Carpentry uses a wide range of tools for various purposes. If professional carvers mainly use electric saws, knives and jigsaws, then in the household, manual devices, which include a chisel, are more in demand. It is affordable and easy to use, but requires regular maintenance. The convenience and accuracy of wood processing will depend on the quality of sharpening the chisel. There are different ways to restore the sharpness of the incisor, the most effective of which will be discussed below.
Tools and consumables for sharpening
The simplest tool for dressing hand carvers is a whetstone. It can be used without special equipment by holding and reciprocating for mechanical impact on the target surface. In order not to injure your hands, you can wrap one side of the whetstone with a thick ragor make a scabbard to hold it. The stone itself can have different characteristics. The main selection parameter is graininess, that is, the depth of the stitch.
To increase the productivity of the working operation will help a special device for sharpening chisels in the form of a grinding device. In a sense, this is a machine, but without an electric drive. Its design is designed to perform two tasks: the capture of an abrasive bar (stone or file) and the performance of mechanical reciprocating movements on the bed. The work is done by the user himself, but due to the guides and rigid fixation of the workpiece, the efficiency of processing the surface of the cutter is increased.
Sharpening technique
Start with the flat side of the knife. The presence of a mirror image on it will indicate the correct sharpening of this surface. Regardless of the tool used, during editing, the chisel should move back and forth along the abrasive. If the knife is fixed, then the stone or file will also be guided in a reciprocating pattern. It is important to hold the work item with both hands and move smoothly along one path without deviations. As for the pressing force, it depends on how dull the chisel is. Sharpening in carpentry workshops is usually carried out in several stages with abrasives of different fractions - they gradually move from coarse grain to fine grain up to finishing. After completion of the operation, dust, metal chips and other waste should be removedvacuum cleaner.
Angle and chamfer
Maintaining a suitable angle of inclination during sharpening is one of the main conditions for obtaining a high-quality sharp cutter. The correct bevel geometry can only be determined on the bench grinder, which has already been mentioned above. On modern models, a scale is provided on which the angle of sharpening the chisel on wood is set - an average of 20 to 35 degrees. So, for a regular chisel, an angle of 25 degrees is suitable, and for a cleaning chisel - 20.
The chamfer is located directly opposite the abrasive. Again, it is more common to start with coarse-grained stones, but if the cutter is in a tolerable condition and requires only light dressing, then a medium grit abrasive can be used initially. When making small adjustments or grinding off the top of the cutter, it is important to keep in mind that the surface of the stone itself can be deformed to the point of unsuitability for further work. This occurs when a small area of the abrasive surface is used, resulting in the formation of a so-called grinding cavity. The technique of uniform work with a bar along the entire length of its surface will help eliminate the risk of such a defect.
Finish polishing
After the main chamfer correction, the important stage of grinding follows. It differs in that the blade acquires an optimal state in the part of the cutting edge. To solve this problem, polishing devices like leather and felt abrasive wheels and belts are used. Preferably inas a power unit or a carrier tool, use an electric grinder. There are compact household models that are equipped with grinding discs. In this format, the chisel is sharpened with abrasive paste. In the course of work, the operator several times applies the mass to the blade and the working surface of the tape or circle. As an alternative to special grinding oils, experienced carpenters suggest using soap solutions. However, the soap itself must not be organic-based, otherwise the surfaces of the cutter and abrasive will become greasy.
Features of sharpening chisels of planer knives?
In the equipment of planers, knives are used that look similar to the blade of a chisel. Moreover, in some models, they can be almost identical in terms of the characteristics of the cutter. But most often the planer is provided with thinner rounded knives, thanks to which, by the way, the carpenter can make a complex selection of wood pulp. Accordingly, an abrasive that is not as rough as a grindstone is required - for example, many use emery of different fractions, as well as polishing devices. If we talk about the differences in the techniques of sharpening chisels and planes, then in the second case, less effort is applied with the pressure of the abrasive on the work surface. The operation itself is more like a process of finishing or finishing metal.
Conclusion
The nature of the implementation and, in general, the organization of procedures for servicing the chisel may vary depending ondepending on the nuances of its operation. It is one thing if the tool is rarely used and blade restoration is required only as a surface finish, and another is regular work with wood in the household. In the first case, it is quite possible to sharpen the chisel with grinding stones manually, and in the second case, more productive special units will be required. The home master may be faced with the question of choosing the right equipment. According to experts, the household grinder provides the best result. The possibility of equipping it with grinding wheels of different grain sizes and adjusting the rotation speed allows you to cope with sharpening knives, chisels, planers and other cutting tools.
