Why I like dull chisels- and you should too! 

▼EXPAND THIS SECTION FOR IMPORTANT INFO▼ ★THIS VIDEO WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY★ Tormek's complete sharpening systems: amzn.to/35jvOeE *Please help support us by using the link above for a quick look around!* (If you use one of these affiliate links, we may receive a small commission) ★SOME OF MY FAVORITE CHEAP TOOLS★ -123 Blocks: lddy.no/vpij -Mechanical Pencils: amzn.to/2PA7bwK -Lumber pencil: amzn.to/2QtwZjv -Pocket Measuring Tape: amzn.to/2kNTlI9 -Irwin Drill Bit Gauge: amzn.to/2AwTkQg -Nut/Bolt/Screw Gauge: amzn.to/2CuvxSK -Self-Centering Punch: amzn.to/2QvbcrC -Self-Centering Bits: amzn.to/2xs71UW -Angle Cube: lddy.no/10nam -Steel Ruler: lddy.no/10mv7 -Utility knife: amzn.to/3nfhIiv -Center-Finding Ruler: lddy.no/10nak -Bit & Blade Cleaner: amzn.to/2TfvEOI -Digital depth gauge: amzn.to/3mwRf2x -Wood Glue: amzn.to/3mqek6M -Spade Bits: amzn.to/3j8XPtD ★SOME OF MY FAVORITE HAND TOOLS★ -Digital Caliper: amzn.to/384H1Or -Marking Gauge: lddy.no/10muz -Marking knife: lddy.no/10mv0 -Narex Chisels: lddy.no/sqm3 -Stanley Sweetheart Chisels: amzn.to/3y5HDOc -Mini Pull Saw: amzn.to/2UEHBz6 -Gent Saw: lddy.no/ss2x -Coping saw: amzn.to/2W7ZiUS -Shinwa Rulers: lddy.no/zl13 ★SOME OF MY FAVORITE POWER TOOLS★ -Miter Saw: amzn.to/3gqIlQ8 -Jointer: amzn.to/3yc3gfZ -Planer: amzn.to/3mn6BGF -Router: amzn.to/3grD22S -Sander: amzn.to/3DdvD0Y -Cordless drill: amzn.to/3D9ZiIm -Brad nailer: amzn.to/3gsRkjH -Mini Compressor: amzn.to/3mvrmQr -Bladerunner: amzn.to/2Wl0TtJ -Jig Saw: amzn.to/3zetTBY -Scroll Saw: amzn.to/3gq9qDc -Multi-Tool: amzn.to/3muZuMi ★SOME OF MY FAVORITE OTHER TOOLS★ -Drill Bits: amzn.to/3B8Ckzh -Forstner Bits: amzn.to/3kk3wEI -Shop Vacuum: amzn.to/2Wkqnbl -Machine Setup Blocks: amzn.to/3gq7kDh -Counter-Sink Bit: amzn.to/37ZukUo -Featherboard: amzn.to/3DeqHsq -ISOtunes Hearing Protection (Save $10): bit.ly/3BHYdH7 (If you use one of the affiliate links above, we may receive a small commission)

Thanks James. I'm new to woodworking and I just lost my 96 year old woodworking mentor. I can't imagine what knowledge I just lost out on learning. But I bet he knew this. Just didn't have enough time to teach me. I think I found a new source of woodworking wisdom.

I'm not even a woodworker, but I still religiously watch this channel. My grandfather (RIP) and father did woodwork as a hobby/side job throughout their lives. I'm sure my grandfather would have loved all of the great info. I consider this a "scholarly" channel.

Discovered this many years ago quite by accident. Good to know I’m not crazy. Thanks!

So it's a small card scraper with a handle. Cool!

It's kind of like a really stiff and narrow card scraper. Or the crisp square spine of a bushcraft knife (my Morakniv does this job for me pretty well).

And here I was waiting for the can of paint to come out and see you open it with your "special chisel" trick. 😀

I don't remember where I first learned about these, but I had an extra chisel I wasn't using at the time and put the square edge on it free hand on diamond. Always keep it close on hand working with maple, works even with the grain too. I really like using it for big knots and messy grain when surfacing things, since it acts like a card scraper, it works all directions, but the thicker edge lasts so much longer and it won't cramp your hand as badly. Can really put a lot of force behind it to get through that knot.

