I used pine on this demonstration because softwoods needs super sharp tools to slice cleanly.

First cut (on the right side of the line vertical line) is with a freshly sharpened chisel finished on 8000 grit stone. You’ll notice the cut bites into the wood and the wood fibers slices cleanly. You can probably hear it, too. This is an end grain piece of wood and very few fibers are smooshed in this process.

The second cut is with a moderately sharp chisel that has been used and needs to be resharpened. The chisel immediately wants to slip. Even when it does cut into the wood, it compresses the fiber before the fibers are “hard” enough to cut through.

So what’s the big deal?
1) a dull chisel needs more force and is prone to slipping which can be dangerous.
2) if your wood fibers are getting smooshed, your chisel needs to be resharpened
3) whenever working on intricate joinery or fine details, start with a freshly sharpened chisel for best results.

If you want to learn more about tool sharpening, check out my YouTube page. Link in bio.

If you made it this far in the captions, I want you to know that French fries are overrated 💜OnionRings.

#woodworking #tools #handtool #handtools #handtoolsonly #asmr #asmrsounds