I know that a chef's knife should easily cut through a tomato to be considered sharp, but what about chisels? I recently bought some new chisels to practice my skills and techniques, but I want to make sure that I'm sharpening them properly. What's a good benchmark for how sharp they should be? I'm pretty familiar with whetstones from my experience with Japanese knives, so I'd love some insight into how sharp I should get my chisels. Thanks for the advice!
3 Answers
Many folks say 'shaving sharp' is the goal, but I think that’s misleading. A dull edge can still shave. A better test is to try paring nice shavings off the end grain of pine—that’ll really show you if your chisel is sharp enough for actual tasks.
If your chisel can effortlessly slice into a piece of paper straight on, it’s a good indicator of sharpness. Many can slice paper, but cutting straight without dragging is key to being sharp. This is my go-to test when I finish sharpening to double-check my edge.
Exactly! Over time, you’ll develop a knack for knowing how smoothly it cuts, beyond just whether it can or can’t.
It really depends on what you're doing. For general bench work, I sharpen just enough to barely shave hair off my arm. But for dedicated paring tasks, I go for the sharpest edge I can manage. Don’t forget about using different grind angles for various jobs—keeping multiple chisels is a great strategy!
Absolutely! If your chisel can pare pine end grain without crushing it, you're definitely sharp. I also find that looking for clean lines when paring hard maple end grain is a great way to check the edge.