A chisel is one of the handiest and important tools to keep when woodworking. They can cut mortises, shave through rough surfaces, scrape off excess glue, and chop out corners. It is an indispensable item in your toolset, and you will definitely make the most out of this simple tool.
Nothing beats a razor-sharp chisel, for when you need to carve out a recess or scrap away on wood, but chisels don’t stay razor-sharp on their own.
You will need to use a chisel sharpener to keep your chisel as sharp as possible, but you need to ensure you buy only the best chisel sharpener to ensure that it does not damage the chisel, but instead gives it the cleanest, razor-sharp edge possible.
Which is the best chisel sharpener? The best chisel sharpener is a honing guide. A high-quality whetstone will work too, although it can be tricky to use well. It is important to look for a sharpener that is not big and clunky, small enough for easy storage, but still offers effective and easy sharpening of a chisel.
Choosing the right chisel sharpener will help you ensure that your chisel is kept constantly sharp and long-lasting. So let’s learn more about the best chisel sharpeners out there – and how to use them.
The 5 Best Chisel Sharpeners
To help you choose the perfect chisel sharpener to keep in your toolbox, here are the 5 best we can find:
Rank | Product | Details |
---|---|---|
1. | CartLife Honing Guide Jig | Chisels 1/8" to 1-7/8" wide |
2. | Tecke Stainless Steel Honing Guide | Clamping range 8-82mm |
3. | Sharp Pebble Sharpening Whetstone | 1000/6000 dual grit, versatile |
4. | Atlin Honing Guide | Chisels 1/8" to 1-7/8" wide |
5. | Dongrton Knife Sharpening Stone Kit | 400/1000, 3000/8000 grit (2 stones) |
Let’s look at each a little more closely, so you can be sure to get the best one for your needs.
1. CartLife Honing Guide Jig
The CartLife Honing Guide Jig is so effective when it comes to chisel sharpening, and it is an affordable tool as well.
Using a hardened carbon steel roller wheel, the honing jig chisel sharpener will not wear down over time or develop flat spots.
The actual body of the chisel sharpener is made from durable cast aluminum and is totally coated with anti-rust paint. It is long-lasting and very durable in the workplace.
The clamping width can be adjusted with the rotating screw-cap. The sharpening guide will fit chisels measuring 1/8’’ to 1-7/8’’ in width and plane irons from 1-3/8’’ to 3-/8’’ in width. This includes flat jaws for mortise chisels and grooved jaws for paring chisels.
The sharpening angles can be accurately set by adjusting the tool projection, with the different angles and settings available in the instruction pamphlet.
This is one of the handiest tools to have in your woodworking space, and it will be your go-to for all chisel sharpening!
2. Tecke Stainless Steel Honing Guide
The Tecke Stainless Steel Honing Guide is made with a brass and stainless steel roller designer, which gives you more choice and allows you to move backward and forward during the sharpening process without restriction.
Using anti-slip, you can keep sharpening in the same direction, with the smooth and safe surface allowing for easy sharpening. You are also able to adjust the clamping width by rotating the screw cap. The clamping range is from 8-82mm.
It is ideal for sharpening a wood chisel, a planer, a blade, a graver, a carving knife, plane iron, and flat chisel edge sharpening.
3. Sharp Pebble Sharpening Whetstone
This complete sharpening kit comes with a double-sided premium quality whetstone, a bamboo base to hold the stone, a knife sharpening angle guide, and a very useful instruction manual.
The knife sharpening stone is incredibly durable and long-lasting and is able to sharpen any blade, including chisel blades.
To make it safer to work with when woodworking, it has a silicone base and a non-slip bamboo base to prevent accidents from happening and ensuring that the stone is fixed in one place. The sharpening angle allows you to maintain the correct angle to safely apply constant pressure while sharpening.
It is very easy to assemble and is very user-friendly, and there is no need for expensive honing oils or sharpening oils, as the whetstone only requires water for sharpening. It can be easily cleaned using water as well.
