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Trouble with chisel edge retention

2K views 12 replies 9 participants last post by  crank49 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I recently bought a set of the new perfect-pattern chisels from LV, because they looked really interesting. In fact they are nice to see up close and feel nice in my hand. They seem to have been ground at 25 degrees.

The first chisel out of the box though had a damaged corner, as though it had hit the milling machine wrong. I normally sharpen now freehand, but since the edge was going to need so much work, I pulled out my MKII and used that.

After a lot of work, I had a proper edge. Took the chisel to some end grain pine, and it pared nicely. Then chopped a shallow mortise in pine, about a minute's worth, and looked at the edge. It was very damaged, looked like the edge of a serrated knife.

I had not put a micro/secondary bevel on it with the MKII, I just didn't think to.

I resharpened the edge using my normal freehand way, which normally makes a very slight convexity. Sharpening the damaged chisel this way, the edge holds up to chopping just fine.

I tried a second chisel from the box, and with no secondary bevel, it became damaged just the same.

So are these chisels poorly made? If a chisel edge is easily damaged at 25 degrees, just because it has only a primary bevel, is that a defect?

They are not described as paring chisels.

Thanks.
 
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#4 ·
25 degrees is a bit shallow for chopping, but you seem
aware of this.

Sometimes in regular tool steel chisels, the better
steel is back a bit from the factory edge, so grinding
them back 1/8" or so may reveal a more durable
steel for edge retention.
 
#6 ·
I saw a special on these chisels(beautiful) but I was very concerned about LV using stainless steel for chisels. You might try mortising a harder wood after resharpening. If you can't get them to hold an edge I would get in touch with LV and see if they will give you a refund .
 
#7 ·
It doesn't matter what the steel is, if it isn't heat treated properly then it wont hold an edge.
My guess is they slipped through the cracks of quality control. Call LV and ask them to fix the problem.
 
#12 · (Edited by Moderator)
Called LV today. They just shrugged (over the phone) and said: "Well, you can send them back, or sharpen them at a higher angle."

I said: "You might want to make it clear ahead of time that the chisel edges will chip if they're used at the angle ground at the factory."

Just got the shrug again.

In all fairness, they offered to take them back even if re-ground, and even down the road. Guess that's what I'll do.
 
#13 ·
Actually I got the "All hat and no ROPE" quote from a friend who runs about 500 head of cattle here in Tennessee and also drives a "Bull wagon". He told me he first heard the saying in the Rodeo circuits where he hauls sometimes. That is probably where the rope vs. cattle difference came in. Rodeos don't have as much to do with cattle as they do with roping skills.

Either way, I was referring to stainless chisels as being "More show than Go." That's just a fact. It is possible to get a sharp edge on some alloys of stainless, ones in the 400 series, but the tools will not hold that edge as long as high carbon tool steel in my experience.

The sharpest tools I have ever worked with are not normally used in wood working, they are surgical scalpels. Now those things are truly "scary" sharp. And I can get them in carbon steel or stainless steel. When they are new, they are both perfectly sharp. Can't tell the difference in sharpness. After cutting rubber molds, however, a stainless scalpel will be dull after one mold. A carbon steel scalpel will still be going strong after 5 or 6 molds.
 
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