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I know of this technique. As I’ve watch carpenters and wood carver use the same technique before. As a kid I asked why it is a blunt tools they are using. Then they demonstrate how some angle of carve or wood doesn’t need the sharp edge, then they proceed to use the blunt tools and it works on specific way. And it’s mind blowing seeing it for real.
Thanks James. I'm new to woodworking and I just lost my 96 year old woodworking mentor. I can't imagine what knowledge I just lost out on learning. But I bet he knew this. Just didn't have enough time to teach me. I think I found a new source of woodworking wisdom.
I'm not even a woodworker, but I still religiously watch this channel. My grandfather (RIP) and father did woodwork as a hobby/side job throughout their lives. I'm sure my grandfather would have loved all of the great info. I consider this a "scholarly" channel.
My grandfather (a pattern maker for Ford Motor in the 1930's) referred to these as a stiff scraper. He had a whole set of them, along with the largest collection of spoke-shaves and curve sole planes (concave and convex) I have ever personally seen. Great video!
@@daemon1143 funny thing, cabinet makers think of scrapers as very thin, flexible tools. Luther and pattern makers think of them as thick inflexible tools.
It's kind of like a really stiff and narrow card scraper. Or the crisp square spine of a bushcraft knife (my Morakniv does this job for me pretty well).
After watching this video, I had need of such a blunt chisel to remove a little errant glue residue. But, in the search for the appropriate sacrificial chisel, I decided instead on a small file used for steel. It worked very well, so much so that today when faced with even more glue squeeze-out on a table top, I grabbed a larger flat chisel and sharpened the blunt end on the belt sander. It was the “bomb”. That chisel steel is perfect for this repurpose. Thanks, James!
I didn't have any "old" chisels that were not already nice and sharp. But I do have an old metal file that I'd ground the teeth off and used the end as a scraper for metal and mechanical work. It never occurred to me to try it on wood. But fresh off the fine stone it works just as you say and showed. And best of all because it's not tapered like a regular chisel I get two edges off the one end sharpening. Perhaps because the file is full hard I also found that fresh off the grinder the edge works pretty darn nice on softwood end grain too. And it's obviously super easy and fast to touch it up. I believe I now have a new favorite tool for the wood shop thanks to your video. Thanks for re-surfacing this old idea.
You can go over to harbor freight and pick up their chisel set for about $15. I started with the harbor freight chisels but upgraded to a quality set of Narex chisels. So I'm going to set up my harbor freight chisels like this and keep my Narex sharp and ready to go
Back in the day (way back), I have seen woodworkers just file the wood with a very course file. I happen to have a set. One of which is slightly rounded and the rest are flat. It comes in handy for shaping. It's especially useful if I just want to round the edge of the wood a little and don't want to use a router. But it is pretty aggressive removing material in comparison to sand paper.
@@ipick4fun27 One of the old master woodworkers Paul Sellers uses rasps and files in a large amount of his woodworking video tutorial, most of which are here on TH-cam. But Paul uses the rasp and woodworking files in the very exact way that you described and gives a warning about going to far with the rasp or files.
This is now in my top 10 tips and tricks. And I have the perfect set of chisels to use to set this up. When I first started woodworking, I bought those cheap Harbor Freight chisels. They worked well enough, and held an ok edge, until I could afford my Narex. Now, I have another use for those HF chisels. Sweet!! Thanks James
That curved wood reminded me of a time when an old woodworker friend pulled out a pack of playing cards and wrapped some glasspaper around it. He had a complex set of curves to sand along the top of a skirting board. The cards conformed to the shape perfectly and he made quick and accurate work of it. He said that he bought his cards from a casino as they dispose of perfectly good cards regularly dirt cheap. He had electrical tape around the top to bottom to keep them straight but the cards between the outer cards were free to move.
I don't remember where I first learned about these, but I had an extra chisel I wasn't using at the time and put the square edge on it free hand on diamond. Always keep it close on hand working with maple, works even with the grain too. I really like using it for big knots and messy grain when surfacing things, since it acts like a card scraper, it works all directions, but the thicker edge lasts so much longer and it won't cramp your hand as badly. Can really put a lot of force behind it to get through that knot.
Learn something new. It seems my cheapie beginner chisels will always have a purpose now. I am not anywhere near a place to upgrade but I like knowing they will have purpose.
Actually had a few sized curved gouges and blunt chisels when I worked on many turn of the century buildings. The Ratto's building, 1897, had many moldings we were fixing but were long out of production. A filling then a shaped scraper finished with these chisels and gouges worked wonders! (A paper in the wall has W.C.Fields coming to the local theater!)
Dang you're good. Never ever thought of that and never heard of it. AND, I can do that in NZ - unlike buying some-of your favourite tools! Brilliant as always! Thanks.
