Reply To: Tear out when chopping dovetails
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Hi @dclare, it will get better the more you make just keep at it.
Looking at your picture thats pretty typical of a dull chisel, do you use a strop?
If no then you most likely have a burr left on the edge, if yes you may be messing up the angle and either go too low not catching the burr or too high and rounding over the edge again.
A good test is to take a page of Phonebook or Catalogue paper and try to cut through that, the chisel should should cut reasonably well without catching, at best it should glide effortlessly and without any tearout through the page. If it does catch you still have a burr or a nick in the Edge.
So if your Chisel is truely sharp next thing is to watch your technique, if you sledgehammer the chisel through at all cost, tearout like that can also happen. Go easy and let the tool do the work, come in from both sides and remember to leave a bit standing maybe 2 mm at the edge of the board so it doesnt vibrate when you flip it round and come from the other side.
Some people also like to remove the bulk of the waste with a Coping or Fretsaw, you could probably also drill out the bulk of it though.