he stone as possible, so as to wear it
down evenly. The motion may be back and forth or spiral, but in either
case it should be steady and not rocking. This whetting turns a light
wire edge over on the flat side. In order to remove this wire edge,
the back of the chisel, that is, the straight, unbeveled side, is held
perfectly flat on the whetstone and rubbed, then it is turned over and
the bevel rubbed again on the stone. It is necessary to reverse the
chisel in this way a number of times, in order to remove the wire
edge, but the chisel should never be tipped so as to put any bevel at
all on its flat side. Finally, the edge is touched up (stropped) by
being drawn over a piece of leather a few times, first on one side,
then on the other, still continuing to hold the chisel so as to keep
the bevel perfect.

[Illustration: Fig. 78. Grinding Angle, 20 deg. Whetting Angle, 25 deg.]

To test the sharpness of a whetted edge, draw the tip of the finger
or thumb lightly along it, Fig. 79. If the edge be dull, it will feel
smooth: if it be sharp, and if care be taken, it will score the skin a
little, not enough to cut thru, but just enough to be felt.

[Illustration: Fig. 79. Testing the Sharpness of a Chisel.]

The _gouge_ is a form of chisel, the blade of which is concave, and
hence the edge curved. When the bevel is on the outside, the common
form, it is called an outside bevel gouge or simply a "gouge," Fig.
80; if the bevel is on the inside, it is called an inside bevel, or
inside ground, or scribing-gouge, or paring-gouge, Fig. 81.[3]

[Footnote 3: Another confusing nomenclature (Goss) gives the name
"inside gouges" to those with the cutting edge on the inside, and
"outside gouges" to those with the cutting edge on the outside.]

Carving tools are, properly speaking, all chisels, and are of
different shapes for facility in carving.

For ordinary gouging, Fig. 82, the blade is gripped firmly by the left
hand with the knuckles up, so that a strong control can be exerted
over it. The gouge is manipulated in much the same way as the
chisel, and like the chisel it is used longitudinally, laterally, and
transversely.

In working with the grain, by twisting the blade on its axis as it
moves forward, delicate paring cuts may be made. This is particularly
necessary in working cross-grained wood, and is a good illustration of
the advantage of the sliding cut.

[Illustration: Fig. 80. Firmer-Gouge Outside Bevel