Very cool. Coincidentally, I was just working on a project today where my super sharp chisel wanted to dig in deeper than I wanted it to and because of how the work was laid out I couldn't approach it from a different direction. This blunt end concept would have been spot on. I have one or two chisels that'll make ideal candidates for this and will set them up tomorrow. Thanks for sharing it.
I think your chisels aren’t as dull as the ONE I own. It’s used more as a pry bar and has chunks out of it. That being said, what a eye opener! I love your videos! I always learn new things that keep my tiny workshop productive and safe.
They are also good for cleaning up final exterior surfaces of 3D prints where the printer has added too much material and it is uneven - usually I print with 3 shells which gives me a little post-print processing capability.
This was a good video on scrapers, but not much was said about dull chisels and their uses. The main use for a dull chisel is pranking your friend who wants to borrow a chisel and doesn't think to sharpen their chisels often enough.
@@boratsagdiyev5679 when he says planemakers, that's the best way I can explain when to use this. If you shave down the bed, but stay dead flat, the plane and wedge can eventually sit perfectly. If you look up a planemakers float you might get the idea, does the same thing. I know the vast majority of people aren't making planes, but situations similar to that it's very handy for. It doesn't replace any tool you own, except maybe a float. Definitely not a scraper, plane, chisel, etc.
Particularly on the curves, I've had fine luck just turning the chisel "bevel side down" and going with the Danish Techniques... Takes a little getting used to, because you have to learn to feel the feedback of the bevel riding the curve(s)... SO it's a bit slow in the beginning, but there's plenty of leverage in the handles if you decide to change the curve to meet or veer away from your layout lines... If you just keep patience with the job and sliver the waste out slow (small increments) there's almost nothing you can't do with a sufficiently sharp chisel (and no, I'm not a fanatic about shaving with them... that's why God invented my "Gillette Butterfly"). A good stiff scraper, however, can be useful for endgrains (which seem to always present a bitch)... AND of course there's a myriad of uses for the more flexible card scrapers... A "sureform" shaper also has it's uses. More aggressive than sand paper, but not quite as quick to get you into trouble as a misguided (or overzealous) chisel and mallet... ;o)
Blunt, or just high angle? I use a variety of angles for different materials. Soft or ring porous woods like razor sharp edges. Abrasive woods like forest grown teak will chew up a fine edge quickly. Obstinate grains as you demonstrate need a scraper. The ultimate is a metal cutting cold chisel which may have a 90° included angle.
@@StumpyNubs to me, blunt is worn out, rounded off, or simply somewhat curt. ;) An hour of carving teak, and my tools are rounded off and polished to a mirror finish. Thanks for the excellent tips. I have some curly grained bird’s eye old growth redwood that needs your technique. Just looking at it makes it tear out. Still, it’s so beautiful that I’ve held on to it for 20 years. Your style chisels, and a scraper should be able to deal with it. I’d hate to muddy up the grain with sandpaper.
Blunt definitely means a rounded edge. A standard 90 degree edge carbide cutting tool would never be called blunt by anyone and is a standard metal cutting tool. If your edge comes to a point, it's still sharp, 20 deg, 90 deg, 120 deg, slide you finger along them, they will all cut you, just good for different jobs.
Interesting advice. I keep a few "dull" chisels around for clean up tasks where I don't want it to bite into the material (though, for me it's less woodworking and more scraping rogue epoxy droplets off of fiberglass or aluminium), but I never thought about using a 90° blunt one. Going to have to try that later. RIP not having a bench grinder though.
Tools intentionally ground like this are sold for metalwork, and called 'scrapers'. I think it is misleading to label them "dull" or even "blunt", because those terms suggest rounded edges due to wear, and such tools have very little by way of practical application.
I keep a blunt chisel on me at all times while I'm at work, and I use it almost everyday. It even works for tightening and loosening screws. We electricians like to call them electrician's chisel's/prybars, but most people would just call them large flat blade screwdrivers.
Chisels sharpened like this can be useful if you are making a wooden plane, for example. Such a chisel works well for cleaning up the bed of the plane. Thanks for the video!
Awesome tip. The old ways are usually the best because they were developed and refined over time. Unfortunately it seems we are close to losing a lot of that old wisdom. Keep’m coming.
Reminds me of the cutting geometry of metal machining cutters, specifically broach tools in particular. Neutral rake, or very slight positive rake. The cutting edge is still very sharp, but the angle is very close to a 90 degree angle. I can definitely see how this would be useful, and I would also hazard a guess that it would work well with metals as well.
The metal equivalent hand tool would be the scraper. Does what it says on the can. It's used to get very flat but textured surfaces that make great machine ways or decent measuring plates. The marks left behind by the scraper absorb lubricant or dirt, keeping it out of the spots where the surfaces are meeting.
