Wood Chisel Warning

Not to be too sarcastic, but at least the printing was in Roman characters.

I recall reading at least 10 years ago that Stanley off-shored some of its production. First, to someplace in the Caribbean, then China.

What I was taught is that what is good in most cases was a "micro bevel" at the edge. (google that, if you like) For flat bench chisels, that means honing down the edge a few degrees flatter. Seems counter intuitive, but the small slightly flatter wedge allows the chisel to bulldoze into the grain, and then let the wood ride up over the main bevel. They also are designed for roughing out.

Eventually, the bevel rounds off, and must be renewed. When it becomes too thick, then the principle bevel must be restored. I had a chisel at work that had seen over 50 years of use. Thankfully, by that time I was good enough w. a large belt sander that I could restore the main bevel in a minute.

For home use, an inexpensive jig can be found for maybe $7 - 8, and a double grit sharpening stone will do.