of grinding to do so. But I use a microbevel on all my tools so I don't really have to grind all that off.

Mike

[Tony Wilkins]

It is a microbevel on the front and the ruler trick on the back.

[Jimmy Harris]

You can freehand a microbevel. Just align the blade so the bevel is flat against the stone or whatever, and then raise it 5° or whatever your microbevel is. The thing with sharpening is that you don't have to be exact. You just have to be consistent.

I don't usually use microbevels because I haven't found the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. However, there are a few instances where I will apply them, like on a mortise chisel with a steep primary bevel. I guess in theory I could grind a larger secondary bevel, but that's more work without enough payoff to make it worth my time. Either way, I have no issues whatsoever putting a microbevel on something freehand. I don't even use a ruler to do the "ruler trick". I freehand that as well. Freehand sharpening takes a bit more skill, but it's not THAT difficult to learn. Practice enough and you'll gain the muscle memory to easily hold the blade at a consistent angle while you work it. And that's all you need. Consistency.

The thing with sharpening is, there's not really a right or wrong way to do it. There is such a thing as a good and bad edge, however. But so long as the method you use gives you a good edge, then there's no reason to overthink it and make things more complicated just because some guy on the internet has a different opinion. Always trust what the edge of your blade tells you more than what a rando with a YT channel says.

[Tony Wilkins]

You can freehand a microbevel. Just align the blade so the bevel is flat against the stone or whatever, and then raise it 5° or whatever your microbevel is. The thing with sharpening is that you don't have to be exact. You just have to be consistent.

I don't usually use microbevels because I haven't found the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. However, there are a few instances where I will apply them, like on a mortise chisel with a steep primary bevel. I guess in theory I could grind a larger secondary bevel, but that's more work without enough payoff to make it worth my time. Either way, I have no issues whatsoever putting a microbevel on something freehand. I don't even use a ruler to do the "ruler trick". I freehand that as well. Freehand sharpening takes a bit more skill, but it's not THAT difficult to learn. Practice enough and you'll gain the muscle memory to easily hold the blade at a consistent angle while you work it. And that's all you need. Consistency.

The thing with sharpening is, there's not really a right or wrong way to do it. There is such a thing as a good and bad edge, however. But so long as the method you use gives you a good edge, then there's no reason to overthink it and make things more complicated just because some guy on the internet has a different opinion. Always trust what the edge of your blade tells you more than what a rando with a YT channel says.
I just don’t have the dexterity to be anywhere near consistent unfortunately.

[Derek Cohen]

Tony, in my view there are two ways to sharpen: freehand and using a guide. Both are legitimate. Ignore anyone who guilts you for using a guide, flat bevel, hollow grind, etc, etc. Just do what works for you - working wood is more important than the way the bevel looks.

if using a guide, the micro secondary bevel is your friend. The aim is always to minimise the amount of steel to hone, and honing a full bevel is not efficient (Jim Krenov used to hollow grind his Japanese chisels). A secondary bevel on a chisel may reduce its range of use (e.g. more difficult to ride the bevel), but this does not invalidate a sharp chisel.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Robert Hazelwood]

You don't actually have to be perfectly consistent to freehand. I think this is something that intimidates newbies- they assume the consistency of a guide is essential to getting a sharp edge, and if they can't match that consistency they won't get sharp.

If your angle wobbles a few degrees each stroke, it's not going to ruin your edge. All that will happen is you will be rounding the bevel (which is irrelevant for sharpness), and the final edge angle will be increased slightly; e.g. if you were aiming for 30 it might be 32 at the edge.

And holding a long tool like a plane iron or chisel, if you have good ergonomics with your setup you should be able to stay within a degree or two after just a little practice. Plane irons and chisels (unless very narrow) are the easiest tools to freehand - easy to hold, no curves to deal with. Just lock your wrists and go.

