08-05-2017, 09:15 PM
That's a good point about carbide edges. I have some new/unused carbide edges in my shop, I'll test them when I get a chance. It might even be worth sharpening one of them to see how far it can be taken.
I didn't know that A2 was normally sharpened at a different angle from O1, that's an interesting piece of information. Most of my chisels are A2, but I have a few that aren't, though I doubt I've left any of them at the factory angle to check for that. I've heard a lot about Lie-Nielsen's heat treatment process, and it seems quite elaborate, The cryogenic process they use has very controlled and specific rates of temperature changes, and periods to remain at specific temperatures. I'm sure it's all automated, so not hugely expensive, but I'm guessing more expensive than O1. I do like their steel, though; I can always seem to get a better edge on it than on my Veritas tools.
I agree with your statement about the level of sharpness. I think that's why I've become obsessed with sharpening - I'm always disappointed in the sharpness of my carving tools, and really want to be able to bring them to the level I think they should be at. Now that I can measure them, I'm hoping my practice is more productive.
Which leads me to a question (maybe more appropriate in a different thread): I measured one of my new gouges today using a disposable test clip, and the result was quite low. The guidance on the disposables was to expect low readings, and multiply by 1.2 to get an actual value. Does that sound about right from experience. I ask because I tested a straight edge on both the spooled block and with the disposable, and the ratio there was about 1.6, but I only measured once each, so not a great sample.
I didn't know that A2 was normally sharpened at a different angle from O1, that's an interesting piece of information. Most of my chisels are A2, but I have a few that aren't, though I doubt I've left any of them at the factory angle to check for that. I've heard a lot about Lie-Nielsen's heat treatment process, and it seems quite elaborate, The cryogenic process they use has very controlled and specific rates of temperature changes, and periods to remain at specific temperatures. I'm sure it's all automated, so not hugely expensive, but I'm guessing more expensive than O1. I do like their steel, though; I can always seem to get a better edge on it than on my Veritas tools.
I agree with your statement about the level of sharpness. I think that's why I've become obsessed with sharpening - I'm always disappointed in the sharpness of my carving tools, and really want to be able to bring them to the level I think they should be at. Now that I can measure them, I'm hoping my practice is more productive.
Which leads me to a question (maybe more appropriate in a different thread): I measured one of my new gouges today using a disposable test clip, and the result was quite low. The guidance on the disposables was to expect low readings, and multiply by 1.2 to get an actual value. Does that sound about right from experience. I ask because I tested a straight edge on both the spooled block and with the disposable, and the ratio there was about 1.6, but I only measured once each, so not a great sample.