Guy at the hardware store set me straight on sharpening chisels

I've been woodworking for about a year and always thought you needed to oil a stone before sharpening. But this older guy Mike at the local Ace in Portland stopped me mid-grind and said I was doing it backwards on my water stones. He told me to soak them for 10 minutes first, not just splash some oil on dry stone. Tried his way on my Narex chisel and the edge came out way cleaner after just two passes. He also said most people overhone their tools and that's why they chip. Now I'm wondering how many other basic steps I've been messing up. Anyone else get a simple tip that completely changed your results?

3 comments

3 Comments

faithcampbell1d ago

Did you catch that Paul Sellers video where he says to stop at 1000 grit?

shanelee1d ago

That Sellers video got a lot of chatter in my woodworking group. I actually tried his method on a practice piece of walnut and honestly the 1000 grit left a really nice matte finish that took stain way better than my usual 3000 grit routine. He makes a solid point about the abrasive particles breaking down and actually burnishing the surface if you go too high. I think people get wrapped up in chasing a mirror shine when the tool is meant to cut, not reflect. For chisels and plane irons meant for heavy work, I'm starting to see his logic.

the_tessa1d ago

Yeah @faithcampbell I saw that one. Stopping at 1000 grit feels way too soon to me though.