I am inletting a 1903A3 into a semi-inlet stock. A few years ago I bought a set of Chinese wood chisels from Harbor Freight. I think the $10 I paid was too much, since they don't cut it.

Are they likely junk steel that will never cut, or could proper sharpening make them work? How do I properly sharpen them? I have sand paper down to 600 grit, an assortment of knife sharpening stones, and a buffer.

Also, how should I be cutting with them? Straight side or beveled side to the work? Hand pressure alone, or My other hand whacking like a hammer?

Thanks

Harbor freight chisels are not likely to ever cut well, even if properly sharpened. They might cut well for a while, though will careful resharpening often.

To do that, hold them with the bevel flat on a good hone, and push forward, with the cutting edge forward. Lift up, return to start, and repeat. After a few strokes, look at the sharpening pattern, and adjust your hold as needed to keep it square and flat with the bevel on the chisel.

Do not be tempted to sharpen both sides. Edge should be one bevel only. If the flat side isn't smooth, hold it flat on the stone and hone it till it is flat and smooth. Same for the sides. The sides should make a sharp corner, although it is acceptable to break that edge except for the last 1/2 inch or so, so that the corners don't cut your hands when you use your fingers on the blade to control fine work.

As far as cutting, you can use either the bevel or flat side, depending on what you're trying to accomplish. The bevel side down tends to not cut as deep or gouge in. It also lets you hold a different angle when working in recesses or corners. Flat side down cuts better but takes more control to work right and only works for flat cuts in the open. Some wood will really splinter and gouge in this way, so you have to use the bevel side.

First rule of chisels is never have a hand anywhere but behind or on the chisel. Vises are for holding work, not hands. Push the chisel firmly and smoothly, taking a minute cut. If you can see through the shavings, they're about right. Repeat over and over to get the cut to where you want it. If you're having to hit the chisel, you're gouging it in too deep, or your chisel isn't sharp enough.

Like most fine work, learning technique is half of the battle. The second half is watching what the tool is doing, and using that feedback to control your hands to make it do what you want. Look at the cut you made after every stroke. Adjust the chisel as needed to cut how you want it. After you do it a few thousand times, it becomes automatic feedback that your hand corrects for what your eye just saw.

Cut in the way the grain doesn't plunge, so that chisel won't gouge in. Sometimes on gunstock wood, that direction changes several times along the blank. You have to reverse direction for different parts of the stock.


Good luck!

dave

Good luck at getting them sharp. Most cutting tools you get what you pay for. YOu will sharpen the bevel side and just flatten and remove the bead on the flat.

I use the flat side to form my edge. Bevel side down gives a lot more control and smaller bites. Try to go with the grain. 95% of my chisel work is on furniture I'm sure one of the stock makers can help you more.

Please, do not use the Harbor Freight chisels, they are junk and not worthy of the waste they create. Three Cherries and Pfeil make fantastic cutting tools are easy to keep sharp and not too hard on the budget. For the barrel channel and other areas of action inletting use scrapers, they are much more precise and forgiving for the novice. A good gouge or chisel purchased individually can be expensive-$20-50.00. Look up the assortments Pfeil offers on their web site and check Craigslist near you.

Luck,

Stephen

I own Freud boxed sets of chisels and carving gouges ; Not sure if those are even available any more ( Dam Good stuff ).

That Chinese chit money exchange outlet you shopped at , got you chit and they got your money !!!.Hopefully Some day you'll learn .

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx...Wood-Carving-Chisels

http://woodworker.com/c-Hand-tools/carving-tools/

Thanks guys. Even after sharpening, the chinese junk barely cuts. In the trash they go. There is a Rockler woodworking store nearby, I'll get something better.

For scrapers, is this kind useful?
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx...RD_FIT_CURL_SCRAPERS

Those scrapers will work just fine. There are several others, also. Jerry Fisher and Gunline - all good.
I posted Three Cherries earlier. Oops, one less cherry. Sorry.

Stephen

Marples are good, moderately priced, chisels. You definitely need scrapers for stock works.

Stanley chisels will work. I use a diamond stone for sharpening. A carbide bladed paint scraper is also pretty handy, scrapes nicely and leaves a clean finish when used to take out rasp marks.

quote:

A carbide bladed paint scraper is also pretty handy

+1

quote:

For scrapers, is this kind useful?
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx...RD_FIT_CURL_SCRAPERS

They work well but tend to become loose in the handle, some acraglass fixed that.

I have a set of the curl scrapers and use them frequently. The thinner version see more use in my opinion.

I have found that using the cheaply-made tools tends to result in more injuries than using the well-made ones - probably because of the poor edge-holding capability.

I enjoyed reading The Complete Guide to Sharpening by Leonard Lee. It truly is complete.

The Old saying goes ; You know how to tell the difference between a professional mechanic and a shade tree mechanic ?.

Just look at their knuckles Harbor Freight mechanic's hands are busted up everywhere , Snap On Tools mechanic is injury free !!!.

Using IMPROPER TOOLS as stated will be more injurious in more ways than one . Proper tools do proper job 1.

Top of the line chisels are made of A-2 tool steel and that's a very good choice .
The good tools are easier to use , stay sharp longer and do a better job. Keep them sharp so you cut the wood without tear-out ! Good quality stones , ceramic type are my preference.

sharpen and polish perfectly/to you specs
with MAP or ox/ace torch, QUICKLY heat the tip to dull red
quench in transmission fluid
polish

will hold an edge a good while, with a FINE FINE stone to dress them lightly.

the brown/tan wood handled ones are garbage.. the small red ones will hold an edge

I have made up several of my own scrapers. I used to have a source of industrial hack saw blades. They were an inch or better from top to bottom and thick enough to sharpen. They work well for everything I have designed them for. Barrel channels, action inletting, even a large smooth radius for cleaning up the sides of the forend. Just let your imagination be your guide.

great tip

I use a lot of chisels and files in my "day job" and found long ago that you get what you pay for. I make my living with my hands and won't compromise on the quality of my tools. I have about 30 chisels hanging behind my bench and most are Sorby's and the rest are old Marples. The Sorby's have displayed consistent quality over the years, the Marples not so much. Still, I wouldn't kick a new set of Marples out of bed for eating crackers. Craftsman chisels were a crap shoot for the longest time regarding hardness/edge holding, and were thicker than I liked, so I gave up on them. Admittedly that's been quite a few years now and quality may have improved, but I don't know as I haven't looked at them in a long time.