Hey guys,
TLDR: If you are having problems with poor chisel performance - try aggressively flattening the backs and working the bevels on coarse PSA sandpaper before you write them off...
21 chisels in... 19 have seen large improvements in edge holding and cutting wood after aggressive back and bevel prep.. 1 worked fine with minimum prep. 1 was a dud and was exchanged for one of the 19 that saw significant improvement.
Why? Why does this make such a big difference in performance?
Prior to this - I was never one to advocate aggressive back flattening or really going at the bevels.... Just clean up the back enough so there was a bit of polished chisel at the bevel... Sharpen up the bevel and go..... But I was also unhappy with chisel performance... The edges would roll or fold when paring spruce end grain - and certainly when chopping mahogany and cherry end grain... And I just couldn't get good work out of them.... Obviously I must have gotten bad chisels...
I was puzzling over how many Youtubers and fellow Creekers could get a lot of work out of So many chisels yet somehow I couldn't...
Well.. I stumbled into grinding the heck out of the backs of a set of Two Cherries that seemed like they all had humps in the back.. And the more I ground - the better they cut... When I stopped - they really go through wood like crazy...
So I tried the Aldi chisels that were marginal - they wouldn't pare spruce... Wouldn't chop mahogany... Same thing - aggressively flatten the backs and work the bevels on 100 grit PSA and now they do... Same bevel angle as before - now they cut....
Same for Woodcraft green handle chisels, Wood River socket chisels, and my Pfeil...
19 chisels.... All saw major improvement... All cut very well now without edge trauma.....
The new Marples was the only one that passed the same tests without major prep... Go figure....
What's going on here guys? Why - with a range of $7/set through $45/each - all see huge improvement with very aggressive back and bevel prep vs "standard" prep...