Bevel Edge Bench Chisels

[ken hatch]

I had never heard this before. Ken, I am no where near experienced but I have been using these chisels a few years and never thought the angle was that bad. Am I missing out on a serious improvement? I started out on these chisels so I really never noticed it was wrong if it is.

Thanks
Joe

Joe,

If they work for you they are not wrong and I doubt you are missing anything, that part is pretty simple.

There are several factors involved in my rejection of A-2 steel for chisels. The biggest is needing special sharpening media and slow to sharpen and next is weakness of the edge at more acute bevels. Sometimes for paring I like bevels of less than 25 degrees, A-2 edges tend to be weaker below 30 degrees than high carbon edges.

I'm in the sharpen as you work school. My sharpening bench is a couple of steps to the left of the main bench and I freehand sharpen so edge retention is lower on my wish list than ease of sharpening and I dislike the mess and fiddliness of water stones. At one time LN offered O-1 and A-2 steel in both their chisels and plane irons, I think they made a mistake when they dropped O-1. Of course as with all things wood YMMV.

ken

[Stewie Simpson]

I agree with Ken. LNs decision to stop offering 01 was a woeful marketing move.

[michael langman]

I couldn't agree more. To me O-1 is the ultimate all around steel for chisels and plane irons.