Chisel Basics...

[Stick486]

Chisel Basics...

[Cherryville Chuck]

That's a good starter video. It explains why there are different designs and what they are for. Here are some more types of chisels to add to the story.

Sometimes I need to clean the inside corner(s) of rabbets or grooves and a standard chisel doesn't work well for that. The handle gets in the way, you can't grip around the handle, and the angle you have to use it at causes digs. The chisel for that job is a bent one. Bent neck chisels tend to be pricier that standard chisels. I found a lot of 9 chisels, mostly old Sheffield ones of cast steel, on ebay UK that I managed to get for a reasonable price. Some were pitted badly and a few needed handles but I like restoring them so that didn't matter too much. I took them and clamped them in a vise and heated the tangs or near the sockets on two and bent them once the metal was hot enough. That lifts the handle up out of the way for paring cuts.

When sharpening a regular chisel you can cheat a bit getting the under side of the bevel sharp by tilting the chisel up just a hair. You can't do that with paring chisels. The bottoms have to be dead flat. That can mean a lot of lapping. Some of these had pitting on the bottoms and almost when I was done working on the lot I got the idea to flatten the bottoms by holding them on my belt sander. That saved a lot of time and effort.

It's well worth taking a chisel or two and bending them like I did or buying one or more factory bent ones. I have one Hirsch crank necked chisel and they are beautiful. Well polished and razor sharp from the factory. https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/to ... ng-chisels

[Cherryville Chuck]

Here are some more.
-The 1st on the left is actually a gouge but it is what a true crank necked chisel is supposed to look like.
-Next is a Hirsch curved chisel. Good for removing wood out of recessed openings including mortises if they are long enough.
-Next is a small mortise chisel. They are meant to be driven into a mortise at an angle and then you lever the blade on the heel of the bevel. https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/to ... se-chisels
-Next is a Sorby corner chisel. I thought it would be good for cleaning up rabbets but it needs to be crank necked to do that. It's really only good for squaring corners as in installing butt hinges for example. Very pricey and very hard to sharpen. It should be one of the last ones you buy. https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/to ... er-chisels
- Last is a group of skew chisels. Very handy. It's worth having a left and a right angled. Skew chisels do a better job of shearing grain that square chisels and are great for getting into corners. https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/to ... em=10S1517

[Cherryville Chuck]

Sometimes you need to hack and chop stuff. I sometimes say there are two main categories of chisels, woodworking ones and carpentry ones. I don't like using the wrong one for the job. I got these DeWalt ones a couple of years ago for the carpentry jobs. They are an interesting design with one sharp side as well as a sharp tip. The other side is quite thick, close to 3/8" which can take a hammer blow. The handles are tough and they come with full length guards which allows them to be tossed in a tool box. They come quite sharp from the factory. I got my set on sale for $18 so a pretty good deal for chisels. The set is 3/4", 1", and 1 1/4". Worth it so you aren't tempted to use your good chisels to dig out a broken screw.