Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Must be doing it wrong...
LuckyLuke
Chisels that shaved hair don't do so after unicorning. One is an Axminster Rider (I believe made by Narex), and the other one is a Veritas PM-V11 Butt chisel, both 1/2" wide. After unicorning at about 45 degrees both chisels had a sizeable burr on their back. Too agressive a compound?
Re: Must be doing it wrong...
LuckyLuke
If that's relevant, I used a 6" wheel at 1725 RPM.
Re: Must be doing it wrong...
LuckyLuke
Compound is Formax 12668.
Burr
Winston
I can't say why it's not working for you, but regarding the burr, are you sure it's actually a burr? I've found that the buffing compound can accumulate on the back and feel like a burr. Here's the back of a chisel where I buffed the bevel side only. I thought it was a burr until I looked at it with the microscope.
I've checked for burrs after buffing the bevel side only, and I've never found anything that I could see with the microscope.
If I were you, I'd try buffing it less, and with the bevel closer to tangent to the wheel. Hopefully that will give sharper results. If that edge holds up significantly longer than your usual edge, then you're good. If not, then buff it for more time, at a slightly higher angle to the wheel.
The first couple of times I buffed a chisel, it wasn't as quite as sharp as the flat-honed chisels. But after that, I've always gotten better results. I wish I knew what it was that I was doing differently those first couple of times.
couple of questions
David Weaver
....or maybe just one. What does the steel look like after you've buffed it. Is it a really bright visual polish wherever the buffer has been?
If it is, then winston's mention of the wax that ends up melted around the end could be an issue. If that doesn't solve it, then change angle, pressure and time on the buff.
Less angle, less pressure, less time - all will lead to less modification of the edge in terms of steepness.
Someone asked me on a youtube video if the blunted edge would pare the cheapest pine that I could find - the answer is two fold. With fat amounts pared out, any chisel will split this wood. But the uni edge is far better than 30 degrees flat when following that up to clean off the surface (a really low angle would probably work well for a short time).
https://i.imgur.com/2TAF19F.jpg
long story short, you should adjust until sharpness is better than you can get by hand - especially hair shaving sharpness.