I just received a Narex mortise chisel from Highland today. I typically make bridal joints because I don't have a good way to make accurate mortises (I try to avoid the router whenever possible) so I thought I'd try chopping them by hand. I planned to drill out the waist then use the chisel to quickly clean it up. Well, I was counting on the cross section of the chisel being square, as the description said that it maintains it's full profile along its length. I was disappointed to see that the profile is trapaziodal and actually tapers along its length.
I'm new to mortise chisels, so maybe I'm missing something. This profile makes no sense to me. With the trapazoidal shape, it would be hard to keep the tool straight as it is driven and with the way it tapers, the width of the edge gradually reduces each time it gets re-ground. Clearly I need some advice.
Thanks
David