"Scary Sharp" Approach to Sharpening Chisels

Seems to be a pretty accurate description of what I understand the scary sharp method to be. I use the method for sharpening everything from plane irons to scraper blades.

Yep, that’s it.

-- My dad and I built a 65 chev pick up.I killed trannys in that thing for some reason-Hog

Ditto
You don’t have to have a guide to use this approach but it’s easier with one.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

I use sandpaper only and no guide. While my results are not perfect, I can take the hair off my arm with it, and I am getting better with practice.

-- I still have all my fingers

I heard a rather ….. well let’s call him a wood snob .. kind of poo-poo’ing the scary sharp method. I said, “Wait a second. Do you not draw your blades over finer and finer grit until they’re sharp?”. To which he replied, “Of course I do, but I use stones!”. I looked him dead in the eye and said, “This method is exactly the same as what you do, but the stones are much thinner.”

So… how many times have we heard here on LJ that there’s more than one way to do something? :)

And just because the methods are different, it doesn’t necessarily make one better than the other if the end result is the same. In this case, a wonderfully sharp edge.

There’s a “Best Tip” in “Wood” Magazine this month to do exactly the same type system to sharpen Planner and Jointer blades and by bevel cutting an 1/8” kerf in a 2 X 6 block as the jig/guage and using the saw table and fence.

I believe the proper way to do the sharpening is to draw the tool only backwards across the sandpaper and be sure to remove the bur from the bacl of the blade before quitting. Am I infact correct?

-- Russell Pitner Hixson, TN 37343 bassboy40@msn.com

HandTooler:

What I’ve read and seen with several ‘scary sharp’ videos is precisely what you say – draw the chisel, don’t push it. The reasons given are 1) the sandpaper is very fragile and easily ripped; and, 2) you can push shavings into the honing point, if you push the chisel, and this will disrupt the filing process.
MJCD

-- Lead By Example; Make a Difference

Well, now!
I use a guide and have always pushed the blade without problems. But, MJCD’s and Russell’s observations make a lot of sense. I’ll start pulling, by golly.
Thanks, guys.

-- Gene 'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

If your not using a jig, don’t push. No one can hold it steady enough for it not to dig into the paper.

-- I still have all my fingers

yes thats exactly what I use. I have a large industrial granite plate A grade and then glass, my plane irons are razor sharp will cut seriously thin shavings I don’t like stones. I usually finish with 2500 gt sandpaper

-- Stevo, work in tha city woodshop in the country

this is my granite plate that I use

-- Stevo, work in tha city woodshop in the country

I use the Veritas Jig it works great

-- Stevo, work in tha city woodshop in the country

I go forward and back with the Jig then smooth the back and I have a razor edge ready for action

-- Stevo, work in tha city woodshop in the country

I work in quality control so I take some of my glass bases to a surftester and check the flatness of the glass I have found some glass with small mite say ridges but the glass I use is most dead flat very small minute waves in the surface

-- Stevo, work in tha city woodshop in the country

I love this method!
It’s not my only solution, I still have some stones, grinders etc, I use a small 1” stationary belt sander for roughing work a lot as opposed to bench grinder as you get way less chance of overheating,. but once it’s down to getting things sharp, sandpaper on something flat is hard to beat for speed and results.