wood chisels

[Kevin4317]

Hi all I need some opinions on wood chisel. I want a good set but not more then say 100 dollars on a set i saw a few and would like your opinions on them (1)craftsmen (2)stanley fatmax (3)irwin thanks all

[matthewsutton]

hey kevin, im in the same boat. looking for a set that wont break that bank, but will serve the purpose of clearing mortises and cleaning up corners etc every now and then. i looked at some of the sets on holbren but they are $120+ a set for two cherries etc..not really what im looking for. i think ill try grizzly and ask around at some of the other forums as well.

[CWSmith]

Chisels, especially the great quality ones, can pretty much break the average budget. I look at some of the sets in the Lee-Valley catalog and elsewhere, and it makes me envious.

IMO, a good basic set is either the Blue Point Chisels or the Irwin/Marples steel-cap set sold by Rockler and a few others. At the moment, I believe Rockler has these on sale. They are four bevel-edged chisels, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and 1-inch and they normally sell for around $30. I believe Rockler's current sale price is $22. The blades are tempered within 1-inch of the high-impact handle and they are sharpened and honed. (Many of the inexpensive chisels are NOT fully sharpened.)

The set that I have, is made in Sheffeld, England and was purchased at my local Home Depot a couple of years ago. I mention Rockler, because they advertise that their stock is also made in Sheffeld. The current Home Depot stock is made in China and apparently is a lower quality item that Home Depot carries. Side-by-side, they almost look alike, but you can see a much better finish on the Sheffelds'.

(I'm not sure if it was this forum, or another that I visit, that had a post showing one of these chisels that was split. A call to Irwin, got absolutely no help and was advised to return it to HD for replacement. Knowing that I had purchase mine at HD, I checked mine against the current stock and found them to be made in China, no lifetime guarantee, and no honing!)

In any case, this is a good starter set and is better quality than the standard Craftsman chisels, IMO. Certainly you can buy better, but the price difference can be dramatic. There are of course chisels designed for specific tasks, but I think most of us start off with bevel-edged chisels, unless you're going into something specific.

CWS

[bench dog]

Holbren has got a set of (4) Two Cherries chisels for ~ $88 w/free shipping.
http://www.holbren.com/home.php?cat=622

[Woodywoodchuck]

I was just at woodcraft's annual event and there was a guy there shopwing off hand planes and how they worked etc. He had some Lee Valley Chisels he reccoemnds of course very pricey. He said his second pic was the Blue Irwin Marples, I got 6 of them for 65 less 10%.
There pretty nice, they came in a wood box also with latches.Unlike the 4 pack.

[wbrooks]

For the money the LV set is excellent value (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=30028&cat=1,41504,43500&ap=1). They are good steel, hold and take an edge, have handles that you can beat on with a steel hammer (if you really find that necessary) and come sharp. boxed set of 7 (1/4" - 1 1/2") is only $108 or $88 without the box. They also have a set of 5 (1/4" - 1") for $57

[papadan]

Decent and cheap, go with the Marples Blue Chip from Home Depot. 4 pc set under $30 and larger individual sizes to add to the set. I have been using them for about 6 years now and have been very happy with them.

[KenM]

A couple of things on the Irwin marples:

The 3/8" one in my set had a crack from the edge up the shank, on the left side. I called Irwin and recieved the worst service I have ever experienced. The lady told me to return it to where it was purchased. They were a gift and I didn't know where or have a receipt. I explained this and got a big 'I don't want to talk to this guy' sign from the lady. She told me to take it to any retailler that sells the chisels and they would exchange it. I called several retailers and they said No, not unless it was purchased there and I had a receipt.
I called back and told the same lady that and got a 'What do you want me to do?' in a rude tone of voice. I said 'Absolutely nothing, I will replace it with another brand'. 'Fine' says she. She then said 'sweetly', 'You can send it back to us and our engineering team will evaluate it and we will replace it if it's a manufacturing defect, but that will take a few months'.