It's not a scraper. It's a different edge geometry. Like the other guy said closer to metal working. He is right it will cut metal. I'm a knife maker and am beginning to build these sorts of chisels for fitting my guards.
My Granddad was an accomplished amateur woodworker as was my Dad. I'm more of a carver but in all my years of experience, including 40 years in architectural design and technology, I have never come across this technique before. Thanks for another class vid'. Every day is a school day, eh?
Very interesting ,thank you. I'll definitely be trying this. On a similar note it is often much easier to remove bark from green timber with a dull draw knife than with a sharp one.
Excellent video, as always. I'm a loyal fan - but it seems like what's really happening here is that the process creates a small "scraper" on the end of a chisel handle. It ain't no chisel no mo.
This is a similar trick to putting a steep back bevel on a (bevel down) plane iron for scraping stubborn grain. Never thought of using it on a chisel! Great tip.
It really hasn't fundamentally changed. They have added new jigs, but those will work on older models, too. The stropping wheel is now available with a synthetic material that doesn't need honing compound, and they have diamond wheels available. But the basic machine is still the same as it ever was. You don't mess with something that good :)
@@StumpyNubs well the grinding wheel is natural sandstone, stropping wheel a very ineffective rubber with embedded abrasive, plus the jigs look much better made and adjustable.
Click-bait title but definitely a valid tip! That 90 degree chisel is definitely NOT dull. As anyone who has put a sharp 90 degree edge on a piece of hardwood can tell you.
Back when I was a heavy equipment mechanic I ground two cheap cold chisels to a blunt squared off edge(?). There were lots of times they saved me a lot of time on jobs. Cheers from New Brunswick Canada...eh.
This works for a bench plane also, I discovered thanks to this video. Put a 45 degree bevel on the top side of the plane blade and it will plane hickory smooth.
Nice tip - I have used this for years. I disagree with the blunt gouge tip, however. Rarely does a gouge dig in like a straight chisel. You can use a sharp gouge pretty much anywhere
You should try drilling hard wood with dull drill bits. I discovered friction drilling of oak works waaaay better than using pro sharp bits. Some 30 years ago I made an oak construction, and accidentally had only very dull bits for drilling steel, and said heck - no one is watching, and boy what a surprise! It starts slowly, and I found a bit later that it is better if you start very gently on very high rpm, and when the tip of the bit gets hot it runs through oak like butter. The best part is that the exit hole is impeccable. There is also a hidden bonus: the hole is charred, and therefore screw friendly. Oak is aggressive against the steel screws, and it is a good practice to heat the inside of a hole so it is charred and therefore passivised, but in case of friction drilling it happens on the fly.
Great advice. I had the opportunity, yesterday, to purchase an old bench grinder. I don't have the room, and I am glad I didn't. Again, great advice. Thank you Sir.
I was shown this “trick” by an old carpenter I worked with 59 years ago! I’ve kept a “blunt” chisel in my rack ever since ……. Makes a great scraper to be used in special situations 🤠
I have a couple older chisels that I set up like this after watching your video. I haven't used the a lot, but it is great to have when you need them. I know I use scrappers a fair amount on the lathe so it seems logical to use them in this fashion as well.
I picked up a wooden scraper plane kit from Hock Tools a few months ago. I had never even heard of a scraper plane before, but it is similar to this. The plan blade is at a similar angle to using a chisel like this. This plane has worked so well for me, that I don't really need my scrapers anymore. But I will probably try this chisel trick, as there are smaller jobs where the plane (or scraper) won't work.
I used this when making a gun stock but instead of dulling the front of a chisel, I dressed the side of it on a stone. This was important in order to get into the tight curves. I also made two round tools with a 90 degree edge to inlet the barrel. It was nice having to use those tools.
Excellent advocacy for varieties of sharpness. I find the same benefit with very slightly dull router bits, especially on interior cuts and softer woods. Bit is easier to control and less likely to take off. Just have to be watchful for heat, as it will tend to scorch easier. Smells good though so it's win-win!
Nothing to add as you covered every one of my observations of using blunt chisels. It's a fantastic technique and a great way to keep on using ones 'beater' chisels.
Very good! I thought I was going to hear some heresy here today but you made a great case! I would never have thought to purposely blunt and edge like that. Kudos!
For sculpting wood I make these tools to various sizes using a Tormek and tool steel or old saw blades. Super useful and can create a surface finish in hard to reach areas that surpasses sandpaper.
I recently picked up 6 old Stanley chisels at a yard sale for $2. I have good chisels. Didn't really need them but hey, they were 2 bucks. Now I know exactly what I'll do with a couple of them.
@@vaughnsolari1644 yes you are correct. From what it looked like Stumpy used that bottom edge of blunt chisel. To me it looked like a bur edge. I may be wrong. Have to watch again. The smoothing effect was more of what a card scraper method would produce.
thanks for the info. i work a lot with hard wood and have run across the problems you talked about often. this will save me a lot of sandpaper. i mean face it, everyone surely has a old chisel laying around.