In my observation the biggest issue beginners have is simply not removing enough steel in the initial stage of honing, so that there is still damage and wear/rounding at the edge when they progress to finer stones. Just keep going on the coarse stone until you raise a big honking burr- that guarantees you have completed the job on the coarse stone. If you fail to do that, none of the finer stones are going to make it sharp. On the occasions where I sharpen something and it doesn't seem quite sharp enough, its always because I didn't do enough work on the coarse/medium stone. Never because my angle wobbles a bit.

[Ben Ellenberger]

You don't actually have to be perfectly consistent to freehand. I think this is something that intimidates newbies- they assume the consistency of a guide is essential to getting a sharp edge, and if they can't match that consistency they won't get sharp.

If your angle wobbles a few degrees each stroke, it's not going to ruin your edge. All that will happen is you will be rounding the bevel (which is irrelevant for sharpness), and the final edge angle will be increased slightly; e.g. if you were aiming for 30 it might be 32 at the edge.

And holding a long tool like a plane iron or chisel, if you have good ergonomics with your setup you should be able to stay within a degree or two after just a little practice. Plane irons and chisels (unless very narrow) are the easiest tools to freehand - easy to hold, no curves to deal with. Just lock your wrists and go.

In my observation the biggest issue beginners have is simply not removing enough steel in the initial stage of honing, so that there is still damage and wear/rounding at the edge when they progress to finer stones. Just keep going on the coarse stone until you raise a big honking burr- that guarantees you have completed the job on the coarse stone. If you fail to do that, none of the finer stones are going to make it sharp. On the occasions where I sharpen something and it doesn't seem quite sharp enough, it’s always because I didn't do enough work on the coarse/medium stone. Never because my angle wobbles a bit.

This! If you raise a burr and then remove, then polish an edge, it will be good enough for woodworking. You can always improve, and you can tell the difference between a sharp edge and a really really sharp edge, but you shouldn’t let sharpening intimidate you.

I generally use a guide, but I’m quick to just freehand when I’m in the middle of a project and just want to touch up a tool.

[Rafael Herrera]

Tony has indicated before that he has physical limitations. If a guide let's him get the edge sharpness he needs, that's the way to go.

Regarding the Charlesworth ruler trick. I think once you start using it, you're stuck with it. After you've raised a burr, you won't be able to remove it after you flip the blade unless you repeat the ruler trick or raise the blade manually to reach the apex. The last can potentially make that back bevel even more steep and require raising the blade even more in later sharpenings.

[Robert Hazelwood]

I'll also add that I find sharpening a large flat bevel to be trickier than freehanding a small secondary bevel. I have both western and Japanese tools, and I sharpen most of the westerns with a flat primary and small secondary bevel, and the Japanese I sharpen with a full flat bevel in the traditional way.

With a flat bevel the angle is easy to register, but its not as simple as setting the bevel flat on the stone. Especially with laminated blades like a Japanese chisel, most of the surface is soft and quickly cut by the stone, with only the area near the edge being hard and slowly cut. If you just keep even pressure on the bevel, the heel will be cut away more quickly than the tip, causing the angle of the whole bevel to become more acute. Over the coarse of a few sharpenings you might find the chisel becomes very chippy, and eventually you discover the bevel angle is now 25 degrees when it started out as 32. To avoid this you have to bias the pressure strongly towards the tip- basically like you are going to tip the chisel up to create a microbevel but stopping just short of actually tipping it. The heel of the bevel will touch the stone but with essentially zero force. It takes practice and a lot of concentration.

Related to this, you can get an awful lot of friction and suction from a flat bevel. On a large bevel like a kanna blade it can stop you in your tracks, especially on certain stones like a Shapton 5k, but most stones will do it to some degree. The way to mitigate is the same - keep pressure biased towards the tip. If you get the pressure just right it will work smoothly. I think it takes more practice and concentration than sharpening the small bevel with no angle registration.

[Robert Hazelwood]

Tony, if you want to remove the ruler trick bevel, you'll need to grind the edge of the blade back until its gone. The way Charlesworth demonstrated it, its width should be very minimal (~1/64"), so it would be doable by hand if you don't have a grinder. Although I don't think there's any reason to remove it if its been working well for you. Even if you want to freehand the bevel, you can still do the ruler trick.

