Sharpening: The Hobby Inside the Hobby

Woodworking is supposed to be about building things—tables, cabinets, maybe a whiskey box if you’re feeling fancy. But somewhere along the way, sharpening chisels became its own full‑time hobby. You start with a dull chisel and a cheap whetstone, and before you know it, you’re knee‑deep in diamond plates, honing guides, water stones, oil stones, ceramic stones, and YouTube tutorials that insist you must sharpen at exactly 27.5 degrees or civilization will collapse.

Every woodworker swears their method is the One True Way. Some say water stones are the path to enlightenment, others insist on scary‑sharp sandpaper glued to glass, and a few purists claim you should only sharpen on the tears of frustrated beginners. Then there are the honing guides—little contraptions that promise to hold your chisel at the perfect angle but somehow always slip just enough to ruin your edge. By the time you’ve tried them all, you’ve spent more time sharpening than actually woodworking.

Of course, YouTube woodworkers don’t just have opinions—they have entire sharpening shrines. They casually demonstrate their setups: one has a $300 set of Japanese water stones arranged like a Zen garden, another swears by diamond plates so shiny they could signal passing aircraft, and a third uses sandpaper on glass because “it’s what the pros do.” And then comes the angle debate. Some say 25 degrees is the only way to achieve woodworking nirvana, others scoff and say 30 degrees is the secret to edge retention, and there’s always one rebel who insists 27.5 degrees is the sweet spot—because that’s what their great-grandpa did, and he built the Taj Mahal (or so the story goes).

So what angle to I use.

20° Angle (Low Angle)

Pros:

Achieves an edge so sharp it could slice atoms—or at least softwood, if you’re gentle.

Perfect for those delicate paring jobs where you want to feel like a samurai woodworker.

Great for hand-guided work, as long as you promise never to let a mallet anywhere near it.

Cons:

Dulls faster than your enthusiasm for sanding.

Chips if you so much as look at hardwood.

You’ll spend more time sharpening than actually building anything. Congratulations, you’re now a professional sharpener.

25° Angle (Standard/Bench Chisel)

Pros:

The Goldilocks zone: not too sharp, not too dull, just right for most jobs.

Slices through wood like butter—unless the butter is frozen.

Quick to sharpen, so you can get back to pretending you’re making progress.

Works for general bench chisels, which means you can blame the angle when things go wrong.

Cons:

Still not tough enough for heavy-duty mortising—unless you enjoy surprise edge failures.

Repeated mallet strikes or dense hardwoods will have your edge waving a white flag.

30° Angle (High Angle)

Pros:

Built for battle: stands up to heavy chopping, mortising, and the kind of wood that looks at you funny.

Laughs in the face of knots and tough grain.

Ideal for bench work, mortising, and end grain—basically, when you want your chisel to survive.

Cons:

Cutting is less “slicey” and more “brute force.” Prepare to sweat.

Sharpening takes longer, so you can reflect on your life choices.

Not recommended for fine paring—unless you like your details chunky.

Micro-Bevels (e.g., 25° main bevel + 30° micro-bevel)

Pros:

The best of both worlds, or so the internet claims.

Quick touch-ups between major sharpening sessions—because who has time for a full spa day?

Popular among woodworkers who want to sound fancy in forums.

Cons:

Adds another step, and another reason to procrastinate.

Sparks endless debates online. Some say 30°, others 35°, and there’s always one person who insists on 27.5° just to be difficult.

35°+ Angle (Extra Steep)

Pros:

Maximum durability for chisels that see more abuse than your shop vacuum.

Edge lasts longer, so you can ignore sharpening for a while.

Cons:

Cutting efficiency drops off a cliff—bring your muscles.

Fine woodworking? Forget it. This is the sledgehammer of chisel angles.

How Do You Choose?

Softwoods & Paring: Go low (20°–25°) and enjoy the fleeting sharpness.

Hardwoods & Heavy Chopping: Go high (30°–35°) and embrace your inner lumberjack.

General Use: 25°–30° is the sweet spot, unless you enjoy chaos.

Indecisive or YouTube-influenced: Try a micro-bevel and prepare for heated comment section debates.

And remember, no matter what angle you choose, there’s always a YouTuber ready to tell you you’re wrong—usually while sharpening at 27.5° with a diamond plate, water stone, and a honing guide made from the tears of frustrated beginners. No matter what you choose You’ll find yourself hunched over your bench, squinting at a protractor, trying to hit the “magic angle.” Meanwhile, your chisel is getting smaller and your patience thinner. You start to wonder if the real reason for all these sharpening methods is to keep woodworkers too busy to actually build anything. After all, if you spend enough time fussing over micro-bevels, you’ll never have to admit you still haven’t finished that whiskey box.