As usual some really great info packed into a well conceived and tightly produced package. I never miss a post(!) (always looking for the next one!) Thanks!! - - Finally a sharpening job I can handle, first try. And I love my Tormek, it's a thing of (functional) beauty that I enjoy using, every time. It's the best sharpening decision / acquisition I ever made
I actually have a couple that I use for… as you mention… setting up wooden body planes. It’s great for scraping away material at a minimum for nice micro adjustments.
Despite I have known about the blunt chisel trick, I always enjoy your videos. They are very interesting, full of unique knowledge and really useful in workshop.
That sort od edge is very useful for paring away the background when doing stabbed in relief carving on something like a rifle stock. It's just a very controlable tool
I have always used a conventional chisel bevel down to avoid digging in. Note that carving gouges always have bevel down, so if you think of a chisel as an infinite radius gouge, it seems quite natural. The only time I use bevel up is for the final fine shaving. But your blunt chisel is still quite intriguing.
Paring is most often with the bevel up so the back may be used as a reference. Even so, flipping the chisel may allow you to adjust the angle of the tool in relation to the wood, but it is still a wedge and will struggle with changes in grain direction, just as a bench plane (which is, itself bevel-down) struggles.
Hi James, I've watched a youtuber called Stavros Gakos who makes planes and other tools, he uses that chisel method regularly and I've always wondered about it. Thanks for explaining. I can really recommend his channel if you have not seen it. Regards Jim UK.
When I was carving a lot of guitar necks I used to sharpen the sides of my chisels like this and then use them like a drawknife crossed with a scraper to refine the concave compound curved where the shaft of the neck transitions to the head and heel.
Interesting, I have a few old chisels laying around that are banged up and I don't want to spend the time fixing up so I'll have to give this a try. I am still in the softwood practice phase of my project but will be moving onto more hardwoods soon.
For retouching your edge I could see keeping a fine diamond plate with a shooting board or the like. There are new rolling sharpeners that could be really good for this too.
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I know of this technique. As I’ve watch carpenters and wood carver use the same technique before. As a kid I asked why it is a blunt tools they are using. Then they demonstrate how some angle of carve or wood doesn’t need the sharp edge, then they proceed to use the blunt tools and it works on specific way. And it’s mind blowing seeing it for real.
Thanks James. I'm new to woodworking and I just lost my 96 year old woodworking mentor. I can't imagine what knowledge I just lost out on learning. But I bet he knew this. Just didn't have enough time to teach me. I think I found a new source of woodworking wisdom.
Sorry for your loss! Stumpy nubs is great at this sort of stuff for sure
I'm not even a woodworker, but I still religiously watch this channel. My grandfather (RIP) and father did woodwork as a hobby/side job throughout their lives. I'm sure my grandfather would have loved all of the great info. I consider this a "scholarly" channel.
It is a scholarly channel, and don't be afraid to give woodwork a try.
I found building my first bench to be quite fun.
You should ditch it and take up watching Paul Sellers instead.
@@twatmunro Watching both is probably better.
So it's a small card scraper with a handle. Cool!
Discovered this many years ago quite by accident. Good to know I’m not crazy. Thanks!
My grandfather (a pattern maker for Ford Motor in the 1930's) referred to these as a stiff scraper. He had a whole set of them, along with the largest collection of spoke-shaves and curve sole planes (concave and convex) I have ever personally seen.
Great video!
Yes, I was thinking the same thing; rediscovered the scraper.
@@daemon1143 funny thing, cabinet makers think of scrapers as very thin, flexible tools. Luther and pattern makers think of them as thick inflexible tools.
And here I was waiting for the can of paint to come out and see you open it with your "special chisel" trick. 😀
It's kind of like a really stiff and narrow card scraper. Or the crisp square spine of a bushcraft knife (my Morakniv does this job for me pretty well).
I use the back of a razor knife blade for the same sort of thing.
Yeah it is essentially a card scraper plane.
After watching this video, I had need of such a blunt chisel to remove a little errant glue residue. But, in the search for the appropriate sacrificial chisel, I decided instead on a small file used for steel. It worked very well, so much so that today when faced with even more glue squeeze-out on a table top, I grabbed a larger flat chisel and sharpened the blunt end on the belt sander. It was the “bomb”. That chisel steel is perfect for this repurpose.
Thanks, James!
I didn't have any "old" chisels that were not already nice and sharp. But I do have an old metal file that I'd ground the teeth off and used the end as a scraper for metal and mechanical work. It never occurred to me to try it on wood. But fresh off the fine stone it works just as you say and showed. And best of all because it's not tapered like a regular chisel I get two edges off the one end sharpening.