Dang you're good. Never ever thought of that and never heard of it. AND, I can do that in NZ - unlike buying some-of your favourite tools! Brilliant as always! Thanks.

After watching this video, I had need of such a blunt chisel to remove a little errant glue residue. But, in the search for the appropriate sacrificial chisel, I decided instead on a small file used for steel. It worked very well, so much so that today when faced with even more glue squeeze-out on a table top, I grabbed a larger flat chisel and sharpened the blunt end on the belt sander. It was the “bomb”. That chisel steel is perfect for this repurpose. Thanks, James!

My grandfather (a pattern maker for Ford Motor in the 1930's) referred to these as a stiff scraper. He had a whole set of them, along with the largest collection of spoke-shaves and curve sole planes (concave and convex) I have ever personally seen. Great video!

My blunt tools hold their bluntness forever, Hahaha Love your work, my father wood have loved it.

Very cool. Coincidentally, I was just working on a project today where my super sharp chisel wanted to dig in deeper than I wanted it to and because of how the work was laid out I couldn't approach it from a different direction. This blunt end concept would have been spot on. I have one or two chisels that'll make ideal candidates for this and will set them up tomorrow. Thanks for sharing it.

This is now in my top 10 tips and tricks. And I have the perfect set of chisels to use to set this up. When I first started woodworking, I bought those cheap Harbor Freight chisels. They worked well enough, and held an ok edge, until I could afford my Narex. Now, I have another use for those HF chisels. Sweet!! Thanks James

That curved wood reminded me of a time when an old woodworker friend pulled out a pack of playing cards and wrapped some glasspaper around it. He had a complex set of curves to sand along the top of a skirting board. The cards conformed to the shape perfectly and he made quick and accurate work of it. He said that he bought his cards from a casino as they dispose of perfectly good cards regularly dirt cheap. He had electrical tape around the top to bottom to keep them straight but the cards between the outer cards were free to move.

My great grandfather taught this to me when he was teaching me. As you note it can be a real help on hardwood.

They are also good for cleaning up final exterior surfaces of 3D prints where the printer has added too much material and it is uneven - usually I print with 3 shells which gives me a little post-print processing capability.

This was a good video on scrapers, but not much was said about dull chisels and their uses. The main use for a dull chisel is pranking your friend who wants to borrow a chisel and doesn't think to sharpen their chisels often enough.

This is an amazing channel. I really wish I had this skill. Thank you.

Actually had a few sized curved gouges and blunt chisels when I worked on many turn of the century buildings. The Ratto's building, 1897, had many moldings we were fixing but were long out of production. A filling then a shaped scraper finished with these chisels and gouges worked wonders! (A paper in the wall has W.C.Fields coming to the local theater!)

That's a great tip. I have a couple of chisels that will now be given new purpose, thanks, James.

I didn't have any "old" chisels that were not already nice and sharp. But I do have an old metal file that I'd ground the teeth off and used the end as a scraper for metal and mechanical work. It never occurred to me to try it on wood. But fresh off the fine stone it works just as you say and showed. And best of all because it's not tapered like a regular chisel I get two edges off the one end sharpening. Perhaps because the file is full hard I also found that fresh off the grinder the edge works pretty darn nice on softwood end grain too. And it's obviously super easy and fast to touch it up. I believe I now have a new favorite tool for the wood shop thanks to your video. Thanks for re-surfacing this old idea.

Learn something new. It seems my cheapie beginner chisels will always have a purpose now. I am not anywhere near a place to upgrade but I like knowing they will have purpose.

So it's like a long, small, card scraper! Neat!

"The more you know" ... great information that I have never seen anywhere else. Thank You

Many thanks, James! Excellent as usual. It is always a pleasure to watch your videos!

Been woodworking for 40 years. A great new tip to try. Thanks!

Great tip Stumpy!!!

Omg your tool shelf organization is beautiful 😍

As usual some really great info packed into a well conceived and tightly produced package. I never miss a post(!) (always looking for the next one!) Thanks!! - - Finally a sharpening job I can handle, first try. And I love my Tormek, it's a thing of (functional) beauty that I enjoy using, every time. It's the best sharpening decision / acquisition I ever made

Thanks Stumpy! I love it when I'm completely surprised with something of never heard of or considered before!

