Replies

1. 
   UncleDunc | Feb 22, 2003 12:07pm | #1

   You probably already know this, but sharper is better. This is an application where you really need scary sharp. The sharper your chisel is, the smaller bites you can take, and the more in control you will be.

   For paring, you can grind the chisel at a shallower angle than you would if you were going to do any chopping with it. If you've got a chisel that's not going to fold up on you, and if you're willing to take the time to use it gently, you can sharpen it at a much shallower angle. I've seen one source recommend a paring chisel made from a high speed steel lathe tool bit sharpened to 15 degrees.

   One aid that might help you get a feel for what you're doing without turning into a crutch is a block with a really square corner clamped to the workpiece exactly on the layout line. That way, as long as your chisel is touching the back edge of the block, you know you're not undercutting the joint, and as long as you're not cutting the block, you're not flaring the joint.

   One possibly unintended lesson you're learning is that paring is harder than sawing. :) The closer you can saw to the line without going over, the happier you'll be.

   
   

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   Edited 2/22/2003 4:25:20 AM ET by Uncle Dunc

2. 
   eddiefromAustralia | Feb 22, 2003 01:21pm | #2

   Hi Mark,

   Further to Uncle Dunc's post, also mark out the lines you want to pare to with a sharp knife before cutting.  This will give the chisel edge something to register in, allowing you to get the edge both square and on the line.

   From the 'torn grain' comments, it sounds as though your chisels may not be sharp enough to do the job properly.  I preface the rest of this post by apologising if your tools, are indeed sharp enough.

   Sharpening is the hardest bit - your chisels should be sharp enough to pare a shaving off the end grain of a scrap of pine before you start on your job.  Using blunt tools will only lead to frustration. 

   It may well be that your technique is fine, but your tools are letting you down.  In that case, no amount of technique will help and you may feel frustrated when in actual fact you were/are more than capable of doing the job successfully.

   I don't know how you are on sharpening, so my suggestion if your chisels didn't pass the 'end grain shaving' test is not to spend weeks (literally) learning how to sharpen in isolation, but to contact a local high school or tradesman and ask them if they're prepared to give you a really basic rundown on how to sharpen.  This minor guidance would set you up a whole lot quicker if you're in this boat.

   It may (will, in my opinion) be a lot easier than blundering through and teaching yourself, but then again, in these litigious days, they may not be as willing to let you on-site.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained, however. .  .could be worth a shot.

   Here's a site that shows you how to pare out a housing (US dado) joint.  Perhaps a further refinement of technique compared to where you are now.  Note that in this example, they're using a marking gauge instead of a marking knife.

   Cheers,

   eddie  (writing a post that's a bit longer than I expected)

   edit: minor re-write

   
   

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   Edited 2/22/2003 5:25:01 AM ET by eddie (aust)

3. 
   AJinNZ | Feb 22, 2003 01:36pm | #3

   If your chisel really is sharp, then you could clamp a block to the edge of your workpiece and then pare toward that now supported edge. Your work wont tearout, the block will.

   Also, damp the endgrain a little with a rag and some water. ( a little though, not soaking :) )

    

   Wood Hoon

4. 
   BG | Feb 22, 2003 02:05pm | #4

   MarkH,

   I'm a beginner too, trying to develop some ability with handmade dovetails. So far there is little light at the end of the tunnel...sigh. I did have a breakthrough with the clamping of a 2" block to my cut line and paring down while the back of the chisel is against the block.

   Before we get down on ourselves lets remember one thing.  In the beginning all they had was chisels...and if developing skills were that easy I suspect planes and routers and leigh jigs would never have been invented. 

5. 
   NickC | Feb 22, 2003 08:12pm | #5

   re to the face--sometimes I set a square nearby for a reference. I would not chop all the way through, just enough to establish the straignt cut. I would flip the board and do the same thing, this time going all the way through.  There should be little or no paring rquired, but if there is, take care to leave the straight lines you've establishedPotential problem: If your saw cut is too far from the line ( should be less than 1/16), then when you chop,  the wedging action of the chisel will drive the blade back, away from the cut, messing up your nice straight line. So you chop in stages. BTW, for actual paring I use an extremely sharp (Japanese) chisel and take a very thin slice--the less you have push, the more control you have. Nick

1. 
   MHargrove | Feb 22, 2003 10:20pm | #6

   Thanks for all the advice.  The chisels I bought are Marples Blue Chip, so while not top-of-the-line, I can't blame the equipment for my problems.  Sharpenening is another issue.  I followed the instructions in my beginner's project book for flattening the back and then sharpening the edge to 30 deg using a honing guide and successively finer grits of water-misted wet/dry sandpaper (which is very, very tedious, and I still don't know for sure I did it right).  I don't have any plate glass yet, so I'm just using the smooth masonite surface of my workbench as my lapping surface.  Perhaps this is contributing to my problems.  I'm going to try to find some glass today.

   I've also purchased the "How to Sharpen" DVD from Veritas (along with a better honing guide and their Stone Pond kit).

   Patience is...hard.

   -M.

6. 
   krumy1 | Feb 22, 2003 10:51pm | #7

   Lots of good advice so far. There may a couple more things you can to help. First, at the risk of being redundant hand tools must be sharp and it wouldn't hurt to touch your chisels up even while you're making these cuts. One trick that really helps me is to lay out my cuts on masking tape instead of just the wood. After that I scribe the area to be chiseled out with a sharp knife and remove the tape on the spot that is to be chiseled. That gives a really sharp line to work to and eliminates pencil marks. 

   Make yourself a block that is as thick as the remaining material in your notch. Lay the block beside your work and ride the chisel on that block to get your depth of cut. If I didn't explain that well enough let me know and I'll try again.  When you're defining a cut line use as wide a chisel as you can comfortably control. If you're defining a 3" cut, it's much easier to do that with an inch and a half chisel than it is with a 1/4" chisel.  You can use the material you're working with to help control your chisels as well. If you're cleaning up an edge for instance, let the bottom of your chisel ride against the work a little further back and use a slicing action accross the grain to shear the wood fibers.

   Last, think of your chisels as though they are a wing on an airplane or a rudder on a boat. If you want to dig into the wood, increase the angle of attack. If you want to glide accross the wood and remove only a little material use a more shallow angle.

   Steve K