Perhaps because the file is full hard I also found that fresh off the grinder the edge works pretty darn nice on softwood end grain too. And it's obviously super easy and fast to touch it up.
I believe I now have a new favorite tool for the wood shop thanks to your video. Thanks for re-surfacing this old idea.
You can go over to harbor freight and pick up their chisel set for about $15. I started with the harbor freight chisels but upgraded to a quality set of Narex chisels. So I'm going to set up my harbor freight chisels like this and keep my Narex sharp and ready to go
Back in the day (way back), I have seen woodworkers just file the wood with a very course file. I happen to have a set. One of which is slightly rounded and the rest are flat. It comes in handy for shaping. It's especially useful if I just want to round the edge of the wood a little and don't want to use a router. But it is pretty aggressive removing material in comparison to sand paper.
@@ipick4fun27
One of the old master woodworkers Paul Sellers uses rasps and files in a large amount of his woodworking video tutorial, most of which are here on TH-cam.
But Paul uses the rasp and woodworking files in the very exact way that you described and gives a warning about going to far with the rasp or files.
This is now in my top 10 tips and tricks. And I have the perfect set of chisels to use to set this up. When I first started woodworking, I bought those cheap Harbor Freight chisels. They worked well enough, and held an ok edge, until I could afford my Narex. Now, I have another use for those HF chisels.
Sweet!! Thanks James
scorps and/or bent knives do some of the same thing...i've been doin' rustic woodworkin' with those for years...but i'm gonna do this too!
That curved wood reminded me of a time when an old woodworker friend pulled out a pack of playing cards and wrapped some glasspaper around it. He had a complex set of curves to sand along the top of a skirting board. The cards conformed to the shape perfectly and he made quick and accurate work of it. He said that he bought his cards from a casino as they dispose of perfectly good cards regularly dirt cheap. He had electrical tape around the top to bottom to keep them straight but the cards between the outer cards were free to move.
That's a great idea! I could use that trick a ton while building guitars. Thanks for sharing that!
Nice tip. Thanks
I don't remember where I first learned about these, but I had an extra chisel I wasn't using at the time and put the square edge on it free hand on diamond.
Always keep it close on hand working with maple, works even with the grain too.
I really like using it for big knots and messy grain when surfacing things, since it acts like a card scraper, it works all directions, but the thicker edge lasts so much longer and it won't cramp your hand as badly. Can really put a lot of force behind it to get through that knot.
My great grandfather taught this to me when he was teaching me. As you note it can be a real help on hardwood.
Learn something new. It seems my cheapie beginner chisels will always have a purpose now. I am not anywhere near a place to upgrade but I like knowing they will have purpose.
Actually had a few sized curved gouges and blunt chisels when I worked on many turn of the century buildings. The Ratto's building, 1897, had many moldings we were fixing but were long out of production. A filling then a shaped scraper finished with these chisels and gouges worked wonders! (A paper in the wall has W.C.Fields coming to the local theater!)
Dang you're good. Never ever thought of that and never heard of it. AND, I can do that in NZ - unlike buying some-of your favourite tools! Brilliant as always! Thanks.
Very cool. Coincidentally, I was just working on a project today where my super sharp chisel wanted to dig in deeper than I wanted it to and because of how the work was laid out I couldn't approach it from a different direction. This blunt end concept would have been spot on. I have one or two chisels that'll make ideal candidates for this and will set them up tomorrow. Thanks for sharing it.
Been woodworking for 40 years. A great new tip to try. Thanks!
I think your chisels aren’t as dull as the ONE I own. It’s used more as a pry bar and has chunks out of it. That being said, what a eye opener! I love your videos! I always learn new things that keep my tiny workshop productive and safe.
They are also good for cleaning up final exterior surfaces of 3D prints where the printer has added too much material and it is uneven - usually I print with 3 shells which gives me a little post-print processing capability.
My blunt tools hold their bluntness forever, Hahaha
Love your work, my father wood have loved it.
This was a good video on scrapers, but not much was said about dull chisels and their uses. The main use for a dull chisel is pranking your friend who wants to borrow a chisel and doesn't think to sharpen their chisels often enough.
The tools I use... and the tools I loan out...
Yes exactly he completely ignores the fact that there tools called scrapers, the only thing I use a dull chisel for is opening paint cans
At least some ppl notice that, so the yt community isnt totaly doomed to get "messed around" xD
@@boratsagdiyev5679 when he says planemakers, that's the best way I can explain when to use this. If you shave down the bed, but stay dead flat, the plane and wedge can eventually sit perfectly. If you look up a planemakers float you might get the idea, does the same thing.
I know the vast majority of people aren't making planes, but situations similar to that it's very handy for. It doesn't replace any tool you own, except maybe a float. Definitely not a scraper, plane, chisel, etc.
