Beater chisel serendipity

[pop-pop]

Before COVID we made a house call to Dundalk, MD where our niece had just bought a home and needed some handyman tasks done. Whilst installing some plantation blinds, I needed a chisel to trim some window stops and had not brought one along. I bought this inexpensive Buck Bros. one at Lowe’s as a beater.

As time passed, I have reached for this chisel more and more frequently for “fine carpentry”. It is heavy enough to use as a small slick for paring a tenon or dado. It holds an edge quite well and doesn’t make you cringe when you hit a nail. And if you have to whack it hard it is tough enough. Not a beauty contest winner, but it feels good in my hand.

I try to keep it sharp and use my WorkSharp 3000 for that task. Using the chisel port, sand the primary bevel at 25 degrees up to 1000 grit. Then tilt the chisel port to 35 degrees and sand for just a second or two to add a tiny secondary bevel, Finally strop with green compound.

The plastic guard protects the edge when you throw the chisel into a tool tote for a household repair.

 

[Westpacx3]

Before COVID we made a house call to Dundalk, MD where our niece had just bought a home and needed some handyman tasks done. Whilst installing some plantation blinds, I needed a chisel to trim some window stops and had not brought one along. I bought this inexpensive Buck Bros. one at Lowe’s as a beater.
View attachment 237219
View attachment 237218

As time passed, I have reached for this chisel more and more frequently for “fine carpentry”. It is heavy enough to use as a small slick for paring a tenon or dado. It holds an edge quite well and doesn’t make you cringe when you hit a nail. And if you have to whack it hard it is tough enough. Not a beauty contest winner, but it feels good in my hand.

I try to keep it sharp and use my WorkSharp 3000 for that task. Using the chisel port, sand the primary bevel at 25 degrees up to 1000 grit. Then tilt the chisel port to 35 degrees and sand for just a second or two to add a tiny secondary bevel, Finally strop with green compound.
View attachment 237220
The plastic guard protects the edge when you throw the chisel into a tool tote for a household repair.

I did the same to all my dads older chisels as well.

Never heard of going 35 degrees.

I'm still using one bevel but might be changing that.

 

[pop-pop]

Never heard of going 35 degrees.

Following angles that Chris Schwarz uses.

 

[Wiley's Woodworks]

I have great respect for Christopher Schwarz. He gives me the impression that most of his chisel work involves beating on chisels with a mallet. That makes his 35* secondary bevel make sense; a steeper bevel will hold its edge longer under forceful use.

Most of my chisel work involves paring or shaving--proud dovetails, shallow hinge mortises, final fitting into dados, thinning tenons, etc. For these tasks a 27* final bevel off a 25* primary hollow ground bevel works best for me. The shallower cutting edge makes for cleaner cuts by hand.

Pop-Pop may be onto something here. Get a couple of older chisels (that aren't part of a matching set) and grind them with a really steep (35*) cutting edge bevel. Then beat away when the task calls for it. Save your best chisels with a 27* cutting edge for the finer, lighter hand work.