Hirsch Chisels and Highland Woodworking Service
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- This topic has 1 reply, 2 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 6 months ago by STEVE MASSIE.
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25 September 2014 at 4:02 pm #118496
I recently had the handle pop off a Narex chisel. I’d been cutting mortices AND using a hammer that’s probably too heavy so no fault on Narex when the 1/2″ bench chisel came apart. It was much more likely to be user error than product defect.
I sent an e-mail to Highland Woodworking explaining the situation and asking if they thought the chisel was still under warranty given my abuse of it. They quickly responded by e-mail that the chisel, while generally not intended for chopping mortises in Douglas fir, was under warranty and they’d send me a replacement out asap. And they did. Great service.
Just in case they quite reasonably decided against my warranty claim I went ahead and ordered a Hirsch chisel to replace the Narex. I’m not fond of the Narex handles. They’re round and taper from a too fat size to about right for my hand. When working with a chisel my hand would rather grab a cylinder than a cone.
The Hirsch chisel arrived and I took it out to the garage to fettle it. It did have that varnish stuff they all seem to come with these days and it took some time with steel wool to get most of it off. That removed the Hirsch name but unlike the Narex chisels Hirsch stamps the size of the chisel into the metal! Much handier than having to measure the chisel every time to be SURE I’ve got the 1/2″ one in my hand. The blade was nearly flat but still took some time on stones to flatten. Good hard steel.
And the octagonal handle works really well for me. It has enough of a flat side to index the chisel when I’m holding it and prevent rolling on the bench but it’s close enough to round to fit my hand well. And I noticed when chopping mortises it didn’t twist as the Narex ones did occasionally.
So I thought I’d pass on my good experiences. Highland Woodworking really offers excellent service and stands by what they sell. And Hirsch chisels seem to be a quality product that offers something different if you have a hand like mine.
25 September 2014 at 5:02 pm #118500They are great chisels and an excellent company to deal with. I lived in Atlanta for 16 years and frequent their place many many times plus bought a lot of merchandise off of them including the Hirsh Chisels. I loved going up to the 2nd floor and spend hours in their book section sitting on one of Sam Maloof’s chairs.
Steve
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