[Jim Koepke]

you shouldn’t let sharpening intimidate you.

Considering how many different ways to sharpen people mention in one of these threads, the intimidating mystery leading to paralysis of analysis is trying to figure which is the correct way.

Don't think about that, because they are all correct in their own ways.

My way may not be a way that works for others. My choice was to keep it simple and not to try every trick in the book before being able to produce a sharp edge. My focus was on creating the cutting edge. Cambers, micro bevels, back bevels and other refinements were set aside to pay attention to what was taking place with the edge. My attention was given to the scratch pattern on the bevel.

Was it reaching the edge?

Without a mentor on the scene, we have to become our own instructor.

We have to be able to not only find our error, but we have to determine how to change the result.

Well, maybe that is a bit intimidating.

jtk

[Edward Weber]

My choice was to keep it simple and not to try every trick in the book before being able to produce a sharp edge.
jtk

This is sound advice IMO, there is far too much noise out there and not just on sharpening.
Learn the basics and keep it simple until you get a feel for it. Trying to change too many variables at once gets you nowhere.

[David Carroll]

I always find it's interesting, these threads on sharpening, considering people do it in so many different ways. I think it's natural to bounce around from technique to technique until you find something that works for you. That is, unless someone shows you the way they do it and if that person is someone you respect, then you might adopt their ideas and mimic them. It doesn't really matter what you do, as long as you wind up with tools that are sharp enough for what you want to make.

I always remember two techniques that I saw, or read about that illustrate this point. As a young carpenter's helper back in the early 1980's the best trim carpenter that I have ever known was a guy named Don, in his belt he carried a block plane, I don't remember the model. When it got dull, he would take a mill file and file the edge. Once the filing scratch lines went all the way to the edge, it raised quite a burr, this he would strop off on his jeans leg, and finish it off on the palm of his hand! The edge he got was sharp enough to do what he needed. Often this was done up on scaffolding while we were shingling.

The second story is about Tage Frid, one of his students asked where he got the short butt chisels he used. He replied, "The hardware store." The hardware store didn't sell butt chisels. Then the student saw him sharpen his chisels, and understood, he ground the bevel on a belt grinder, then polished the edge on a felt wheel. Years of doing this had shortened the chisel remarkably. He made nice things, so they must've been sharp enough.

My point is that depending on what you intend to make, and what woods you intend to use, some level of sharpness will be adequate and you can stop there.

I think some guys are just into the idea of sharpening and want to get the sharpest edge possible just because it makes them happy to do so, or for bragging rights. Nothing wrong with that.

DC

[Tony Wilkins]

I’m going to continue to do as I was taught. I was just pointing out that some decisions are harder to ‘change your mind’ on, eg Charlesworth method. I can’t remember for sure but did my Lie Nielsen blades come with a microbevel> it’s been quite a while.

[Jim Koepke]

I’m going to continue to do as I was taught. I was just pointing out that some decisions are harder to ‘change your mind’ on, eg Charlesworth method. I can’t remember for sure but did my Lie Nielsen blades come with a microbevel> it’s been quite a while.

Just because a flat bevel works well for me, it doesn't mean it is the best method for your work. To me the biggest advantage of freehand sharpening a flat bevel is when done properly the chisel is almost never in need of a return trip to the grinder. One chisel that is used often came to me with a hollow grind and didn't need a complete reworking of the bevel. For many years it has been a pleasure to sharpen due to the ease of feeling it "click" into place on a stone. After what has likely been about a decade of use and honing, the hollow is almost completely gone.

I do not have a typical bench grinder. For those who do, learn how to use it because a hollow grind is the easiest way to go when freehand honing.

My first experience with a micro bevel was when my Veritas Mk.11 Power Sharpening System arrived.