Particularly on the curves, I've had fine luck just turning the chisel "bevel side down" and going with the Danish Techniques... Takes a little getting used to, because you have to learn to feel the feedback of the bevel riding the curve(s)... SO it's a bit slow in the beginning, but there's plenty of leverage in the handles if you decide to change the curve to meet or veer away from your layout lines... If you just keep patience with the job and sliver the waste out slow (small increments) there's almost nothing you can't do with a sufficiently sharp chisel (and no, I'm not a fanatic about shaving with them... that's why God invented my "Gillette Butterfly").
A good stiff scraper, however, can be useful for endgrains (which seem to always present a bitch)... AND of course there's a myriad of uses for the more flexible card scrapers...
A "sureform" shaper also has it's uses. More aggressive than sand paper, but not quite as quick to get you into trouble as a misguided (or overzealous) chisel and mallet... ;o)
Blunt, or just high angle? I use a variety of angles for different materials. Soft or ring porous woods like razor sharp edges. Abrasive woods like forest grown teak will chew up a fine edge quickly. Obstinate grains as you demonstrate need a scraper. The ultimate is a metal cutting cold chisel which may have a 90° included angle.
A high angle is blunt.
@@StumpyNubs to me, blunt is worn out, rounded off, or simply somewhat curt. ;) An hour of carving teak, and my tools are rounded off and polished to a mirror finish. Thanks for the excellent tips.
I have some curly grained bird’s eye old growth redwood that needs your technique. Just looking at it makes it tear out. Still, it’s so beautiful that I’ve held on to it for 20 years. Your style chisels, and a scraper should be able to deal with it. I’d hate to muddy up the grain with sandpaper.
Blunt definitely means a rounded edge. A standard 90 degree edge carbide cutting tool would never be called blunt by anyone and is a standard metal cutting tool. If your edge comes to a point, it's still sharp, 20 deg, 90 deg, 120 deg, slide you finger along them, they will all cut you, just good for different jobs.
"The more you know" ... great information that I have never seen anywhere else. Thank You
That's a great tip. I have a couple of chisels that will now be given new purpose, thanks, James.
This is an amazing channel. I really wish I had this skill. Thank you.
Interesting advice. I keep a few "dull" chisels around for clean up tasks where I don't want it to bite into the material (though, for me it's less woodworking and more scraping rogue epoxy droplets off of fiberglass or aluminium), but I never thought about using a 90° blunt one. Going to have to try that later. RIP not having a bench grinder though.
Use a file
A belt sander works for me.
Tools intentionally ground like this are sold for metalwork, and called 'scrapers'.
I think it is misleading to label them "dull" or even "blunt", because those terms suggest rounded edges due to wear, and such tools have very little by way of practical application.
So it's like a long, small, card scraper! Neat!
I'm not a woodworker yet but I watch this channel and others for inspiration while I prep a space for me to get started.
I keep a blunt chisel on me at all times while I'm at work, and I use it almost everyday. It even works for tightening and loosening screws. We electricians like to call them electrician's chisel's/prybars, but most people would just call them large flat blade screwdrivers.
It is still a "sharp" edge that we want, just not a thin one. This is a great idea, as it reduces "dig" on the chisel action.
Yes, that was explained in the video.
Chisels sharpened like this can be useful if you are making a wooden plane, for example. Such a chisel works well for cleaning up the bed of the plane.
Thanks for the video!
Awesome tip. The old ways are usually the best because they were developed and refined over time. Unfortunately it seems we are close to losing a lot of that old wisdom. Keep’m coming.
Hmm. These chisels are not dull (as you say). The bottom edge of the front facet provides a different type of cut (as you demonstrate).
I agree. Blunt and dull are not the same thing. But I guess these days, unless you have a catchy title on the video, you can't get the views.
Reminds me of the cutting geometry of metal machining cutters, specifically broach tools in particular. Neutral rake, or very slight positive rake. The cutting edge is still very sharp, but the angle is very close to a 90 degree angle. I can definitely see how this would be useful, and I would also hazard a guess that it would work well with metals as well.
The metal equivalent hand tool would be the scraper. Does what it says on the can. It's used to get very flat but textured surfaces that make great machine ways or decent measuring plates. The marks left behind by the scraper absorb lubricant or dirt, keeping it out of the spots where the surfaces are meeting.
It's not a scraper. It's a different edge geometry. Like the other guy said closer to metal working. He is right it will cut metal. I'm a knife maker and am beginning to build these sorts of chisels for fitting my guards.
I saw the topic and nearly didn’t watch. But James has never steered me wrong, and I’m delighted I learned this clever trick.
Another overlooked tool set is the cabinet scraper. They work on a similar level but are much more useful
My Granddad was an accomplished amateur woodworker as was my Dad. I'm more of a carver but in all my years of experience, including 40 years in architectural design and technology, I have never come across this technique before.
