Chisels

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scotttarnor
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Chisels

Post by scotttarnor »

After building Michael Tyler’s book box and having to cut out the hinge mortise with a razor blade I realize I need some chisels. The choices are overwhelming! From Harbor freight to Single name manufacturers.
I do not mind spending for a good product. But I don’t even know which ones I need to do basic a hinge mortise. What are your suggestions?
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Re: Chisels

Post by Rcnewcomb »

I have the Stanley Sweetheart 750 set. It is a 4 piece set that sells for around $90.
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Re: Chisels

Post by kyeakel »

I have a beautiful set of Lie-Nielsen chisels that I use for shop built woodworking projects, they are a joy to use. I also have a set of Record chisels that I use for construction work. They are sharp and have done the job for years. Buy something that fits your budget and buy a set of diamond hones to tune the chisels.
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Re: Chisels

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Re: Chisels

Post by gkas »

Rcnewcomb wrote:
Fri Jun 04, 2021 11:21 pm
I have the Stanley Sweetheart 750 set. It is a 4 piece set that sells for around $90.
+1. Definitely. And get the diamond hones and a sharpening guide. Or you can go all out and get a Tormek T8 like I just did. Then you go looking for things to sharpen.

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Re: Chisels

Post by TReischl »

I have a set of "Swiss Made" (I believe that is Pfiel?) that I bought about 25 years ago, great chisels, also very pricey. Was doing a lot more handwork in those days so it made sense. Also have an old set of Ace Hardware consisting of three chisels. Butt style. They also work fine.

What I do have that makes them all work really well is a Workshop 3000 sharpening system.

Here is the deal, if a really expensive chisel is not really sharp it sucks to use. A cheap chisel really sharp works well.

So, these days, since I do not use chisels very much, I would buy cheap chisels and sharpen them more often, simple as that.

BTW, the "scary sharp" sandpaper method of sharpening works well too. I just got tired of having all that stuff hanging around the shop.
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Re: Chisels

Post by jfederer »

Agreed on the Lie-Nielsen. Any of their tools are worth the price. But if money is not an object, there are these: https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/to ... em=05S2150 which I have had on my wish list since they came out. You will of course want to check the price on their US site instead. Also agreed on sharpening. First, that you do it, and second, that you do it right. The method is less important than the result. I hand-sharpen my (cheap) chisels using abrasive sheets on glass, but Tormek is the high-end and ultra-reliable way to go. Doing it by hand, or even with a guide, takes lots of practice.
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Re: Chisels

Post by BillK »

I have a set of Marples that I use, but my go to are a set of 4 chisels I bought in Aldi for $6.99. They are made with great steel, and have a good handle. I have a vertitas honing guide, but I only use that to establish a new bevel. Otherwise I sharpen on a Trend diamond plate, 300 grit one side, 1000 on the other by hand, then I strop it on leather loaded with honing compound, 20 strokes. Its then ready to shave arm hairs, and take thin beautiful cuts in wood. Sharpening time is about 3 minutes. So learn to sharpen, whatever method it doesn’t have to be expensive.

Chisels in a replica tool box I built using the chisels to chop out the dovetails.
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Re: Chisels

Post by scotttarnor »

Thank You all for your input !
I don't believe I will be using these often so I think to get started I will go with a cheaper set and learn about the different sharpening methods that have been mentioned.
I enjoy sharpening my pocket knives so sharpening chisels should not be a problem.
It would be easy enough to upgrade later if I find myself using them more often.

Thank You again !
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Re: Chisels

Post by TomWS »

+1 for Narex chisels. They are very good and hard for the money.

However, the second (or maybe the first question) should be whether you need Bench or Mortise Chisels. If you're doing general carpentry with an occasion mortise, Beveled edge Bench chisels are a good choice. If you do a noticeable number of mortises, a good mortise chisel is a work saver. In this case, however, you only need a few, limited to the width of the mortises you expect to cut.

Mortise Chisels are excellent for squaring up the corners of CNC routed mortises. Beveled Bench Chisels aren't as great for that task.

I also agree on getting a set of diamond 'stones'. Essential to keeping your chisels sharp!

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Re: Chisels

Post by TomWS »

jfederer wrote:
Sat Jun 05, 2021 1:40 am
https://www.leevalley.com
Agree completely with this supplier! Veritas tools are my favorites! I think I have every one of their planes except for the skew planes (I couldn't justify them, but I keep putting them on my Christmas wish list! :lol:

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Re: Chisels

Post by scottp55 »

LOTS of good advise here Scott.
But agree with Ted and others that correct sharpening is key.
Only new chisels that I've ever bought that needed nothing done to use them the first time
were 3 Lie-Neilsons(and one Sorby came close)...and found all I was doing was polishing the polish.
BUT every other needed "backing off" (lapping the flat),
and bevel work(and I add a micro bevel usually).
When building the house, the 3 carpenters used mainly chisels and planes for the last 2 years of finish work.
So I had a dedicated sharpening station with a big Delta wet stone with a Veritas jig and a leather stropping wheel I made of .25" midsole leather glued up with Barge. Then also had sandpaper setup,
diamond and ceramic stones...and at the end of the day they left dull tools on My bench :)
So sharpening method I use varies(they all have their place!).
Do use the Veritas bevel gauge and guide generally when hand sharpening usually.

Searched for a decent vid, and agree with most most of what this guy says;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN4yr7vp4I4

I've got a cabinet full of Lie-Neilson planes(and others) and 10 brands of chisels,
so you can certainly go nutsoes on quality..but ANY chisel is better if sharp enough to shave hair with!

Whatever you get....just sharpen correctly until you can afford the ones that are a joy to use! :)

It's funny...with all the stuff I have...the chisel I carry in the wheelchair backpack in a leather sheath I made is an old Stanley 1.5" with the old Yellow transparent handle...BUT it's Razor Sharp :)
(trying to picture you with the razor blade:)

Have fun Scott:)
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Re: Chisels

Post by garylmast »

My brother told me to spray WD-40 on my joints because I squeak so much when I'm spending money. My set came from Harbor-Freight. :D :D :D

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Re: Chisels

Post by TReischl »

I always have to chuckle when reading threads like this. :lol:

Has anyone ever paid top dollar for a tool and then say it works only marginally better than one a tenth of the price?

But yea, I agree, picking up a top quality tool and using it is very satisfying. So there is that.

BTW, woodworking stuff always reminds me of fishing tackle. After a while a person has a whole shop (or tackle box) full of stuff that rarely gets used because there are certain tools (lures) that just plain work. I don't even bother looking at tool catalogs anymore. Sure, my woodworking will improve dramatically if I buy a scale made from aircraft aluminum, accurate to less than .001, blah, blah, blah.

When my father went into semi retirement he opened a tackle shop in the north woods. One year I went to chicago with him for the big show where they sold to business folks. He said, and I quote. . . "We are here to find the lures that catch fishermen."
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Re: Chisels

Post by Bobtail Farm »

LOL, Ted.

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