Old timer told me to stop squaring my chisels every time I sharpened them

Guy had been doing cabinets since the 70s, said I was wasting time and metal making them perfect 90s after every session. Tried his way where you just touch up the bevel, and I've been sharpening half as often with the same results. Anyone else get advice that went against everything you learned?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jordan14d ago

Eh, I mean sure, you're saving some time but is a slightly off square chisel really gonna ruin your dovetails? I'd rather take the extra minute to square it up than fight with a bad cut later on. Seems like a personal preference thing, not some universal secret.

cora_jenkins13d ago

The real trick nobody talks about is how often you actually use the chisel for paring versus chopping. Paring is where that square edge matters most, but most guys are just chopping waste out of dovetails. If your chisel stays sharp and cuts clean, that slight off-square won't even show. I've got one chisel I keep scary sharp but slightly wonky just for rough stuff, and another I keep dead square for when I'm trimming tenon shoulders flush. Different jobs, different tools.