This page is dedicated to the skeptical (but not always relevant or informed) relatives of mine, and the masterfully informed Randy Sohn who eons ago mapped out the recipe for an Old Wives’ Tale for the average young fella (I was young at the time…..and fellettes, too!).
Myths and OWTs or overgeneralizations don’t always come from intentional misguiding, but it’s on us as a matter of being respectful to each other to choose to speak precisely about what we may suspect could be true vs. what is.
I still read the forums a little bit, but have this eerily similar feeling to when I stopped watching political news about 10 or 15 years ago. The less involved I am, the more I wonder why I didn’t stop earlier. That said, they will make for great fuel here. These are things I know, and if I suspect something (but can’t prove it), I will say so.
Metallurgical Myths – Woodworking Related
Powder metals are finer grained than other steels – often in support of V11 being “finer” than other common steels. V11 is less fine than O1 or typical chrome vanadium steels. V11 not finer than A2 if both are heat treated well. Carbides are less dense and more widely dispersed in A2, but the large carbides in both are about the same size. The characteristic most people notice with V11 when comparing anything other than an abrasion test is – I suspect – a difference in hardness. Powder metallurgy allows packing in more carbon and other elements making even large carbide volume steels. Historically used woodworking steels don’t have this large volume. Fineness at very fine levels (AEB-L or 1084) is determined by composition and PM technology wouldn’t improve those steels.
Chisel Myths
Firmer chisels have straight sides and are meant to be hit firmly – a better translation than Firmer would’ve been “former”. The name firmer comes from French for “former” or “to form”. Firmer chisels are intended to form a shape based on older texts describing them, with finish work done by a finer paring chisel. They are what we think of as bench chisels now, but originally described as having flat sides and a business end that tapers to near parallel and thinner (not overly heavy). Later listings of firmer chisels, similar in design and heft did have beveled edges. I suspect this was due to the advent of synthetic grinding wheels (corundum and silicon carbide is miles faster and cooler than coarse grinding with silica). Pre-1900 catalogues show straight sided and bevel edged firmers in the same listing, and in some cases, paring chisels with both flat and beveled sides.
Of Making by Hand with Wood and Steel 