I took it in to Woodcraft to show them the crack and they offered to exchange it and also called Irwin to discuss how I had been treated, the same lady treated them in the same manner.


Also, and importantly, all currently manufactured Marples are made in China, there are only a few still out there made in the UK.

[CWSmith]

Thanks Ken,

I was wondering where I had seen your post, and I recall that at the time you had posted a picture of the crack!

Seeing PapaDan's post above, I would have to agree with him, except for your experience and the fact that the current Home Depot "Marples" are as you mention, "Made in China" and apparently of inferior quality.

Like Dan, the Marple's that I bought two or three years ago at Home Depot are great and I've had no problem with them. Compared to the current "Marples" at Home Depot, are the following differences:

Blade Stamped on the old, "Made in Sheffield, England", the New, "Chrome Vanadium"

On the old package it says, "Sharpened and Honed" and "Full Lifetime Warranty"; on the new package neither of these are stated.

I noticed in a recent Rockler E-mail that they have the "made in Sheffield" on sale for $22.95 I hope that they are correct in their advertisement.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=18007&ref_id=3830&ref_t=Z&originid=68296750

CWS

[KenM]

Thanks Ken,

I was wondering where I had seen your post, and I recall that at the time you had posted a picture of the crack!

Seeing PapaDan's post above, I would have to agree with him, except for your experience and the fact that the current Home Depot "Marples" are as you mention, "Made in China" and apparently of inferior quality.

Like Dan, the Marple's that I bought two or three years ago at Home Depot are great and I've had no problem with them. Compared to the current "Marples" at Home Depot, are the following differences:

Blade Stamped on the old, "Made in Sheffield, England", the New, "Chrome Vanadium"

On the old package it says, "Sharpened and Honed" and "Full Lifetime Warranty"; on the new package neither of these are stated.

I noticed in a recent Rockler E-mail that they have the "made in Sheffield" on sale for $22.95 I hope that they are correct in their advertisement.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=18007&ref_id=3830&ref_t=Z&originid=68296750

CWS
CW,
I should have been clearer, I guess.
I find the Marples made in Sheffield to be really good. Any manuf. can have a bad unit, most take care of it better than my experience.

Your point of no lifetime warranty and no UK replacement in the future is very valid.

[jbergstrom]

These Sorby's (http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=295&productid=147143) are on sale @ Woodcraft (5 piece set)

This Crown (http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=1833&productid=129290) set is decent too...

You want decent steel that will hold an edge. Rockwell hardness scale of 58 - 60 would be good for bench chisels. Too hard and the edge chips, too soft and it dulls too fast. Note that specialized chisels are designed differently ie: mortising chisels have very beefy thick shanks and are designed to be struck with a mallet. To be fair some cheaper chisels have harder steel to hold an edge longer and then someone whacks away with a steel hammer or wooden mallet and complains when it chips an edge. The same chisel will do things like paring just fine if honed properly.

That is another issue when it comes to chisels... you have to pick a method of sharpening and learn how to do it properly. You should expect to sharpen brand new chisels as the factory edge will not be honed. Some high end chisels will come honed, but you will still need to have a method, the materials and knowledge to keep them sharp.

[wbrooks]

Agreed, however you can also compensate for chisel use by changing the grind angle. 20° for hand power only, 25° for mostly hand with the occasional light tap, 30° for mallet assist

[jbergstrom]

Agreed, however you can also compensate for chisel use by changing the grind angle. 20° for hand power only, 25° for mostly hand with the occasional light tap, 30° for mallet assist

Yep, good advice Wayne :cool:

You should sharpen your chisels according to how you're going to use them...

And then there's micro bevels.... sometimes you don't need to grind the whole face of the bevel to touch up a marginally dull edge. Tip the blade a few degrees beyond normal and you can get a razor sharp edge in a couple of strokes. When the micro bevel starts to widen then it's time to take the whole face back down to your original angle ;) This will actually help save steel as well.