515622

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/sharpening/power-systems/48435-veritas-mk-ii-power-sharpening-system?item=05M3101

It came with two platters with four grits of PSA backed abrasive sheets, one for each side of a platter. The finer grits are much thinner. Starting at 80 grit and moving up to the finer grits would cause the angle to slightly change when switching to the second platter.

It was a simple matter to insert spacers under the second platter to lift it up to an equal height of the first platter's abrasives. There also are different thicknesses of platters to work through this.

jtk

[David Carroll]

I do not have a typical bench grinder. For those who do, learn how to use it because a hollow grind is the easiest way to go when freehand honing.

My first experience with a micro bevel was when my Veritas Mk.11 Power Sharpening System arrived.

515622

https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/sharpening/power-systems/48435-veritas-mk-ii-power-sharpening-system?item=05M3101

It came with two platters with four grits of PSA backed abrasive sheets, one for each side of a platter. The finer grits are much thinner. Starting at 80 grit and moving up to the finer grits would cause the angle to slightly change when switching to the second platter.

It was a simple matter to insert spacers under the second platter to lift it up to an equal height of the first platter's abrasives. There also are different thicknesses of platters to work through this.

jtk

I've always wondered about those sharpeners. The disk is turning at a constant RPM and you are grinding with the blade of the tool resting on the disc basically along the radius, yes? Because, like a drill bit, as the disc is rotating the surface speed of at the outermost edge is faster than near to the center of the disk. This means that on a wide chisel or plane blade the edge toward the outside is seeing more abrasive than toward the center, with each revolution.

It seems to me (this being the case) that the outside edge of the tool would grind faster than the inside and if one were applying pressure evenly across the tool, then you would wind up with a shallow skew to the blade. Is this an issue?

DC

[Jim Koepke]

I've always wondered about those sharpeners. The disk is turning at a constant RPM and you are grinding with the blade of the tool resting on the disc basically along the radius, yes? Because, like a drill bit, as the disc is rotating the surface speed of at the outermost edge is faster than near to the center of the disk. This means that on a wide chisel or plane blade the edge toward the outside is seeing more abrasive than toward the center, with each revolution.

It seems to me (this being the case) that the outside edge of the tool would grind faster than the inside and if one were applying pressure evenly across the tool, then you would wind up with a shallow skew to the blade. Is this an issue?

DC

Remember, there is more than one way to operate one's sharpening system.

The instructions that came with mine, ~20 years ago, direct the user to move the tool side to side as opposed to holding the tool in a single position. For my blades, the bevel will be held on the right side with the abrasive running into the bevel and then on the left side with the abrasive running out of the bevel's edge. At times the edge is even carefully run past the edge of the platter. This tends to create a fairly straight bevel. Without moving the blade, the edge can become skewed over time.

jtk

[Chris Parks]

There is always a lot of noise in sharpening threads but the one thing that beginners or even those who have been at it for a while have a problem with is what does sharp actually feel like. All those years ago when I started out I thought I knew what sharp was but it turned out I didn't and with changing methods and jigs etc I found a new level of sharpness several times and I bet money that some in this thread think they sharpen to an ultimate level but only sharpen to what they consider is sharp which is exactly what I do. What I am trying to say is that someone starting out has no standard to compare their results with someone who is good at it so he or she most probably stops when they think they have sharp. I saw a Japanese sharpening video years ago and it featured an American working & being taught in a sharpening workshop in Japan where that is all they did and it took years to get to the level that was considered excellent.

[Edward Weber]

There is always a lot of noise in sharpening threads but the one thing that beginners or even those who have been at it for a while have a problem with is what does sharp actually feel like. All those years ago when I started out I thought I knew what sharp was but it turned out I didn't and with changing methods and jigs etc I found a new level of sharpness several times and I bet money that some in this thread think they sharpen to an ultimate level but only sharpen to what they consider is sharp which is exactly what I do.

