- Tools & Workshop > - Basic Grinding 101 Basic Grinding 101
Follow the three steps necessary to sharpen a chisel or similar
tool with a grinding wheel. - Photo: donaldson.com I've never
seen the guy so angry: His wife used a favorite chisel to open a
paint can and my friend Dominick took it personally. The big
nick in the edge of that chisel was, well, just about criminal
in his eyes. Ordinarily, a chisel or plane iron needs little
more than an occasional honing on a water- or oilstone - unless,
of course, it's been abused. A nick or other significant
imperfection in its edge as the result of an encounter with a
nail (or a paint can) or another tool will mean a more difficult
sharpening job. The bench grinder is the tool of choice for such
tasks. One advantage the grinding wheel has is speed: It's
quicker than using a coarse whetstone. Another is its shape: The
tiny arc the wheel grinds into the tool is a hollow-grind, which
means that the tool is likely to retain its sharpness for many
honings. To return a