David's method for chisel sharpening

David Charlesworth demonstrates that how to sharpen a chisel in just two minutes.
Taken from David's DVD "The Secret Mitred Dovetail"
Published by Lie-Nielsen
Filmed and Produced by Artisan Media

[@michaelwallace1300]

David I have just tried your method of sharpening I’ve never had a plane/chisel edges so good only went up to 8000 wet stone,that’s better then I’ve ever got before, thanks for the video it’s helped me to obtain the edge I’ve always wanted.

[@DavidCharlesworth]

Michael, delighted to hear it. 8,000 grit is a very nice polishing stone. 10 and 15 thousand are only very slightly better.

[@jassman1]

Hope you are well David, always a pleasure watching your instructive videos. Keep Safe.

[@piggybladder]

I 'discovered' water stones some 6 months back. It's an absolute joy - almost a religious experience. My problem now is findingd enough things to sharpen! One thing I'm less keen on is that removing the wire after honing does mess up one's stones a little. I wonder whether it's worth doing this seperately on a diamond card, say a 1200 grit?

[@DavidCharlesworth]

I think your wire edge may be larger than necessary. You see me dragging the back onto the corner of the polishing stone. This is to ensure the wire edge is not trapped underneath. Stones need flattening all the time, so I have not had this problem. Hope this helps, David

[@piggybladder]

Think you may be right about me honing too much - I've since honed my honing!!!! Thanks

[@mildyproductive9726]

If the back of the plane blade is polished enough to start with (hone back first, if necessary), and if you polish the bevel to high enough grit (chromium strop), i find the wire edge will clean break off on one pass, flat on the fine stone. Or even if you rub your fingers across the back of thr blade, past the edge.

[@sparkyheberling6115]

Mr Charlesworth, when using the honing guide. you appear to apply pressure only on the pull stroke. Is that to protect the stone against accidental gouging?

[@MintStiles]

Water stones are very soft, so you definitely don't want to dig in. It's also far more consistent to use the clean areas. You can't doing that going back and forth, creating micro ledges during overlapping areas. Personal opinion: you probably don't want the burr to break by taring on the push stroke as that can damage the prepared edge. This is something that you want to pull off with the finest stone that you will end your sharpening on. You can do all this faster on an oil Arkansas if you are good with freehand. You can raise the micro bevel by a degree or two and then pull on the bevel side, using the same going past the stone 1/2 inch on the flat side. The oil stone can go far longer before flatness issues comes into play, where as water stone go out of flat even with a few strokes. Flatness is absolute and you should do everything to ensure the flatness is kept. The bevel side is far less of an issue. If you gouge, just take it back a bit more. The chisel is probably the most fragile tool since going out of flat renders it into a completely different tool.

[@ibrhemahmed170]

Hello. why after grind by back you no use timber wood to be good blade

[@craigelder1549]

Hi David. New to woodworking and just finding my feet... and your videos. Thank you. Question on honing guides? The one you have there, and on your planing vids, looks like a serious piece of kit... what is it (them?) please?

[@DavidCharlesworth]

Craig, it is the Lie-Nielsen guide. David

[@gary24752]

I have Worksharp sharpener that I use of initial sharpening. I want to purchase waterstones to finish off. Would 1500 and 8000 work?

[@DavidCharlesworth]

Gary, 8,000 excellent. you might find 1500 a little slow, but I'm not sure about this. I use 8oo. Best wishes, David

[@G00dapolloIv]

absolute legend.

[@tonymonaghan5993]

Hi David Is 10 000 too fine? I was going to get a double sided 1000 / 6000 and a 10,000 for the finishing.

[@DavidCharlesworth]

Tony, 8,000 grit is totally satisfactory, I used one for years. When it wore out I got the 10,000, which is very nice. The difference between the micron grit size of the two is very small. Best wishes.

[@EzeeSKANKIN]

Hi David, what brand stones are you using? what is that little block you used to dress the fine stone at 1:27?

[@DavidCharlesworth]

Baxter King 800 as the coarse stone and King 10,000 as the polishing stone. The small one is a Nagura, which comes with the polishing stone. David

[@jonspracklen3738]

So David, you are telling me you regularly go straight from an 800 to a 10,000 stone?

[@ared18t]

@@jonspracklen3738 yes he does. He puts a microbevel so small it comes off on the 800 grit stone later on.

[@dekalbes335]

@@ared18t ...actually it comes off while using the chisel . Fairly quickly.

[@robertbrunston5406]

Thanks

[@silenthill5794]

This thread is another example of people on the internet who have no idea who the person is that they're commenting about. David is not some hack 2x4 framing carpenter.

[@АлександрКаа-д5х]

great

[@jeremymcclanahan2389]

Welcome Baraka

[@gettingoldereveryday]

What do you set the primary and secondary bevel to.

[@DavidCharlesworth]

I grind at 25 degrees, get a wire edge on an 800 stone at 30 degrees, and then polish on 10,000 at 32 degrees. David

[@ScientificRanking]

He may have to sharpen those daggers for finger nails while he’s at it. He could probably cut a full set of half blind dovetails for a drawer with those bad boys.

[@jcoul1sc]

Slowest fastest sharpening ever

[@wotcherfaz]

Sad that the opportunity to explain what is happening (by talking while doing) has not been taken. Without a running commentary all we see is someone moving things about on a bench. Those that see more, probably don't need the video so much as those that are left a bit baffled. For example what kinds of abrasives are those? Is the sprayed fluid simply water ? What is the angle of the chisel - presumably there is an angle involved, it's important enough to warrant the use of a frame ? What is the distance you are measuring before you are done setting the chisel in the frame ?

[@Tome4kkkk]

Or, just maybe, this wasn't meant as a comprehensive sharpening instructional video...

[@DavidCharlesworth]

The only aim was to show that sharpening should be fast. The full story for chisels is on my fourth DVD and for plane blades on my first. They are both much longer! David

[@dystom6968]

@@DavidCharlesworth Does your dvd's cover restoration of old chisels/planes, which are in poor condition?

[@lsimat1]

A real trades man don't use honing guides

[@rafezetter8003]

Well it's an interesting comment, but then I've never heard of you and a significant percentage of the community of "serious" woodworkers in the western world (not hackers or site joiners to whom a gap of 5mm in a joint is acceptable) have heard of and learned important skills from David C. So... yeah, your comment, invalid.

[@gregreekie588]

Leslie Cherrington I'm just an apprentice but I swear to christ every journeyman who has said this to me I don't take seriously a honing guide is to aid the accuracy of the grind and honing angle so it can slice and pare the wood fibers rather than bull it's way around timber as it would even with a minuscule round or uneven pressure

[@lsimat1]

Im time served joiner retired now we was shown how to sharpen the real way i bought one it was took of ne and never saw it again good lesson i say do it by hand till its right you will never look back

[@gregreekie588]

my first journeyman had pocketed it and I'm glad he did, it was to make an example, and because he did, i did learn to do it the old school way i understand how good a skill for my career it was because there is a knack and it does take a great deal of skill, although having done both, and given the choice, i would go for the honing guide its a great piece of kit and i will never understand the stigma around it, i feel we all however can agree that the guide has its place, perhaps not in every tradespersons toolbox but no matter the opinion of the tool, it is fact that it is, to the sharpening stone as is a fence is to a saw. cheers for your advice though sir i'll certainly take on board what you've said as I'm only second year I've still a lot to learn as of yet

[@robertmiles9942]

Some real tradesmen use honing guides, and some don't. Some real tradesmen have big mouths, and some don't. Big mouths don't build cabinets.

[@dustyoldwalnut-vt7ji]

Thanks