My old way of sharpening chisels was a total mess

For years I'd just run my chisels over a cheap oil stone on my workbench, no guide, and wonder why my dovetails looked chewed up. About three months ago I watched a video from a guy named Paul Sellers and he talked about using a honing guide and a two-step process on a flat piece of glass with sandpaper. I tried it and the first chisel I sharpened cut through pine like it was warm butter. Now I can't believe I wasted so much time and wood with dull tools. What's the one tool sharpening tip that actually worked for you?

3 comments

3 Comments

terryg472mo ago

That "wasted so much time" feeling is so real. I see it all the time with people trying to fix things with the wrong tool first. Getting the right simple method changes everything.

hayden_lane2mo ago

Paul Sellers is great but that glass and sandpaper setup feels like overkill to me. I get what @terryg47 means about the right method, but a decent stone and a steady hand still works fine for most jobs around my shop. People act like you need a science lab to sharpen a basic chisel.

phoenix_grant342mo ago

You know, I've always wondered about that. @hayden_lane, when you say a decent stone works fine, what kind of jobs are we talking? I use a basic oilstone for touching up a plane iron after jointing a few boards. But for setting up a new chisel or fixing a big nick, I'll still drag out the sandpaper on granite. It's just faster for me to get that first flat surface. Is your stone method handling everything from repairs to final polish?