Reply To: New Chisel Box Done
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I have really enjoyed using the Narex chisels. I purchased them from Lee Valley, after being able to try Paul’s at the Woodworking Show in Columbus, OH. Lee Valley was set up at the opposite end, and they offered free shipping on any show order. The price was very good, I think about $45 (USD) for the set of 4. I got the 1/4″, 1/2″, 3/4″ and 1″ bevel edge chisels, as well as the 1/2″ skews (R &L), and a 1/4″ mortise chisel.
I’ve followed Paul’s technique for cutting mortises with bevel edge chisels, but I’m afraid of breaking the 1/4″ bevel. That is the only mortise size I bought.
I needed about 30 min total to flatten all of the 7 backs. They hold an edge well, and of course, thanks to our Master’s teachings, can be sharpened very quickly.
All in all, I am very happy with them. The handles did fit me well out of the box, but I have done some very minor shaping as I used them more.
I paid less for all 7 of these chisels than a lot of the self-proclaimed experts and gurus advocate spending on 1 chisel. I had the some loaner chisels for about 3 months, to try before buying these; a Lie Nielsen, and Lee Valley PMV11, a Blue Spruce, and a Barr. The LN and LV were, in my opinion, no better than what I bought. The Blue Spruce is very nicely finished, but again, not that much better performing. The exception was the Barr chisel.
The Barr chisel is hand forged, which makes for a far superior steel than any cast piece can ever hope to achieve. The handle is nicely finished and fits me well. They are a bit pricey, but I think worth the investment in the long run. The Barr chisels will be a lifetime investment, sought out in the future as much as our vintage tools are now.
Paul mentioned these tools recently, in a post about the heavy timber framing workshop at Maplewood. It can be found here http://paulsellers.com/2013/05/getting-ready-for-tomorrows-two-day-discovering-woodworking-class/