Sharpening a putty knife Home

[davyfireball]

why do you only sharpen a putty knife - a hoe -chisels- and lawn mower blades on 1 side . I just want to know more than . Because my dad told me so .

 

[DoubleO7]

I would say to force the cuttings to one side versus both sides of the blade.

 

[J Hamilton]

I was always told because if you sharpen both sides like a knife, the edge will round off and dull much quicker shortening it's usefulness

 

[Dusty MI]

If you sharpen the handle side of a hoe, that will help in go into the ground. That is one example, many other things are similar.

 

[DaveBN]

Use one side of your wood chips then turn it over and try the other side down. You'll see the reason right away. One side diggs in and the other side kinda glanced off the work.
Dave

 

[Steve in VA]

Use one side of your wood chips then turn it over and try the other side down. You'll see the reason right away. One side diggs in and the other side kinda glanced off the work.
Dave

Kinda why chisels are only sharpened on one side.

 

[Janicholson]

why do you only sharpen a putty knife - a hoe -chisels- and lawn mower blades on 1 side . I just want to know more than . Because my dad told me so .

If a putty knife was sharpened on both sides of the edge, the handle would need to be tipped way up to get a clean edge contact with the work. The purpose is to have the sharp edge scraping the surface of glass, or a block/head flatness. if sharp on one side, that side can allow the handle to be close to parallel with the plane of the casting. This increases the lifting action and also keeps it from "stubbing" in as often. Jim

 

[RJKeith]

Don't know about a putty knife, and a hoe, but you sharpen a wood chisel on both sides. (Hand plane too) The back side you lap flat, and then the front side is the bevel. I always sharpen my chisels and planes with a hone too, not a grinder, and finish with a black Arkansas stone for a mirror like finish. Cuts like a dream.

 

[MarkB_MI]

If sharpen a blade on one side at, say, 15 degrees, you have a 15 degree edge. If you sharpen both sides at 15 degrees, you have a much blunter 30 degree edge. But the main reason, as Jim sez, is that if you sharpen both sides you have to hold the tool at a much sharper angle to bring the edge in contact to the work.

Any woodworker will tell you there are two ways to use a wood chisel: If you hold the flat side down, it will gouge deeply to remove wood. If you hold the bevel side down, you can more easily control the depth of the cut in order to smooth the wood.

A lawnmower blade sharpened on both sides won't cut well, since it tends to bend the grass rather than cut it.

 

[davyfireball]

Thank you for your knowledge. I’m getting old. But I still want to learn . Davy

 

[Ozlander]

I've never sharpened a putty knife. Never saw the need.

 

[Cliff(VA)]

why do you only sharpen a putty knife - a hoe -chisels- and lawn mower blades on 1 side . I just want to know more than . Because my dad told me so .

#1 Carving gouges (flat) come in both single and double bevel. The single bevel gives you two different ways (angles) to attack the wood. A double bevel allows you to rock the tools back and forth to control the depth of cut better. I have some of both.

I think the truth of the matter is that it is more simple to sharpen the bevel on one side for most tools. Knifes and axes need to cut straight into things and thus are beveled on both sides. A single bevel would cause them to move to one side when cutting.

I do also have some single bevel marking knives that allow you to follow an edge of a metal rule closer for more precise lines.

Single bevel chisel
Double bevel chisel

I hope that sheds some light on the subject.

Regards,

Cliff (VA) now (NC)

 

[old]

why do you only sharpen a putty knife - a hoe -chisels- and lawn mower blades on 1 side . I just want to know more than . Because my dad told me so .

On a chisel I think it depends on what type you are using. I have them with only 1 side sharp and others that the angle is both sides.

 

[Janicholson]

On a chisel I think it depends on what type you are using. I have them with only 1 side sharp and others that the angle is both sides.

Correct. Wood chisels are one sided cold chisels are two sided. Jim

 

[guido]

why do you only sharpen a putty knife - a hoe -chisels- and lawn mower blades on 1 side . I just want to know more than . Because my dad told me so .

Best example is a wood plane, chips will fly,

Guido.

 

[MarkB_MI]

I've never sharpened a putty knife. Never saw the need.

I've never sharpened a putty knife. Never saw the need.

Here in NA, we have two different tools we call putty knives. Most have flexible blades and are intended for applying spackle, etc. These are seldom sharpened. But there are also stiff-bladed putty knives that are mainly used for scraping; stiff-bladed putty knives need to be sharpened.

 

[cjunrau]

why do you only sharpen a putty knife - a hoe -chisels- and lawn mower blades on 1 side . I just want to know more than . Because my dad told me so .

I believe the edge is much stronger on a lawn mower blade if only one side is sharpened. I always take the burr of on the straight side as well. as someone else said if you sharpen both sides it is a dull edge and the grass would bend when hit instead of cut.

 

[Ozlander]

Here in NA, we have two different tools we call putty knives. Most have flexible blades and are intended for applying spackle, etc. These are seldom sharpened. But there are also stiff-bladed putty knives that are mainly used for scraping; stiff-bladed putty knives need to be sharpened.

If you ever watched "The Wizard of Oz", you'd know where Oz is.

 

[RJKeith]

Correct. Wood chisels are one sided cold chisels are two sided. Jim

Wrong, wood chisels are beveled one side, but you need to sharpen both sides, same with a hand plane. Cold chisels are beveled and sharpened both sides. If you have a wood chisel that has the bevel side sharpened, but the back side gouged and pitted, it will not cut well at all.

 

[rustred]

Correct. Wood chisels are one sided cold chisels are two sided. Jim

And few know how to sharpen a cold chisel also. It’s the end of the chisel that gets sharpened to the correct angle. 60 degrees. I remember that being a question on the tool section exam years ago. Even how many strokes per minute when using a hack saw. More lost info no one cares about due to fancy tools nowadays.