Sawduster
11-17-2004, 11:17 AM
The simple chisel, one of the oldest tools for working wood, and surely the father of the plane, is still one of the most useful tools in the woodworkers arsenal, regardless of power type preferred.
I've been using mine a lot lately, in fact, probably spent more hours with a chisel in my hands than with any other tool in my shop. Cutting and cleaning dados, grooves and rabbets, along with chopping out the waste for DTs.
At this point in my neander life, sharp edges are a given. If it ain't truly sharp, it's gonna screw something up. You're gonna grab a mallet to make the puppy cut something that should be done with only hand supplied force and somethings gonna give, usually something you want to stay intact.
So it has become a simple question of spending time, between sharpenings, making nice thin shavings with this very basic tool. The basics are easy to explain in words, drawings, and pictures, but just knowing how is not enough. Ya gotta do it, put the steel to the wood and figure out all the little nuances, how steep an angle to hold the cutting edge at, how much force to apply, when you do need to reach for that mallet to give the thing a light tap, or to smack it real good. And when it is time to take it back to the stone to bring that edge back to shape.
And time flies by, but you also get better and faster at it to the point where you no longer ask yourself, "Do I REALLY need a rabbet there, or could I get away without one?" You just go ahead and do it and the job is better for it.
I've been using mine a lot lately, in fact, probably spent more hours with a chisel in my hands than with any other tool in my shop. Cutting and cleaning dados, grooves and rabbets, along with chopping out the waste for DTs.
At this point in my neander life, sharp edges are a given. If it ain't truly sharp, it's gonna screw something up. You're gonna grab a mallet to make the puppy cut something that should be done with only hand supplied force and somethings gonna give, usually something you want to stay intact.
So it has become a simple question of spending time, between sharpenings, making nice thin shavings with this very basic tool. The basics are easy to explain in words, drawings, and pictures, but just knowing how is not enough. Ya gotta do it, put the steel to the wood and figure out all the little nuances, how steep an angle to hold the cutting edge at, how much force to apply, when you do need to reach for that mallet to give the thing a light tap, or to smack it real good. And when it is time to take it back to the stone to bring that edge back to shape.
And time flies by, but you also get better and faster at it to the point where you no longer ask yourself, "Do I REALLY need a rabbet there, or could I get away without one?" You just go ahead and do it and the job is better for it.