The day I figured out I'd been sharpening chisels backward for 15 years

I was at a workshop in Philly last summer, and this old timer named Gene watched me sharpen a chisel for like 30 seconds. He just shook his head and said 'you're grinding the wrong side, kid.' I was putting the primary bevel on the back flat instead of the actual edge face. Took me a second to realize he meant I was working the flat side instead of the angled side. Felt like a total goof when I flipped it and got a razor edge in half the time. Anybody else ever get called out by an old hand for doing something basic the wrong way for years?

2 comments

2 Comments

amy_anderson1mo ago

Oh man, "grinding the wrong side" hit me right in the gut because I did basically the same thing with my plane irons for like 10 years. I was at a local woodworking club meeting and one of the older guys, Bob, watched me set up my block plane for a demo. He just said "son, that iron's backwards" and I had no clue what he meant. Turns out I had the bevel facing the wrong way, like I was trying to use it as a scraper. Felt like such a dope when he flipped it around and the plane actually cut instead of just pushing wood fibers around. I still think about that moment every time I sharpen something, keeps me humble.

spencer7821mo ago

Yeah Bob sounds like the kind of guy who could watch you do something wrong for ten minutes before saying anything. I had a guy at the lumber yard tell me I was using my tape measure backwards once, still not sure what he meant but I just nodded and walked away.