Have a tool "sharp", whatever your definition of that is, is important but can easily become an obsession with no real end in sight.
IMNSHO, there is no need for those who strive for scalpel sharp chisels and plane irons. After only a few seconds or inches of paring, that pinnacle of sharpness that took hours to obtain is gone.
Choose your method and sharpen the best you can, test how well it cuts, does it do what you need it to. If something needs to be improved, change one thing at a time until your goals are met, until it is "sharp" enough for you. repeat if necessary.

[Chris Parks]

I agree with the sharpen until it works theory but having a reference or target lets you compare how far off you are and most probably shortens the learning curve and frustration involved.

[James Pallas]

I learned from finish carpenters. Two sided carborundum course and fine. Spit or sometimes oil. There were arguments about spit, Beechnut, Snuff or plain. Strop on your belt tail, carpenter coveralls or hand. Good enough with some practice. Still good enough today. Maybe not for carving but close. Never knew a carpenter that carried a whole sharpening kit to a job site. They sharpened plane irons, chisels, pocket knives, utility knives all the same. Me too.
Jim

[David Carroll]

I agree with the sharpen until it works theory but having a reference or target lets you compare how far off you are and most probably shortens the learning curve and frustration involved.

People have different ways to determine sharpness, but I think that in itself, takes some practice that one develops with time and experience, right along with sharpening itself. I can now judge a sharp edge by dragging my thumb across it, carefully. I used to shave hairs off of my forearm, but after doing that long enough, it gave up growing.

Sometimes, I will grab a scrap of pine and cut the end grain. If it cuts cleanly and leaves a waxy-smooth finish, then that's about as sharp as I can manage, and certainly as sharp as I need.

But these days I rarely do the pine end-grain trick on anything but carving tools. For bench chisels and plane blades and cutters, I just rely on my now calibrated thumb-drag. Incidentally, in 50 years of woodworking and sharpening, I have never cut myself doing this. But if you aren't careful, it is certainly possible to. So be careful.

DC

[Edward Weber]

I agree with the sharpen until it works theory but having a reference or target lets you compare how far off you are and most probably shortens the learning curve and frustration involved.

I don't totally disagree with that BUT,
The problems can often come into play when people find out just how far off they are and resort to trying every new gizmo that comes down the pike to try and emulate the reference.

IMO, There is a bit of air that "everything needs to be the best" these days. Not what's good enough for the job or even beyond but the best. People talking about sharpening to 30,000 etc does not help a beginner who just wants to sharpen a chisel to start cutting wood.
As it often boils down to in these sharpening threads, do what works for you, it can be as simple or as complex as you make it.
The OP talks about being locked into the way you do things and I agree to a point. I also believe it's better to start out simple and add tools and techniques when necessary rather than starting with a complex method and/or system and find it's not needed.

Disclaimer,
I sharpen to a single flat bevel, the time and effort creating secondary bevels or hollow grinding is not worth it to me. I sharpen when I need to.

[Jim Koepke]

…
I used to shave hairs off of my forearm, but after doing that long enough, it gave up growing.

Sometimes, I will grab a scrap of pine and cut the end grain. If it cuts cleanly and leaves a waxy-smooth finish, then that's about as sharp as I can manage, and certainly as sharp as I need.

… I just rely on my now calibrated thumb-drag. Incidentally, in 50 years of woodworking and sharpening, I have never cut myself doing this. But if you aren't careful, it is certainly possible to. So be careful.

DC

Like you David, I have been testing with my thumb since the late 1950s without cutting myself.

I do like an edge sharpened to the extreme, but usually now settle for an edge sharp enough to do the job cleanly.

I have shaved a lot of arm hair. Now pushing an edge into a piece of paper or taking shavings off of end grain is a good way to test the sharpness of an edge.

515743

It requires a sharp blade to take a continuous shaving on end grain. End grain doesn't tear out like face grain. Instead the fibers are pushed and separated by a dulled blade.

As David mentions, a chisel on pine end grain should leave a waxy appearance.

