Official Luthiers Forum!

Old Marples with wood handles
Old Marples Blue Chip with plastic handles
Ashley Iles - one of my favorites)
Footprint with red plastic handle (the beater)
Henry Taylor with skewed blade - another favorite
Japanese with offset blade - another favorite, found at a flea market for $25

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

I knew Todd was an old chisler !

Not trying to steal thread here but I do have a question .... Looking at the micro chisels on stewmac .... any experience ? ..... any good ? ...... worth the money ?

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The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

I have an LN set and love them but rarely use them all. If I was allowed a "do over" I would get a few Narex chisels at Lee Valley, Garret Wade or Highland and invest in better Single Malt.

http://www.finewoodworking.com/ToolGuide/ToolGuidePDF.aspx?id=31061

Funny, your beater is my most used chisel. I have the same 1" Footprint that I find the most comfortable, it gets used the most and doesn't seem to need sharpening very often.

I see Lee Valley has the newly re introduced Stanley Sweethearts. http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.a ... at=1,41504

Anyone heard any reports. They are priced well.

Thats a nice looking set of chisels , I wish they were still made usa though . The set for $219.00 doesnt seem out of line .

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

Sockets!
Duh older, better!
Personal choice ~ any of the Swedish Eskilstuna makers...EA Berg, Jernbolaget, Esteel harder and harder to find.

Plastic handles

The Eskistuna are on the right. The rest are all carving chisels.





Padmas suggestion to the amateur builders, $20 will go a long way at a pawn shop when it comes to buying a few chisels. Try and go for sockets and stay away from the plastic. Put your money into tone wood, not steel.
Now if you took the early retirement buy out package and gotts money to burn well then buy what thou wilt.

blessings
Padma

Ps...learn how to properly sharpen the suckers too! You'll be amazed at how a well sharpened cheapo will perform.

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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Padma ..... me come up and dig through your chisel pile and me bring $20.00 tooo !!

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

No.

Although you are most welcome to visit "Padmapa House"

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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I had really inconsistent luck with flea market chisels.. Some are amazing... Others turn out to have been jettisoned by someone because they had been ruined by abuse and would no longer take an edge.....

For the OP with the Twin cherries "Special" with unpolished irons.... Those are some high quality chisels.. The "Special" ones were frequently requested by hard core woodworkers - as the "Standard" ones turned out to have over-polished, wavy, rounded backs.... and you couldn't get a real nice, true cut... By no means do you have to hone the backs till all the tool marks are gone... Only just enough to get the back good and flat...

If you are having trouble with them staying sharp, I would revisit your sharpening technique... Sometimes going to a *Slightly* higher angle will give you an edge that stays sharp for a whole lot longer... especially when you are working harder, more abrasive woods....

Next thing... Before you buy.... Decide specifically what you want and buy the *ONE* chisel you need to do the job.... For example - brace carving... Needs a really fine edge, and a very long blade... I have best luck with a moderately wide blade... Because of the super fine edge for cutting shavings in spruce - a high quality Carbon steel long blade "Patternmaker's chisel" does real well here.... For cleaning up binding routs and inlay in hard back and sides woods - you can use one made out of one of the newer high tech tool steels like A2 or D2 - they are more abrasion resistant and hold up longer in very hard, abrasive woods..... but you can't sharpen them at as fine of an angle - like say 30-35* vs 20-25* you would use for spruce/cedar

This is why many builders end up with a big hodge podge of chisels...

If you don't mind, I'm gone to borrow that.

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Say what you do, Do what you say.

Ah there you go Filippo...talking about values again.


blessings

_________________
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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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They are EXCELLENT depending on what you want them for. They come really sharp, and they're little. You can put the pieces together...

Other than that they are very good quality. The same company, Dockyard Chisels, also makes teeny tiny carving tools. I have the 3mm set I think and I've been doing relief carving in ebony and they work like a charm. I recommend looking up their entire selection because it's big. Only gripe is they only come in sets so depending on which ones you want you're bound to get some doubles

Anyway here's the bunch.



