Official Luthiers Forum!

Have always lusted over a set of Japanese chisels, but far too rich for my blood. Over time I've bought a number of chisels, including new sets from LV and elsewhere. Most I've sold on through online auction sites -- never really lost any money in the process, so I guess worth trying them out. As others have said, virtually any name brand will take a good edge, but the difference is how durable the edge is. Most degrade pretty darn fast.

I'm left with three sets of chisels in my tool box:
A set of 3 bench chisels received as a gift from my older brother who bought them in Germany. The plastic handles are crap, but the steel holds an edge better than most others I've tried.
Like Trevor Gore and while living in New Zealand I accumulated a rather full collection of the old Marples chisels with the yellow and red handles. No, they don't hold an edge for a long time, but they were cheap through online auctions and sharpen easily -- and when one goes off, I simply switch over to another size with a fresh edge.
But my favorites are a 5-piece set of PM-V11 bench chisels from Veritas. These hold their edge far, far longer than any others I've used, so well worth the cost. And they are beautifully made.

I understand the quality of the better brands of chisels, also the joy of owning and using same, but for someone on a limited budget, I would suggest Lee Valleys Narex brand. Just about the best bang you can get for your buck when buying new.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

You may have already purchased chisels as noted by the date of the thread but I wanted to say that I've never had any luck with A2 in regards to sharpness. There's microscopic bits of another metal in A2, I think it's chromium, and they break off during sharpening. For me, it's impossible to get A2 really sharp.

I also don't see the point of an A2 chisel. Since there's no blade to remove and a quick touch up only takes a minute. Speed in touch up is essential. A2 is the slowest, most painful thing to sharpen ever. I regard manufactures selling as scheme artists planning to sell you another blade.

There are instances where A2 does make sense: roughing planes, instances where it's a pain to sharpen and you need to do a lot of work.

An old Stanley Sweetheart found at a junk store will outperform any modern, name brand, expensive chisel. The steel they used, the expectations woodworkers and carpenters had for blades was much higher in our grandparents era.

There are chisels out there that will truly blow your mind but you'll pay handsomely for them. My Father gifted me a set of chisels that cut unlike any tool I've ever seen. They came unfinished, in a tool roll with no maker branding and someone took the time to fully hone them. They're like wielding a bolt of lightning. My point is: there's many levels to the quality of tools. LN and the like is akin to a nice new Ford Focus, a vintage Sweetheart akin to a sixties VW but that will probably run forever. And then there are Ferarri's out there that cut like lightning.

My sincere advice to anyone buying chisels is to buy Vintage Sweethearts until you know what you really like. The simplicity of a chisel is very misleading, they're far more complex tools than first glance reveals. Later, you'll realize the differences in shoulders and other suble nuances really affect how you can use them. Once you know what you like get the Ferrari's in the sizes you really use.

