Quote Originally Posted by Luke Dupont View Post
This is spot on and exactly how I sharpen on the tools that I do employ a convex grind. It's a big source of confusion when talking about bevel convexity. I never leave a hump in the middle, and will remove such a hump on any tool that crosses my path, be it a chisel or axe.
I think a relieved heel appeared as a remedy for the primary angle becoming too steep eventually. It might be just fine for Paul, because the type of joinery he prefers is mostly chopping — compare it with, say, Japanese or Chinese joinery where a joint has tons of precisely pared surfaces and where absolutely no joint lines are allowed to be discernible (if only by the grain direction), — so a high angle makes sense. Plus, the Aldi chisels he seems to praise so much just don't hold the edge at 25, they fold over, even in pine.

My problem with rounded bevels is that any amount of rounding makes controlling a bevel down cut almost impossible on long cuts like sliding dovetails. A chisel tends to cut at an angle to a direction we want it to go (wood resistance, wedged shape, etc.), rounding reduces bevel registration area, so a chisel tends to always dig in. Yeah, there are routers and planes, but I can pare almost perfect surface with a flat bevel, so why wouldn't I? Other than that and the angle climbing higher and higher I can't think about other issues.

I can't stand rounding near the edge or a bulge in the middle even on axes and the like. If I want a higher angle, I just regrind the whole bevel at a higher angle and, again, relieve the heel.
Grinding does solve all kinds of issues, doesn't it? I just think that Paul pushes all this "you don't need this, you don't need that" a bit too far. It feels like in a few years he'll go full bushcraft mode and start advocating a stone axe as the only tool that is actually needed.