Thread: How Hard do you Hit your Chisels?

There's "sharp" and then, there's "carving sharp." I don't think that's too important.
Even dull, the wood should split ahead of the edge as with a proper splitting axe and wedges.

Just about all of my western-style wood carving tools are Pfeil.
The bigger ones, 9/15, 2/30, 5/35, don't do much unless you slug them pretty hard.
I use a lead core, 32 oz carver's mallet with a PVC skin.

I swing that mallet just as hard as I can. Sure, I choke up on the handle for some tapppy-tappy-tappy.
Some day, I hope to actually break a Pfeil handle. Not so far in approx. 15 years.