# Narrow chisels



## pe2dave (14 Oct 2021)

Paul Marmite on sharpening + squaring away narrow chisels.


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## Argus (14 Oct 2021)

It's a good way to restore a narrow blade to a right angle without restoring to grinding.
Some of Seller's ideas are sound and the basic jigs like this are quite effective.

Since I've been using Diamond plates - about 20-odd years or so - preserving the right angle at the tip and sharpening narrower blades and is usually done by me using a single backward stroke, drawing it backwards, along the plate, instead of a push-stroke. I find that it is easier to control the thing vertically and keep the bevel angle.

It's a personal thing...... wider chisels are stroked as normal and and plane blades get the figure-of-eight treatment.

You never know...... this could be the start of another sharpening epic!


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## Ttrees (14 Oct 2021)

Interesting note about using a single backward stroke there Argus.
I've been using the really cheap ebay diamond plates for a while now, which have a grid pattern
and noticed some chipping going on, but never can be sure of the cause, as I do as much metalwork in the workshop as woodwork, so could be some issue there, 
I do clean them off before use obviously, so have an idea its the grid pattern which is causing this.
Must try an see how I get on trying this out before moving onto the good diamond hone, as 
even very light pressure has proved to be problematic for me on these hones.

Cheers 
Tom


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## Argus (14 Oct 2021)

Ttrees said:


> Interesting note about using a single backward stroke there Argus.
> 
> Cheers
> Tom



Tom, it's only a matter of holding the blade and keeping control on the draw stroke. I should also say that for short plough-plane blades and the like which don't have much metal to grab, I use a basic hand-vice to hold it, for the simple reason that my grip is not as keen as it once was.
I'm not a metalurgist, but I also find that the wire filament is better formed and buffs off better when it is under tension..... but that might be me imagining it!

I bit the expense-bullet on Diamond plates and got some Eze-Lap plates after I had exhausted the less expensive options when they first came out, probably in the 90's. I could never get on with the ones with holes mounted on a lump of plastic because I used a lot of carving gouges in those days and they wore them out _tout vite!_


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