515745

On the left is the surface left by a saw, on the right is the surface worked with a sharp chisel.

jtk

[Tom Trees]

A cheap knockoff Elcipse honing guide helps things first,
so you can get a feel of when the tip is on the hone, i.e getting your finger on the hone to feel that.
I use diamonds, one cheapie, and one good one.
That's after a fresh grind, or you'll be forever getting an edge.

After that, changing to freehand, so here's some tips for this...
To stop tipping about, and get a feel for the angle.
Try resting the iron on the hone, with the iron skewed by a large amount, (no honing yet)
Then try tipping the far corner, you may find at this 45 degree angle, that your wrist won't allow it within reason. (that may get you a feel for things, with a decent grip)

Now with a better idea of being consistent, I can mention some things which helped me.
I don't look at the bevel, but the back of the iron at arms length, with a white board behind.
What I'm looking at is the slighter than many might suggest, camber.
This tells me which side of the iron I should be focusing on.

Two tips here worth noting...
Understand that pushing an iron along the length of the hone, if skewing by not very much atall, will be much more tedious,
than if you were to keep the iron straighter, much like the way you'd use a honing guide, probably 3 times quicker.

The second tip, if having trouble with a fine camber, (say if wanting to make use of the cap iron)
then David's tip will get both sides of the iron consistent...I won't mention the super misleading term he's coined for that.
No leaning, nor tipping involved, but getting ones finger on the edge/hone, much closer than Cosman's close grip.
The material (corners) gets removed depending where a finger is, nowhere else.
(mentioning again, no leaning or anything else involved)

The result of this being a much better camber than others will show, from the usual YT guys who don't use the cap iron to its potential
evident by the straight shavings jumping out, (and not needing a hand)
and it'll be sharp after that.
(Yes there's more to the cap iron than that, the cap/chipbreaker/tomato/potato, being honed at least 50deg, and the mouth open)

Yeah, some will say, but the OP may not have asked for that, true it may be,
but my point being, focusing on the profile will make things sharp.
I do the same thing for chisels, or indeed very acute Crown marking knives.
The latter, being a good teacher of geometry too, i.e no skewing.

My 2 cents
All the best
Tom

[Jimmy Harris]

Sharpening can be its own hobby. And that might intimidate people, seeing how many people take it seriously. For example, let's take coffee. There are those who will spend thousands of dollars a year on new grinders, fancy machines, scales, doodads, and freshly roasted beans imported with overnight shipping. They'll use bottled water and spend 30 minutes preparing the perfect cup. And they love doing this. It's their hobby. But that doesn't mean that a guy shoveling some Folgers into a Mr. Coffee automatic drip machine can't enjoy his coffee too. And either approach gets the day started.

You don't have to make sharpening a hobby to enjoy a sharp blade for woodworking unless you want to. You can polish a blade to rival a surgical scalpel, but that level of sharpness gives no advantage to a woodworker, other than bragging rights. All you need is sharp enough to get the job done. You don't have to go down that rabbit hole unless you want to.

You don't need to take classes, watch videos, buy specialty tools or use so-and-so's method or whatever to sharpen a blade. You can if you want to. That's fine. But really, you just need to practice and figure out what works for you. If you don't know what sharp feels like, but a utility knife. They come pre sharpened. And be prepared to mess some blades up while you're figuring it out. Don't panic if you do. Once you figure it out, those blades can be fixed.

To this day, I'll encounter different blade designs where I'll have to relearn how to sharpen and teach myself a new method. A new way to hold the stone or pass the blade or whatever. Take it slow. Focus. Stay consistent. I can get it done. Because sharpening anything is all about understanding how sharpening works and how to use what you have available to achieve that goal. It is really simple, if a bit physically difficult sometimes. But it is not complex. Humans have been sharpening stuff since at least 3300 B.C. It doesn't have to be hard, unless you make it hard. So don't make it hard on yourself. Just practice and learn from your mistakes. You are your own best teacher. Take advantage of that. Don't try to take the shortcut, because that's how you get lost.