Hope this helps,

-j

I can't agree with that. Have you ever tried to sharpen HSS? Makes A2 seem like a stroll, yet I can get both steel types sharp enough to use. The HSS isn't quite as sharp as 01 but then again the edge lasts. It's no big deal.
There are more high end tool makers now than there has been in the last 70 years or more. The vast majority of woodworkers back then were buying the Bailey design Stanleys, Records etc. The Norris infills were more for the well off woodworker. Most professional cabinet makers did not own one. I think Norris had basically gone by the mid '50's.
All these existed side by side with the cheaper wooden Planes, which were also fast dying out. Even the cheaper planes worked or at least could be made to work.
The Steel was variable. Some of the carbon blades were extremely good, some of it less so. I have dozens of old steel blades, mostly picked up pretty cheap in old woodies and chisels. It varies but the vast majority of it seems to be perfectly fine. The odd blade seems to stay sharp that little bit longer. I have a few old English cast blades that are like that (by no means all of them though) and a thin humble Stanley Rule and level blade form a 102.
Then came the renewed interest in hand tools, which seemed to start sometime in the late '80's. Now we have dozens of high end makers of all sorts of woodworking tools. Even the humble woodie is now being made again by a few specialist makers. You can pay £8,000 or so and buy a Holtey,a 'mid priced' LN, Veritas, Clifton. You can buy the relatively cheap but very good Quangsheng/Woodriver or a cheap wooden Mujingfang. You can buy Japanese Saws, Planes or chisels at eye watering prices. Anything from any corner of the world. Seriously, I've been messing with wood since 1976. The woodworker has never had it so good. Don't make the mistake of thinking that cheap tools are necessarily bad or can't be made to work. A few years ago I bought a little Muji 'block' Plane for £5. My Veritas Apron Plane has sat on the shelf virtually unused ever since. I have a set of the Ashley Iles MKII Chisels (amongst many others). They are a finely made chisel with the 'lands' being very fine. They don't make my work any better than a cheap chisel from the local store, although the edge may last a bit longer. I know of very few places in Guitar making where that fine land is important, in fact I'm struggling to name one. Maybe a neck dovetail joint or a pointy Lacote style 'V'. That's about it. So you have to sharpen a bit more frequently but don't make it an excuse for poor work.
The choice is there, for everyone. If you like expensive tools (and they virtually always 'feel' nicer) go ahead, buy them and enjoy them.

+1 on what Tom West said about the Narex from Lee Valley. I have Hirsch, Stanley Marples, Bucks and several from the 30's and 40's that I don't know what they are, but the Narex are amazing for their ability to hold and edge and the low price.

Bob

My favorite chisels are from HF. I only sharpened 'em once, and then I threw them away.

I do lust after a set of Damascus tasai paring chisels, but I will have to wait until I get a raise for them! I have owned a set of iyori chisels for fifteen years and they easily have another thirty years of life. I really only use about three sizes of chisel, 1/8", 1/4", and 3/4". My philosophy is to maintain a razor edge, so instead of having to maintain an army of chisels, I focus on the ones I use every day and keep them razor sharp.
I think a good way to go is to invest as heavily in sharpening tools as you do in your chisels. With out a reliable way to sharpen a chisel, even the best chisel is worthless.

Something I never hear discussed but is important to me is the angle the blade is set in the handle. I think many,( myself included), like Japanese chisels because of this angle. Most chisels are made with the blade set more or less parallel with the handle. I find these less ergonomic when paring and don't understand why more manufactures don't pick up on this.

I'm still waiting for my dream chisel.
It would be,
1. made from PMV-11.
2. have a thinish socket so I can either take the handle off and hold it near the edge to cut off dried glue on a fingerboard end, or put on a really long handle and reach to the bottom of an upright bass neck mortice.
3. be bent up at the tang to improve paring ergonomics and handle clearance on a surface like a dog leg chisel.
4. have side bevels that came right down close to the back the whole length of the blade.

It's helpful to look at edges under a microscope as you sharpen and use them sometime. I think it would cause most who try it to sharpen at steeper bevel angles than they are used to.

True, a good craftsman can do good work with any tool - see here http://www.warthers.com/carving.htm to see what someone can do with just a few whittling knives. But for most of us, having just the right tool for the job is a satisfying experience.

There are many brands of early 20th c. chisels that are outstanding - Butcher, Buck, Swan, Witherby, etc - and they come very cheap. If you are really anal about it, you will buy a good chisel with a mushroomed socket, restore it, and put a handle on it, but no need to go that far because there are thousands of these chisels in reasonable shape available at cut rates.

Just polish the back and put a new edge on it, and any of these old chisels will work just fine. I kind of like having mismatched chisels because it makes it easy to pick the one you want out of a crowd. I have a great set of the early Marples with boxwood handles - very very nice chisels. I also have interesting chisels of all descriptions by many many makers - but I like this kind of stuff. I usually reach for my Buck 3/4" paring chisel at about a foot long. Just gives great control.

So if you are looking for chisels, there are a bunch out there that will work just fine at a buck or two apiece plus 20-30 minutes of your time.

Ed