How to Sharpen Wood Carving Skew Chisels
Skew chisels are ideal for reaching into tight corners and finishing intricate details where a standard chisel won't fit. Proper sharpening will increase the quality and quantity of your work.
If you are sharpening with water stones, soak them in water for five or 10 minutes before starting. For oil stones, apply a small quantity of oil to the surface. Start with a coarse grit if it has been a while between sharpenings or the chisel is heavily damaged. Otherwise, start with a medium grit stone and move up to the fine grit.
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Instructions
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Place the sharpening stone on a stable, flat surface.
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Grasp the handle of the chisel firmly and place the last inch or so of the face, or back side, of the chisel on the sharpening stone. Use your other hand to apply even downward pressure on the blade. Move the blade back and forth along the stone about 20 times.
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Flip the blade over and place the bevel of the chisel flat on the sharpening stone. Hold the blade with both index fingers placed in front of it to provide downward pressure and support the back of the blade with your thumbs. Push the blade back and forth and in a figure-eight motion about 20 times.
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Continue alternating between sides until the scratch pattern on the face and bevel of the chisel are uniform.
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Repeat the process using the next finer stone until you have used your finest stone.
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Tips & Warnings
Use a nagura stone on water stones finer than 5,000-grit to create a slurry to aid in the sharpening and polishing of the skew chisel. Simply rub the soft stone on the water stone in a circular motion a few times.
