Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | Jan 28, 2008 07:55pm | #1

   If you are positive that the burr formed while you were using the chisels, then the steel in the blades is on the soft side and the edge is curling back on itself as you are driving it into the wood. To be fair, ash is one of the harder woods to chisel through.

   You might try increasing the angle of the chisel's bevel by 5 degrees to put a little more steel behind the edge. If the factory bevel was 25 degrees, which is fairly common, the edge would be fragile for working with an especially hard wood, 30 or 35 degrees would be more appropriate. Increasing the angle makes a more robust edge, but the trade off is that the blade requires more pressure to make the cut.

   It is possible that the steel in the blades wasn't the correct type or that the blades weren't hardened and tempered properly, in which case they should be returned as defective, but I would try sharpening them to a higher angle first. Presumably you haven't ground them on a power grinder which could ruin the hardness of the steel if done carelessly.

   John White

   
   

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   Edited 1/28/2008 8:08 pm ET by JohnWW