Talked to an old carpenter about chisels and he made me feel dumb

Was at a restore shop last weekend and this old timer saw me looking at a set of Stanley chisels. He said 'son you don't need new ones, you need to learn how to sharpen what you got.' He pulled out his pocket chisel, had to be 30 years old, and it shaved hair off his arm. Told me he sharpens after every 15 minutes of use with a 1000 grit stone. Now I'm rethinking my whole 'buy better tools' approach. Anyone else have a pro tell you something obvious you been missing?

2 comments

2 Comments

terry11d ago

Did you ever read that bit from Nick Offerman about how a $20 chisel that's been sharpened right will out cut a $200 one that's dull? That old timer was dead on. Most guys I know spend all their money on fancy new tools but can't be bothered to learn the basics of sharpening. A good stone and some practice will save you a fortune and your tools will last longer than you will.

kelly_roberts1d ago

Your tools will last longer than you will" that's dark lol but yeah I've definitely seen dudes drop $400 on a set of chisels and then use them like butter knives on concrete. Meanwhile my grandpa's old Buck knife from the 70s still shaves hair because he actually took 5 minutes to run it across a stone. People act like sharpening is some kind of black magic when really it's just patience and not being an idiot.