Chisels - sharp side edge

[Jon Snider]

I’ve managed to cut myself twice in the past few weeks on the edge of the side bevel and back. Is this something that most routinely dull after the sharpening process?

thx

jon

[William Fretwell]

Routine dulling is not required, occasional dulling is sometimes required and solves the problem for quite some time. It happens to me when I get so involved in some detail I put my fingers too near the blade area, then wonder where the red stuff is coming from.

[Erich Weidner]

My Veritas chisel is frequently cutting me (it doesn't have lands that I can see, they are more like blade lands). I keep meaning to do something about it, but can't decide how much of the length to dull up.

[Steven Mikes]

I took some 220 grit sandpaper and softened the edges on mine. I think it suggested that in the instructions that came with the chisels.

[glenn bradley]

I eased my Veritas chisel lands. They were easily sharp enough to cut and did.

[Blake M Williams]

I've wondered where the red is coming from too lol. Get so engrossed that I didnt feel the cut. Run edge across stone a couple times to square that edge a little. Real fast.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

I’ve managed to cut myself twice in the past few weeks on the edge of the side bevel and back. Is this something that most routinely dull after the sharpening process?

Have never done anything to mine, but I usually hold the handle and not the blade. Have cut myself innumerable times on the freshly planed corner of a piece of stock.

There are tasks where a "sharp" side is useful (chopping a mortise comes to mind).

[Derek Cohen]

This is an extract from the review I wrote on the O1 chisels in 2012:

The first task I would recommend is to remove some of the carefully manufactured minimal lands. These extend the full length of the shoulder, which is unnecessary. Veritas have left them for the user to modify as preferred. No doubt others have discovered, as I did, that sharp lands cut fingers!





The minimal lands are exceptionally useful when dovetailing, to avoid bruising the edges of the dovetails, especially with small dovetails where there is too little room to skew the blade ..





It is important to retain the first 1” from the bevel with the existing sharp edge. From that point back, use a fine diamond plate to smooth over the sharp edge. A few swipes should do the job.

Link: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRev...selReview.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Sometimes I am slow, so, let me know if I have this right:

It is important to retain the first 1” from the bevel with the existing sharp edge.

The reason I do NOT want to dull the first 1" is because of this:

The minimal lands are exceptionally useful when dovetailing, to avoid bruising the edges of the dovetails, especially with small dovetails where there is too little room to skew the blade ..

Did I get that right? I don't even remember what I did with mine I have had them so long. I do remember reading the part about dulling the edge (I am sure from you Derek), but, I might have missed the leaving the first 1" part. I should run downstairs and check. Never occurred to me.

[steven c newman]

Two things....I worry more about the sharp edge....and still get nicked..including today...

Sharp sides? I could always wear anti-cut gloves...like ones made of Kevlar....

[mike stenson]

I cut myself more from the lands than the edge, so I did what Derek did and blunted them, just a bit.

[Jim Koepke]

My hands may be more calloused than the average person's.

From a young age feeling the edge of a blade has been second nature to me. This is one sharpness test that is seldom mentioned since it is not a safe way to evaluate a blade. So far, not a single time has any of my fingers been cut this way. Though to be honest blood has been let when making stupid mistakes with a blade.

Some of my chisel edges have been sharp. Usually a run or two over a soft Arkansas stone blunts them well enough for my callous toughened fingers.

jtk

[Bob Jones 5443]

Folks who have heard me intone recently about my nascent dovetailing endeavors know I'm new at this, so I'm the last one to weigh in on technique here, but it seems it can make the difference where getting cut is concerned. One thing I've noticed is that I hold a chisel iron in a way that doesn't cut me.

When finding a position for chopping, I do hold the blade near the cutting edge, and my fingers are on the side bevel edges, but my grasp is light, and only brief, until I've tapped into a position. Then I cradle the handle gently between my fingers when I chop away. Getting cut by the side bevel is never an issue.

When paring, I start by giving hard pressure from the front of the iron to press the back firmly into the knife line. Once I have established the line of cut, as the cut progresses, my left hand pinches the iron only by the front and back, never by the edges. This serves to give me a brake when I push into the cut.

So I suppose I've avoided being cut by the side bevels. This only applies to clearing waste for dovetails, so there may be other risks when mortising or doing other chisel operations.

[Jim Matthews]

Then I cradle the handle gently between my fingers when I chop away. Getting cut by the side bevel is never an issue.

I'm with you on this : the handles aren't sharp.

[Warren Mickley]

These problems have shown up rather recently. In traditional practice, we saw dovetails to the corner and we hold the chisel by the handle. That is why we call it the handle. The sides don't have to be particularly thin and the side edges don't need to be sharp.