Popular Woodworking Magazine » Chisels

Hand Tool Maintenance-Don’t Ruin Your Tools!

Robert W. Lang — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:59:30 +0000

Woodworking, like fishing, covers a lot of territory, so the audience for our magazine and web site is a diverse lot. When I learned how to make stuff out of wood, the Internet didn’t exist and there was only one magazine and few books available on the subject. Lacking these modern resources, I was forced … Read more »

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Sharpening Angles for Dullards

Christopher Schwarz — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:30:38 +0000

The most embarrassing jig I’ve ever owned has been photographed, measured and pondered more than any single piece of fine furniture I’ve built. It’s a stupid little block of wood with stops on it for many common sharpening angles I use with my side-clamp honing guide – sometimes called the “Eclipse” guide because that was … Read more »

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Tool Test: Blue Spruce Firmer Chisels

Article Index — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 21:09:00 +0000

These traditional tools are a throwback for a thoroughly modern maker.By Christopher Schwarz Page 14Perhaps the last tools I ever expected to come out of the Blue Spruce Toolworks are the most traditional set of modern bench chisels I have ever used.After all, Dave Jeske of Blue Spruce has spent all of his toolmaking career building gorgeous tools that have a definite modern and West Coast flavor. His knives, chisels, awls and even his mallets are about as close to contemporary sculpture as you can get (and I mean that as the highest compliment imaginable).Video: Watch Dave Jeske sharpen a marking knife so it tracks better. Read more »

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The Joy of Chests

Christopher Schwarz — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 19:03:51 +0000

I can build a six-board chest entirely by hand in about 10 hours of shop time. That time starts with one 8’-long and one 12’-long board and ends with a paint job. In fact, I just did. The above statement is not a boast. Instead, it is a way to encourage you to build one … Read more »

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Veritas’s New PM-V11 Steel Coming Soon

Christopher Schwarz — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 15:17:00 +0000

Unlike many hand-tool woodworkers (and turners), I’m not much of a steel nerd. I’m not on a quest for the steel that promises the ultimate in edge life. The reason I’ve not experimented with lots of exotic steels is that every time I used CMP-10V, CMP-3V, D2 or whatever I found that these steels achieved … Read more »

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Sharpening with Diamond Lapping Film

Christopher Schwarz — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:45:18 +0000

Almost every system for sharpening tools works just fine, so the differences between the systems come down to speed, expense, portability and mess. In December, Lee Valley Tools started carrying diamond lapping film for sharpening edge tools. I kind of ignored it as I was busting my hump building a Campaign Secretary under a tight … Read more »

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New: ‘Mastering Hand Tools: Basic Skills for Balanced Woodworking’

Christopher Schwarz — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 20:47:47 +0000

If you read this blog, you are probably interested in hand tools. And if you are at the beginning of your journey, this blog entry is for you. Popular Woodworking Magazine commissioned me to make a series of 10 to-the-point videos about hand tools that try to strip away the confusion so you can get … Read more »

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My Chisel Handles are Older Than Yours

Christopher Schwarz — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:45:11 +0000

Exotic woods don’t blow my skirt/kilt/skort up much. In small doses they can look beautiful, but for the most part I find them oily, difficult to work and far too wild looking for full-size furniture. I’ve always preferred hardwoods and softwoods from the Northern hemisphere. Quartersawn beech is exotic to me. Quartersawn sycamore is too … Read more »

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A Look at H.O. Studley’s Blades

Christopher Schwarz — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:07:27 +0000

When I inspect an antique tool – especially one that hasn’t been messed with much – I always take a look at the cutting edge. How was it sharpened? What is the shape of the edge? Did they do any work on the unbeveled face of the blade. Usually, the edges of most vintage tools … Read more »

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Make Your Own Edge Guards

Christopher Schwarz — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 00:28:10 +0000

When sharpened steel knocks into anything else, the result is usually dull steel. That’s why woodworkers protect sharp edges by wrapping our tools in canvas or leather tool rolls. Or we stuff them in smelly socks. Or we wrap them in special rags and refuse to even look at them for fear of them becoming … Read more »

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