[Eric Brown]

And then there are crazy people such as myself that move the blade sideways across either a diamond stone or ceramic. I don't worry about grooving the stones. I just do it. The advantage is that it is easy to produce a chamber, maybe too easy. However, I am only typically touching them up. If restoring a plane with a rough blade I will first hit it with a 1" belt sander (bench model, cup of water to keep cool).

Now the question is: Do you sharpen after use, before use, or only if you think it needs it. (I'm in the last group.)

[Jim Koepke]

And then there are crazy people such as myself that move the blade sideways across either a diamond stone or ceramic.
…
Now the question is: Do you sharpen after use, before use, or only if you think it needs it. (I'm in the last group.)

On one episode of The Woodwright's Shop (Carving Away with Mary May) she shows a technique of sharpening gouges by a side to side swaying motion.

Honing is in at about 14:30 > https://www.pbs.org/video/woodwrights-shop-carving-away-mary-may/

If it is good enough for gouges, then it is likely good enough for chisels. (it often works for me)

Usually my blades are sharpened when it seems like they need it. Though some of my blades will be evaluated carefully when put to use. My blades from Ron Hock seem to cut well for a long time even when well worn. They do not indicate over use like many other blades. Most blades will leave a little line where they have developed a nick, usually the Hock blades do not. If they get overly worn it is a lot more honing to get back to a sharp edge.

jtk

[David Carroll]

That's a pretty common technique for sharpening carving gouges. I use it on all my gouges. I have tried it on bench chisels and find it awkward. I can see how it is easier to keep the bevel flat against the stone, because you can see it all as you go, but I guess I am so used to doing it the way I do that any new technique would feel awkward.

DC

[Jim Koepke]

I am so used to doing it the way I do that any new technique would feel awkward.

This is a common experience. Once a person's muscle memory is established, any alteration feels odd. Though with time, muscle memory can be over written.

jtk

[John C Cox]

We all have to start somewhere and work out what's best for our own use. I think a lot of this is that we express things in general terms, but we use the tools for very specific things. Carving on soft cedar and redwood is a different animal than trimming plywood corners or chopping mortises in tropical hardwoods. The trouble is that the sort of durable edge that chops Bocote simply mushes Western Red Cedar, and the edges that glide through ultra light Englenan Spruce crumble instantly when you use a mallet on White oak... And it seems like Cherry, Walnut, and Honduras Mahogany will tolerate levels of dull or funny edge geometry that other woods just don't.

I found grinding hard to control freehand. The super coarse stones cut so fast that one wonky pass completely wrecks geometry, and then it takes forever to correct. As such, I love a machine for this, as it is super fast and maintains geometry well.

For chopping, I just go straight from the machine at P800 grit to the buffer, and the edge on a quality chisel will hold up to pretty hard use.

For paring soft stuff, final honing on an ultra-fine stone, and a bit of stropping seems to work better. Free hand honed edges here seem to hold up longer.

I think many of the honing "Tricks" from the experts have sort of an unspoken caveat that they aren't for stones any more coarse than 6000 or 10000. For example, use Chatsworth's "Ruler trick" on a fine India stone, and one pass makes a back-bevel 1/16" wide that causes a cap iron to misbehave and takes a year to grind out if you don't like it. Do the same thing with zero pressure on a quality surgical black Arkansas or Shapton 16000 and it teases off the burr and extends edge life in use, without putting a belly on the back or causing weird problems.... And if you don't like it, a couple passes on a fine India stone and it's gone.

And so it goes.

[Jim Koepke]

We all have to start somewhere and work out what's best for our own use.

A very clear and accurate statement, along with the rest of your post.

This is why what works for me is likely different than what works for others. In my case more than four sets of chisels are kept. Sure mortises can be cut with bench chisels, but for me a mortise chisel is a better choice. My bench chisels are good for chopping and some paring, but my paring chisels excel at paring with their low angle bevel.

I've given many of the tricks a try, but mostly stay with what has worked for me for years and woodworkers before me for centuries.

jtk