: Hey all,

: Back from vacation and looking at the sticking point on my kayak
: project: the upper bow. This needs a recess chiseled into it.
: I'm not familiar with working with chisels and my first attempt
: was... humorous.

: Is there a way I can do the upper bow piece without chiseling?

: Thanks,

: Stephen

Dull chisels are a disaster. Did you sharpen it after you bought it/before you used it? Did you use it bevel up, or bevel down? If it's a concave surface, you should use the chisel bevel down, if it's convex, use bevel up. If it's sharp, you won't need to use a hammer- you shouldn't use a hammer. You should push it, called "paring." Push the chisel right along the line you're trying to cut. If it doesn't cut easily, cut on a skew at first. Chisels are easy to use with decent technique and a sharp edge.

Just my 2¢.

m