Only premium quality sharp pebble whetstone is used to create the sharpening stone, ensuring that only the best materials are used to give your chisel the sharpest possible edge, with no damage done.
4. Atlin Honing Guide
The Atlin Honing Guide is the ideal tool to use to extend the life of your tools. You can forget the days of trying to find the correct angle by hand or accidentally tapering the edge of your chisel.
The Atlin Honing Guide allows you to easily and effortlessly choose the desired sharpening angle, to consistently achieve the perfect edge on your chisel and other tools.
There is more to using a honing tool than what it seems, so this one comes with a comprehensive guide to make using it that much easier, including step-by-step instructions that anyone can follow.
You can adjust the tool projection, which measures 25’’ and 30’’ angles, to suit what you need. It is a self-centering and fully adjustable tool, which really has been created to be versatile for many different needs.
A hardened steel roller wheel will not wear down over time or develop those dreaded flat spots. The body of the chisel sharpener is made from durable cast aluminum, and it is as long-lasting and durable as you could hope for.
Adjustable to achieve all the angles you could need, this honing jig is a great option for keeping chisels razor sharp.
5. Dongrton Knife Sharpening Stone Kit
This unique knife sharpening stone is the key to keeping your chisels sharp, as well as other tools and knives.
The complete knife sharpening kit comes with a double-sided premium quality whetstone, two non-slip mats, and a reliable bamboo base.
The double-sided whetstone helps to sharpen, smooth, and polish your chisel if needed. With a silicone base, you can be sure that it is completely safe to use.
You should consider keeping this sharpening stone kit in your home if you use a chisel for hobby purposes, and have other sharp edges that need maintenance in your home, such as knives, scissors, axes, and even a machete.
You can keep edges smooth and polished using this one simple tool, which is easy, safe, and incredibly convenient.
Chisel Sharpening Basics
Maintaining a sharp chisel will make your woodworking projects so much simpler. There is nothing worse than having a dull tool that just does not do what you need it to.
Older chisels will also need to be reshaped, as they more than likely will have nicked or rounded tips. Most of the above chisel sharpening tools can help smooth out the nicks and chips. You are also able to polish the chisel to get it back to a good texture, which is easy to work with.
Most of the proper chisel sharpeners will come with an instruction manual on how to set the jigs to different angles to accommodate for different chisels and different tool. So make sure to check these out to ensure you are using the jig and sharpener in the best way possible.
When choosing a chisel sharpener, you not only need to choose one which will help extend the life of your chisel but a jig that is durable and has a long life span of its own.
What is the Correct Angle to Use When Sharpening a Chisel?
A new chisel should have just one bevel, which is usually 25 degrees. However, the tool should be sharpened at around 30 degrees, which creates a new bevel.
Sharpening a bevel between 30 and 35 degrees gives you a sharp cutting edge, so it is the angle range you should maintain by honing the chisel on a regular basis.
If you are using the chisel for cutting softwood or are doing some delicate work, you should keep the angle at 30 degrees, as this will give you a much sharper blade.
How Do You Sharpen a Chisel Without a Honing Jig?
You can use a whetstone to sharpen a chisel if you do not have a honing jig. This will not give you the best precision as you would want when sharpening a chisel, but it is fine for hobby use and for when you want one sharpening tool to use for multiple blades.
There are some reliable whetstones to use which are great to sharpen chisels and other blades, but you will need to make sure you know what you are doing to not cause any damage to the chisel when using these.
The Best Chisel Sharpener
A good chisel sharpener, such as a chisel honing jig or a whetstone, should help to keep your chisels sharp and smooth. However, you need to ensure that the chisel sharpener you choose is long-lasting and durable itself, so you can rely on it to keep your tools sharp for an extended period.
It is always better to choose a honing jig designed for chisel sharpening, but if you only use your chisel now and then, a whetstone should be fine to use once in a while. Remember you cannot have a chisel without a reliable chisel sharpener!
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