Thanks for another class vid'. Every day is a school day, eh?
Very interesting ,thank you. I'll definitely be trying this.
On a similar note it is often much easier to remove bark from green timber with a dull draw knife than with a sharp one.
Omg your tool shelf organization is beautiful 😍
Excellent video, as always. I'm a loyal fan - but it seems like what's really happening here is that the process creates a small "scraper" on the end of a chisel handle. It ain't no chisel no mo.
2:03
Gotta get that clickbait traffic, even for honest, educational content.
This is a similar trick to putting a steep back bevel on a (bevel down) plane iron for scraping stubborn grain. Never thought of using it on a chisel! Great tip.
Thanks for bringing this wisdom around. Easy, simple, good advice
A wonderful tip, shared concisely and demonstrated well. Thank you very much for this video.
Never sharpen my chisels, okay, got it.
Even the blunt chisel was sharpened :)
@@StumpyNubs Fair enough.
😂
Even a dull chisel is right twice a day, or something.
@@GreenlandRobot hahahaha
Great tip Stumpy!!!
I bought a Tormek about 40 years ago or so and still have it, looks like they have evolved a long way from their more primitive version.
It really hasn't fundamentally changed. They have added new jigs, but those will work on older models, too. The stropping wheel is now available with a synthetic material that doesn't need honing compound, and they have diamond wheels available. But the basic machine is still the same as it ever was. You don't mess with something that good :)
@@StumpyNubs well the grinding wheel is natural sandstone, stropping wheel a very ineffective rubber with embedded abrasive, plus the jigs look much better made and adjustable.
Click-bait title but definitely a valid tip!
That 90 degree chisel is definitely NOT dull. As anyone who has put a sharp 90 degree edge on a piece of hardwood can tell you.
I always say if I just learn one thing a day is a good day, but it makes sense especially when demonstrating the two chisels. As always thank you.
Many thanks, James!
Excellent as usual.
It is always a pleasure to watch your videos!
I have a lot of dull tools hanging around and now I have another way to sharpen them. Thanks.
Back when I was a heavy equipment mechanic I ground two cheap cold chisels to a blunt squared off edge(?). There were lots of times they saved me a lot of time on jobs.
Cheers from New Brunswick Canada...eh.
This works for a bench plane also, I discovered thanks to this video. Put a 45 degree bevel on the top side of the plane blade and it will plane hickory smooth.
Nice tip - I have used this for years. I disagree with the blunt gouge tip, however. Rarely does a gouge dig in like a straight chisel. You can use a sharp gouge pretty much anywhere
cool idea to use one of your chisels as a mini scraper ! thanks !
You should try drilling hard wood with dull drill bits. I discovered friction drilling of oak works waaaay better than using pro sharp bits. Some 30 years ago I made an oak construction, and accidentally had only very dull bits for drilling steel, and said heck - no one is watching, and boy what a surprise! It starts slowly, and I found a bit later that it is better if you start very gently on very high rpm, and when the tip of the bit gets hot it runs through oak like butter. The best part is that the exit hole is impeccable. There is also a hidden bonus: the hole is charred, and therefore screw friendly. Oak is aggressive against the steel screws, and it is a good practice to heat the inside of a hole so it is charred and therefore passivised, but in case of friction drilling it happens on the fly.
Great advice. I had the opportunity, yesterday, to purchase an old bench grinder. I don't have the room, and I am glad I didn't.
Again, great advice.
Thank you Sir.
I was shown this “trick” by an old carpenter I worked with 59 years ago! I’ve kept a “blunt” chisel in my rack ever since ……. Makes a great scraper to be used in special situations 🤠
you got a good eye for tools and detail man! I found that between 25 an 26 degrees back from the 90 to be good also
Seems like the perfect application for a carbide headed chisel or gouge. It's the same principle behind machining tools after all.
I have a couple older chisels that I set up like this after watching your video. I haven't used the a lot, but it is great to have when you need them. I know I use scrappers a fair amount on the lathe so it seems logical to use them in this fashion as well.
Hey James, you taught an old dog a new trick! Thanks
I picked up a wooden scraper plane kit from Hock Tools a few months ago. I had never even heard of a scraper plane before, but it is similar to this. The plan blade is at a similar angle to using a chisel like this. This plane has worked so well for me, that I don't really need my scrapers anymore. But I will probably try this chisel trick, as there are smaller jobs where the plane (or scraper) won't work.
I used this when making a gun stock but instead of dulling the front of a chisel, I dressed the side of it on a stone. This was important in order to get into the tight curves. I also made two round tools with a 90 degree edge to inlet the barrel. It was nice having to use those tools.
