Correct Bevel Angles for Bench Chisels and Planes

[Ben Roman]

Hello all, is there a chart or some sort of reference material on correct bevel angles for Chisels and Planes. For Example what angles produce what results on which kinds of wood Etc. Which angles to use in different senarios. Or am i simply over thinking the Chisel and plane thing. :rolleyes:

Help

Ben

[Lee Schierer]

You might have beter luck posting this on the Neanderthal Haven, but my limited experience is 30-35 degrees works best for planes and chisels.

[Mike Henderson]

The short answer is "It depends". It depends upon the type and use of the chisel and the kind of plane.

For ordinary bevel down planes, like the common Stanleys, the bevel can be 30 to 35*. For most bench chisels, the angle should be 25 to 30*.

For a lot more information, see Leonard Lee's book "The Complete Guide to Sharpening". It's the best book available on sharpening.

Mike

[Alan Turner]

Ben,
As Michael says, I think it depends upon the usage of the tool. Here is what I do.
Bench chisles - 25 degrees, that pretty quickly gets honed to about 30 deg.
Paring chisels - 20 deg.
Mortise chisels - 20 deg, with about 3/16" of the last part at 35 deg.
bevel down plane iron - 30 deg or so
bevel up plane iron - 25 deg.

Good luck.