CHISELS
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Which chisels do you use and do you have any particular favourites or ones you’d like to buy?
Hi Gary, I have pfeil-chisels, I also have a set of Ashley Iles dovetail chisels, and a few of there butt chisels.Two of Lie-Nielsens , and some Narex mortice chisels. To be honest I like them all 😉 I do like the butt chisels for chopping, HaHa I just love tools buddy 🙂
I’m like that too when it comes to tools lol SWMBO gave up on me years ago, but drew the line when I suggested my tool kit had it’s own room 😀
I do like Pfeil and AI chisels 🙂
I used to have a nice set of marples box wood handled bevel edged chisels, but somebody stole them 🙁 I then moved onto using blue handled Stanley 5002’s ( I couldn’t justify the cost of black handled 5001’s with fully polished blades) and they’re still going strong after over 30 yrs. I also have a set of 5002 firmer chisels from the same time period and a number of Marples and Sorby mortise chisels, along with a full set of bevel edged Marples split proof chisels (Transparent red and amber handles).
Then there’s my carving chisels, hammers, saws, screwdrivers, bit braces, bits and planes, but that’s a whole other set of threads 😀
My granddad used to have a set of Stanley 720’s which I did enjoy using, but one of my younger brothers nabbed them 🙁 What are LN’s socket chisels like to use?
I’ve heard good things about Narex offerings my friend 🙂
I use the Narex bevel edged chisels. Picked up a set of 5 a while ago and I’m liking them although I don’t have much to compare them to. They seem to hold an edge pretty well, sharpen quite easily and are reasonably priced. The wooden handle feels good to me and I find them well balanced. Would recommend them.
George.
"To know and not do is to not know"
George, Narex are good chisels and even better value……Gary Lie-Nielsen chisels are a joy to use, I like them a lot, but I find it hard to justify the price. I need to win the lottery 🙂
Perhaps begin a lottery syndicate? lol 😀
I definitely need to have a sort out here, as most of my kit was boxed during the move and hasn’t seen the light of day since. Although my 1st and 2nd fix tools saw some serious work when I blitzed through most of the projects during a six week lead up to the move date.
I’d mention the evening my wife put her foot through a ceiling above where my mother was sat watching tv and while I was feeding fresh cables and re-wiring, but I’m already facing a twenty year grounding for that one 😉
I could have picked up the new stanley 750’s for $150 after Xmas at the woodworking show but it was either the chisels or Pauls dvd’s and book. I went for the latter.
I use a set of proper Marples blue chips but I quite fancy the AI mk2’s once the needed tools are all acquired.
I have a set of Narex chisels. For the price you can’t beat them. The backs took very little effort to flatten and they sharpened up very nicely. The handles are comfortable and I’m really happy with them. Did I mention you can’t beat the price.
I bought a set of stanley sweetheart socket chisels and they are a nice chisel for hand work but the handles are on the small side. So for situations where I am going to use the mallet alot I bought a set of narex. It took me forever to lap a few of them, they were really off But now they are all good to go.
-Canada
I’ve had a set of Narex for over a year now and I am very happy with them. I had to spend a little time flattening the backs and honing the edges when I got them. They have been very good users. I’m a little surprised at how many reviews focus on whether or not a tool is ready to use straight out of the box. Why is that? As a woodworker I would never dream of using a cutting edge that I didn’t sharpen myself.
http://hillbillydaiku.com
Just my 50 cents. Once I started doing something with wood I have bought a set of chinese ‘chisel shaped objects’, which could not be sharpened – the edge just broke off or would not stand any substantial amount of work – after the first touch on wood the edge would chip or bend. I had no money for the LN or Narex so I decided to scavenge ebay for the used ones. I was really amazed when after having obtained my first real piece of steel I was able to shave my forearm with it and it stood 2 hours of continuous smashing against oak. So my advice for those who cannot afford the new ones: ebay.co.uk. They still have plenty 🙂
My preferred brands include old Sorby and Marples. The former is a bit better in my opinion. A good price if you snipe would be around 5-6 pounds. If any seller has multiple lots try to buy in bulk to save on shipping, this makes for a very nice set at an affordable price.
I’m using a set of chisel shaped objects from Stanley. They are one qualified pile of crap. Bought them before getting serious about handtools. The amount of work needed to flatten the backs of these three chisels is just staggering… And it is a lie to call these things bevel edged – the bevel ends more than 1,5mm above the edge. So the “lands” on the sides will stop you from getting into tight corners.
They are made from some variety of CV-steel. Doesn’t hold an edge very long, despite the fact that I’ve only worked with them in pine.
Only plus is that they do not rust. Other than that they will be denoted as soon as I can afford a proper set of chisels.
Located in Jönköping, Sweden.
Hi Gregory,
You’re perfectly right when it boils down to preferring to hone and adjust edges yourself when setting up newly aquired tools. 🙂 Those who expect tools to be sharp from the box often tend to come un-stuck when it boils down to the first sharpening and I think quite a few tend to forget good sharpening practice is vital and runs hand in hand with sound hand crafting skills.
I tend not to get carried away with lapping blades, as most work darned well from the box after an initial whetting and removal of the residual burr, which in turn tends to lap the first inch or so of the steel. The main focus should be to get tools up and running, whilst the resulting lapped area naturally tends to increase with each sharpening.
I honestly think a few well known writers have become a tad too absorbed by the current tool lapping phenomena whilst forgetting it’s not the end of the world if a chisel blade or plane iron face (Flat) is not within a half micron of true flat.
Good morning Jesper 🙂
I’ve never liked the feel of those newer Stanley chisels (My son bought a couple last year and had problems with them from day one) and you’re definitely right regarding their edge retention resembling the throw away nature of all too many hand tools nowadays.
I’ll see if I can post a few pic’s of my chisels today, but whilst I understand your concerns regarding the size of lands on newer bevel edged chisels, the natural option is to adjust these to suit the work they’ll be used for. The resulting bevel shape used to be known as cabinetmaker’s pattern, as only the first inch of the bevel is adjusted during prep. This helps avoid unnecessary cuts to your hands, but also allows for lands naturally increasing in size as consecutive sharpenings gradually shorten the blade.
Every chisel I get is honed before use, but for someone totally new to woodworking, or someone buying a chisel for a one off job, having it ready to go out of the box must be a great help.
There is so much tosh going about these days, why turn what should be a straight forward process, into rocket science.
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