Apparently, I'm way ahead of the curve, because all my chisels are dull, and have been that way forever.
Thanks Stumpy! I love it when I'm completely surprised with something of never heard of or considered before!
Excellent advocacy for varieties of sharpness. I find the same benefit with very slightly dull router bits, especially on interior cuts and softer woods. Bit is easier to control and less likely to take off. Just have to be watchful for heat, as it will tend to scorch easier. Smells good though so it's win-win!
This is pretty much the wood equivalent to 'hand scraping' metal. Makes sense!
Nothing to add as you covered every one of my observations of using blunt chisels. It's a fantastic technique and a great way to keep on using ones 'beater' chisels.
That was so interesting! I'm so getting a cheap set of chisels and doing that! Thanks!
Very good! I thought I was going to hear some heresy here today but you made a great case! I would never have thought to purposely blunt and edge like that. Kudos!
Thanks for the great video, James. This is very helpful. I am excited to try this out.
For sculpting wood I make these tools to various sizes using a Tormek and tool steel or old saw blades. Super useful and can create a surface finish in hard to reach areas that surpasses sandpaper.
I recently picked up 6 old Stanley chisels at a yard sale for $2. I have good chisels. Didn't really need them but hey, they were 2 bucks. Now I know exactly what I'll do with a couple of them.
Basically a hand card scraper effect. Pretty cool vid.
i thought a card scraper utilized the bur to shave. please correct me if i'm wrong
@@vaughnsolari1644 yes you are correct. From what it looked like Stumpy used that bottom edge of blunt chisel. To me it looked like a bur edge. I may be wrong. Have to watch again. The smoothing effect was more of what a card scraper method would produce.
thanks for the info. i work a lot with hard wood and have run across the problems you talked about often. this will save me a lot of sandpaper. i mean face it, everyone surely has a old chisel laying around.
As usual some really great info packed into a well conceived and tightly produced package. I never miss a post(!) (always looking for the next one!) Thanks!! - - Finally a sharpening job I can handle, first try. And I love my Tormek, it's a thing of (functional) beauty that I enjoy using, every time. It's the best sharpening decision / acquisition I ever made
I use such dull tools for scratching paint or glue. Very useful!
I can die in peace tonight knowing I actually learnt something new today :lol:
Thank you; I would have never guessed that one .
Always a gem of a video, even if the topic is very specific. Thx.
This was a mind exploder. Heck of a good tip, thank you!
I actually have a couple that I use for… as you mention… setting up wooden body planes. It’s great for scraping away material at a minimum for nice micro adjustments.
This guy is the Bomb. Thanks Stumpy!
Despite I have known about the blunt chisel trick, I always enjoy your videos. They are very interesting, full of unique knowledge and really useful in workshop.
That sort od edge is very useful for paring away the background when doing stabbed in relief carving on something like a rifle stock. It's just a very controlable tool
Pretty cool James. Never heard of this technique. Never even occurred to me.
Great idea to use it like a scraper.
I thought you were going to talk about a beater chisel for remodeling type work.
I make special blunt profiles on chisels to use as veining tools in Whitesmithing.
It’s like using a card scraper. Crisp 90deg edge is amazingly sharp and can move lots of wood quickly in a very controlled manner.
I have always used a conventional chisel bevel down to avoid digging in. Note that carving gouges always have bevel down, so if you think of a chisel as an infinite radius gouge, it seems quite natural. The only time I use bevel up is for the final fine shaving. But your blunt chisel is still quite intriguing.
Paring is most often with the bevel up so the back may be used as a reference. Even so, flipping the chisel may allow you to adjust the angle of the tool in relation to the wood, but it is still a wedge and will struggle with changes in grain direction, just as a bench plane (which is, itself bevel-down) struggles.
This is brilliant and I don't know why I have never thought of this!!!!! Awesome.
Fascinating - I learn something new on everyone of your videos. Thank you
Thanks for this explanation. I actually saw this used by Bill Carter a Plane Maker
Well I’ll be darn…….didn’t know! Never to old to learn or share. Thanks again Stump!
Hi James, I've watched a youtuber called Stavros Gakos who makes planes and other tools, he uses that chisel method regularly and I've always wondered about it. Thanks for explaining. I can really recommend his channel if you have not seen it. Regards Jim UK.
When I was carving a lot of guitar necks I used to sharpen the sides of my chisels like this and then use them like a drawknife crossed with a scraper to refine the concave compound curved where the shaft of the neck transitions to the head and heel.
Interesting, I have a few old chisels laying around that are banged up and I don't want to spend the time fixing up so I'll have to give this a try. I am still in the softwood practice phase of my project but will be moving onto more hardwoods soon.
Thanks for sharing those tips
For retouching your edge I could see keeping a fine diamond plate with a shooting board or the like. There are new rolling sharpeners that could be really good for this too.