What make of chisels

[Rum_Pirate]

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What make/brand are the best type of wood working chisels to purchase?

Straight edge, not carving chisels, to be used on Cedar, marine plywood and Douglas Fir.

 

[ccscott49]

I swear by, not at, Stanley, yellow plastic handled chisels.

 

[lesweeks]

With chisels, as with any tool, you get what you pay for. Any good brand from a good tool shop will be an investment and will last you for years. Buy cheap and you'll get poor steel which won't keep it's edge and you'll be forever trying to sharpen it. My advice it to have quality tools for quality work and an odd cheapie for when you've got to do a bit of hacking and where you could hit a screw or a nail etc.
If you're keeping them on board then wrap them in a oiled cloth and in a proctective bag. That way they're always sharp and rust-free.

 

[tobble]

agree with Les_W, but Marples are a well respected name.

 

[Gordonmc]

I was given a set of five Marples chisels by my late father in law when I embarked on my first house renovation in the early 70's and still use four of them. The fifth got lost a couple of years ago and was repaced by one the same size from another maker and lasted three months before the handle parted company from the shank.
The moral is to buy the best you can afford.
I have been tempted by Japanese chisels which are the DogsB's and far too good for a ham fisted bodger like me.

 

[Kilter]

Cuchilo of this parish is a well known wood botherer

 

[dbewick]

If you want to buy British, Robert Sorby chisels are good. Some of the European ones like Kirschen (from Axminster) or MHG (Rutlands) are good. Lie-Neilsen from the USA are fantastic, too, but very expensive. I would agree that it is worth keeping one set "for best" and using cheaper ones for rougher work.

 

[aitchw]

I've had my Marples set now for 20 years and would not trade them for anything. Their sales slogan was, maybe still is, 'Good to the last inch'. Would struggle to afford a set now, about £70.00 quid I think.

 

[2nd_apprentice]

Ashley Iles aren't that bad but it depends on your intended use I reckon

 

[gandy]

The only decent modern chisel that I have is a Robert Sorby. Personally I wouldn't expect the modern Marples to be up to their old reputation considering all the changes in ownership, but I don't have any to directly comment on. I have a couple of Stanley of various ages, and some Sandvik and both are OK, but not brilliant.

The best chisels that I have are all old hand-downs or junk shop finds of various makes of Sheffield cast steel.

See review of Ashley Iles and some others here ...
http://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7777

 

[Ruffles]

[ QUOTE ]

The best chisels that I have are all old hand-downs or junk shop finds of various makes of Sheffield cast steel.


[/ QUOTE ]
I find my grandfathers old chisels hold a better edge than new ones. Why is that?

I also have two plastic handled stanley chisels; one has an edge so hard it chips at the corners, the other I can sharpen with a file! Agree with the other poster about keeping an old tool for window frames and the like.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

It all depends on what you want to do with them. If you want them to earn your living, then go for the very best. This would mean Sorby, Nielsen, and the hand crafted ones that are turned out in America (sorry, but it is a fact).

Once you get used to them, the Japanese short chisels are exceptionally good - as are their saws. None of these are 'inexpensive'; unfortunately, as has already been said, you do get what you pay for.

If, on the other hand, you only need them for what is vulgarly known as 'advanced amateur' use, t would go for the Stanley Dynagrip series, which I have found to be a good compromise.

I would also keep an eye open for genuinely old chisels of good 'craftsman' quality that regularly come up for sale. Just make sure that they still have a useable length.

Avoid like the plague 'sets' that are offered for handyman use, the kind where the price of an entire set of five would only buy you one small chisel of decent quality.

What you save on price you spend many times over in continual re-sharpening and aggravation.

 

[sailorman]

try & buy some old ( 30+ yrs ) tools these are far better steel & will maintain a sharper "edge" longer.
try ebay

 

[gandy]

[ QUOTE ]
I find my grandfathers old chisels hold a better edge than new ones. Why is that?

[/ QUOTE ]
I've seen differing opinions on that but I think its because modern tools use steels that are optimised for factors other than ease of sharpening and edge holding. That may especially be the case for mass-produced lowish priced tools. See reference here :

http://www.hocktools.com/steelrap.htm

 

[Spuddy]

Marples are still the best of the easily available. I've got a 1" bevel edged from Germany that is superb and was well worth the £30 I spent 15 years ago. Dunno if steel recipe has changed in new generation chisels but one factor is that with prolonged use the back of the chisel gets honed up so the cutting edge is two highly polished surfaces meeting.

 

[sailorman]

most modern steel sounds "Water Bar" when put on a grind stone it doesnt "Zing" like the old carbon steel /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[gandy]

[ QUOTE ]
.. one factor is that with prolonged use the back of the chisel gets honed up so the cutting edge is two highly polished surfaces meeting.

[/ QUOTE ] Good point. It takes a lot of work or time to get the back of a modern blade flat.

 

[DinghyMan]

For everyday stuff some good German chisels - Kirschen and if you want some really good ones Oiri Nomi - £120 but well worth it

 

[Talbot]

a lot of different advice on here which by and large is not really a lot of help. The first real question is what do you want to use the chisels for. If this is wood turning on a lathe, then you need different tools from a wood carver.

That will define the style of tool, including length of blade and handle shape. The big difference then is in the quality of the steel. There is a lot of dross sold as chisels, which are only suitable for a wood butcher. The underlying principle of working in wood, but especially with chisels and planes, is the sharpness of the blade. This requires two things, skill at sharpening, and the quality of the blade. a poor blade will need frequent sharpening and soon make you very peeved at the task. A really good tool will retain its edge for a long time (provided you have learnt to sharpen properly).

To get the proper tool you need to go to a dedicated woodworking and supplies shop. IIRC the last time I boaght a decent one it was about £22 a chisel.

This is a good place

 

[Bobobolinsky]

I've got Zim's working for me who can take a piece of raw timber and produce some wonderful work, and they can't afford expensive chisels. Some have been made from worn out files with hand made ebony handles. Doesn't matter how costly your tools are, it's more the craftsman

Robin