Thanks for sharing this info with all of us that had no idea this would work. You explained and showed how it works really good. Stay safe and keep up the great informative videos. Fred.

Thanks for bringing this wisdom around. Easy, simple, good advice

Interesting advice. I keep a few "dull" chisels around for clean up tasks where I don't want it to bite into the material (though, for me it's less woodworking and more scraping rogue epoxy droplets off of fiberglass or aluminium), but I never thought about using a 90° blunt one. Going to have to try that later. RIP not having a bench grinder though.

I think your chisels aren’t as dull as the ONE I own. It’s used more as a pry bar and has chunks out of it. That being said, what a eye opener! I love your videos! I always learn new things that keep my tiny workshop productive and safe.

Excellent advocacy for varieties of sharpness. I find the same benefit with very slightly dull router bits, especially on interior cuts and softer woods. Bit is easier to control and less likely to take off. Just have to be watchful for heat, as it will tend to scorch easier. Smells good though so it's win-win!

A wonderful tip, shared concisely and demonstrated well. Thank you very much for this video.

cool idea to use one of your chisels as a mini scraper ! thanks !

I always say if I just learn one thing a day is a good day, but it makes sense especially when demonstrating the two chisels. As always thank you.

I'm not a woodworker yet but I watch this channel and others for inspiration while I prep a space for me to get started.

Very interesting ,thank you. I'll definitely be trying this. On a similar note it is often much easier to remove bark from green timber with a dull draw knife than with a sharp one.

Very useful idea for the toolbox.

This was a mind exploder. Heck of a good tip, thank you!

Another overlooked tool set is the cabinet scraper. They work on a similar level but are much more useful

Thanks for the great video, James. This is very helpful. I am excited to try this out.

That was so interesting! I'm so getting a cheap set of chisels and doing that! Thanks!

Awesome tip. The old ways are usually the best because they were developed and refined over time. Unfortunately it seems we are close to losing a lot of that old wisdom. Keep’m coming.

Thanks for the video, always enjoy watching!

Reminds me of the cutting geometry of metal machining cutters, specifically broach tools in particular. Neutral rake, or very slight positive rake. The cutting edge is still very sharp, but the angle is very close to a 90 degree angle. I can definitely see how this would be useful, and I would also hazard a guess that it would work well with metals as well.

I saw the topic and nearly didn’t watch. But James has never steered me wrong, and I’m delighted I learned this clever trick.

This guy is the Bomb. Thanks Stumpy!

This is a similar trick to putting a steep back bevel on a (bevel down) plane iron for scraping stubborn grain. Never thought of using it on a chisel! Great tip.

A new thought to me and clearly makes sense. Thank you.

Interesting, I have a few old chisels laying around that are banged up and I don't want to spend the time fixing up so I'll have to give this a try. I am still in the softwood practice phase of my project but will be moving onto more hardwoods soon.

Awesome tip and video!

Chisels sharpened like this can be useful if you are making a wooden plane, for example. Such a chisel works well for cleaning up the bed of the plane. Thanks for the video!

I keep a blunt chisel on me at all times while I'm at work, and I use it almost everyday. It even works for tightening and loosening screws. We electricians like to call them electrician's chisel's/prybars, but most people would just call them large flat blade screwdrivers.

Fascinating - I learn something new on everyone of your videos. Thank you

It is still a "sharp" edge that we want, just not a thin one. This is a great idea, as it reduces "dig" on the chisel action.

Always a gem of a video, even if the topic is very specific. Thx.

Very informative. Thanks James.

I have a lot of dull tools hanging around and now I have another way to sharpen them. Thanks.

This works for a bench plane also, I discovered thanks to this video. Put a 45 degree bevel on the top side of the plane blade and it will plane hickory smooth.

Thanks for sharing those tips

Nothing to add as you covered every one of my observations of using blunt chisels. It's a fantastic technique and a great way to keep on using ones 'beater' chisels.

Blunt, or just high angle? I use a variety of angles for different materials. Soft or ring porous woods like razor sharp edges. Abrasive woods like forest grown teak will chew up a fine edge quickly. Obstinate grains as you demonstrate need a scraper. The ultimate is a metal cutting cold chisel which may have a 90° included angle.