Top left is what I started with. The familiar cheapy Stanley chisels you can get at Lowes or Home Depot for like five bucks. I love these because they can actually get very sharp. I think the metal is pretty soft, which is also really good for beginners because it makes them easier to sharpen so it's a good way to learn how. To the right of them is the set of Narex chisels I got when Lee Valley was doing a promotional sale on them. $10 off an already reasonable set of chisels? Yes please! I like the heft, the wooden handles, the reinforced butts for mallet work, and I now have a 1/4 inch blade. The best part by FAR though is that they fit my honing guide PERFECTLY. The fit is so good I can tighten it with the thumbscrew and it will be snug. I love these guys! Below them are the set of five carving tools I got at Harbor Freight. I lovum. They're well under $20 for the whole set and the shapes are uber useful. The chisel on the far right has a bend to it, so it gets used for brace carving. The one on the far left is good for rounding the braces. Very good quality. Get two sets before they come to their senses and quit selling them. And finally, all snuggled up in the pockets are my Dockyard chisels and carving tools. The first five are pretty much an itty bitty version of the bigger set of five. Two gouges, parting tool, chisel, knifey thing, and a mortising chisel as well. The next five are the dogleg chisels you can get at StewMac. Kinda pricey but good to have if it's the best you can do. I got a scorp and a spoon gouge, among others, but I don't consider those chisels. The tool roll has paint on it because it was originally for holding paint brushes.

Some chisels I'm hoping to get soon: Mortising chisel for truss rod channels and the like, probably Narex, and some Warren carving tool blades. I love the setup they have. You buy blades and a single handle and switch out blades as you need them. I'm going to buy a few blades and make my own mushroom handles for them though. Fun fun!

you guys make me feel so cheap... i only have 4 two cherries chisels...

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

More tools does not always mean better luthier .I own at least 75 or more chisels . Boaz elkayam on a dare, I think built a guitar using a swiss army knife in central america.

I got a set of two cherries, I heard its nice but I really have to take it through a build to see its full potential.

If you're in Berlin there's a flea market booth at the flea market near Treptower park that sells a bunch of two cherries chisel for like 10 euros.

Everything else sold in Germany like Lux is pure junk because they're not designed for luthiers.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I have two chisels that I really like for brace carving.

They have a relatively thin blade, but what makes them 'special' is that the back of the edge isn't flat. It's got a curve to it. It makes carving scallops a breeze. I have a 1/2" and a 3/8". My only two complaints is that I wish they were an inch or two longer, and that sharpening them is a challenge.

I can't for the life of me remember the name of the company that made them (they are made to order) out of Colorado I believe. There is a stamp on the shaft with three initials, but I can't recall what they are. When I'm back in the shop this evening I'll look them up. Rick Davis has a huge/long chisel he calls "MOAC" (Mother of All Chisels) that he got from them.

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Jim Hansen

I am thinking of taking a cheap but long chisel, and bend it so I can use it for brace carving...

is it a good idea?

_________________
Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

Not a Chisel but a Gouge by Jacob Busch - stamped by Herdim. Best gouge that I've ever come across and I've tried a few. Handle of Pearwood.
Not that old, probably late 1980's.

I'm late as usual but here are mine. Wouldn't want to sharpen any more.

Maestro, you should make a video on that!

Getting a bargain at a flea market is right up my alley, but help me with the terminology. Sockets? What are these, what do they refer to? Happy to turn my own handles - excuse to buy some more tools, right...

In this image posted by Chris, the upper chisels are tangs in to a wooden handle
and the lower chisels are sockets with the handle inserted in the socket.




simple eh....sockets old school...loose or break handle...any stick will do. Loose or split handle on a tange mount (new school easier and cheaper to make)...real big hassle.

blessing
Padma

_________________
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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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Socket chisels are the type where there is a socket at the base of the blade where the handle attaches. The handle goes into the blade on a socket chisel as opposed to the blade going into the handle.

Kevin Looker

_________________
I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.