My Granddad was an accomplished amateur woodworker as was my Dad. I'm more of a carver but in all my years of experience, including 40 years in architectural design and technology, I have never come across this technique before. Thanks for another class vid'. Every day is a school day, eh?

you got a good eye for tools and detail man! I found that between 25 an 26 degrees back from the 90 to be good also

Very good! I thought I was going to hear some heresy here today but you made a great case! I would never have thought to purposely blunt and edge like that. Kudos!

I can die in peace tonight knowing I actually learnt something new today :lol: Thank you; I would have never guessed that one .

Seems like the perfect application for a carbide headed chisel or gouge. It's the same principle behind machining tools after all.

Awesome stuff stumps, appreciate the tips!!

Never sharpen my chisels, okay, got it.

Love your videos. Great job. Thanks!

OK James : I admit it I had been Wood working for years and I had never heard of this trick , thanks for sharing I am going to go buy me a set of inexpensive chisels just for this use , you come up with the best tips I cant wait to see what you come up with for us next. PS im a new Subscriber and i have really been enjoying going back through some of your older shows I bet I sit and watch a couple hours of your shows one after the other every night James C

I just use a razor blade for scraping purposes...and have not a lathe....although I have thought of making a homemade one. Thanks for the cool displays on how to use these. I could definitely see the benefit of most of them!

Brilliant information, I’m always happy to learn. Much appreciated, thank you. 👍👍

This is brilliant and I don't know why I have never thought of this!!!!! Awesome.

Click-bait title but definitely a valid tip! That 90 degree chisel is definitely NOT dull. As anyone who has put a sharp 90 degree edge on a piece of hardwood can tell you.

Despite I have known about the blunt chisel trick, I always enjoy your videos. They are very interesting, full of unique knowledge and really useful in workshop.

Great advice. I had the opportunity, yesterday, to purchase an old bench grinder. I don't have the room, and I am glad I didn't. Again, great advice. Thank you Sir.

I make special blunt profiles on chisels to use as veining tools in Whitesmithing.

That's a good addition to the knowledge quiver. Thanks

I picked up a wooden scraper plane kit from Hock Tools a few months ago. I had never even heard of a scraper plane before, but it is similar to this. The plan blade is at a similar angle to using a chisel like this. This plane has worked so well for me, that I don't really need my scrapers anymore. But I will probably try this chisel trick, as there are smaller jobs where the plane (or scraper) won't work.

I use such dull tools for scratching paint or glue. Very useful!

Back when I was a heavy equipment mechanic I ground two cheap cold chisels to a blunt squared off edge(?). There were lots of times they saved me a lot of time on jobs. Cheers from New Brunswick Canada...eh.

Huh. Makes perfect sense once you see it in action. Thanks for yet another great video

thanks for the info. i work a lot with hard wood and have run across the problems you talked about often. this will save me a lot of sandpaper. i mean face it, everyone surely has a old chisel laying around.

Love your work 👍

Pretty cool James. Never heard of this technique. Never even occurred to me.

Outstanding idea and I have a couple of chisels perfect for this. Sad part is that I think I knew this intuitively as I have had this issue, but I always ran to sharpen the edge.

When I was carving a lot of guitar necks I used to sharpen the sides of my chisels like this and then use them like a drawknife crossed with a scraper to refine the concave compound curved where the shaft of the neck transitions to the head and heel.

I have a couple older chisels that I set up like this after watching your video. I haven't used the a lot, but it is great to have when you need them. I know I use scrappers a fair amount on the lathe so it seems logical to use them in this fashion as well.

This one was new to me. Thanks.

Nice tip - I have used this for years. I disagree with the blunt gouge tip, however. Rarely does a gouge dig in like a straight chisel. You can use a sharp gouge pretty much anywhere

This is pretty much the wood equivalent to 'hand scraping' metal. Makes sense!

I learned something new, thanks!

I was shown this “trick” by an old carpenter I worked with 59 years ago! I’ve kept a “blunt” chisel in my rack ever since ……. Makes a great scraper to be used in special situations 🤠

Hey James, you taught an old dog a new trick! Thanks

Well I’ll be darn…….didn’t know! Never to old to learn or share. Thanks again Stump!