[amcnerl]

I received a sale catalog from Hartville Tool that has MHG chisels in different sets ranging from a 6 pc set for $79 to 11pc set for $159. Don't know much about the brand but the catalog says made in Germany. I've bought from them before and had excellent results. Their web site is www.hartvilletool.com hope this helps.

[KenM]

I received a sale catalog from Hartville Tool that has MHG chisels in different sets ranging from a 6 pc set for $79 to 11pc set for $159. Don't know much about the brand but the catalog says made in Germany. I've bought from them before and had excellent results. Their web site is www.hartvilletool.com hope this helps.
I haven't tried the MHG bench/paring chisels, but do have a set of their pigsticker mortise chisels and they are fine. Got them from hartville too.

[Hector B]

The Woodworkers Journal has an interesting article about the US Supplier of the Two Cherries brand that was mentioned above. Sorta lets you know he's behind the tools he supplies.

http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/wwj/index.cfm/free.industryinterview

See ya when the sawdust clears,
Hector

[Gage Mc.]

Get the fatmaxs

[CARPENTERDON]

I have two sets of chisels. The one set I use on the job site for basic chiseling/all-purpose work. The second set is strictly for woodworking projects.

Now I am a practical, thrifty type of guy. I prefer not to spend hundreds of dollars on any one particular tool. Instead I look for the overall value of a tool and I spend according to the performance I can derive from that particular tool.

My job site chisels are a 3-piece set of Nicholson chisels that have a file, on the flat bottom-side, and wood rasp, on the arched top-side. They come in 1/4", 1/2", and 3/4" sizes (about $20 for the set) and are very useful for many jobs I encounter on various job-sites.

My second set (strictly for woodworking) are a 5-piece set of Craftsman chisels (about $40.) I like them very much and they do a great job. And if they ever break they have that famous Craftsman lifetime warranty!

The one key thing to remember is to keep your chisels SHARP, SHARP, SHARP! A sharp chisel is the best working chisel!

[Ken in Arkansas]

I use some older Stanley chisels with the transparent yellow handles and steel caps. The best lesson I learned was to make sure the back is flat. On cheaper chisels (like mine) this takes quite a bit of honing. I use wet/dry sandpaper on a float glass plate to flatten the backs. The top of a table saw would also work. Once the back is flat I can put a much better edge on the chisel. After sharpening, a few strokes on a leather strop charged with sharpening compound (green) really finishes the job.

[Fortpit]

I alway keep an eye on Ebay. I picked up a Lie-Nielsen Socket Chisel Set with the Leather roll for 125.00, Though this was a lucky deal the set was new and still had the factory burr on the blades

[Hector B]

I was in both of my local Home Depots last week(one on the way home from work, and the other near home), picking up supplies for a project and came across the chisel department in each. Both still had several sets if the 4pc Irwin Blue Marples with the Sheffield markings. I remembered this post and picked up a set for $29.99. They all have a bit of a burr on them from the factory. I plan on giving them a good sharpening before I put them to use on furniture projects where I mostly use them "for mostly hand with the occasional light tap" which suits their 25 deg. bevel. They will sit proudly next to my 30 year old Craftsman 5 pc yellow handled/steel capped set which will now be used for more of the heavier work, "for mallet assist" in the shop, that their 30 deg. bevel is more suited to. The Craftsmans always sharpen up nice and hold their edge well. I hope the Marples are as good or better.
See ya when the sawdust clears,
Hector

[Cephus]

I've got a couple of sets but the one I use most often are the Marples, I've yet to have an issue with them and they are my go-to chisel in most cases. I've also got a cheap piece of crap Harbor Freight set that I use to clean up nasty stuff where precision isn't necessary but I don't want my decent chisels anywhere near it, they sharpen up reasonably well and get the job done.

[VASandy]

I've got the same sets as Cephus. Job-site chisels are cheap Ace Hardware store brand. I keep them sharp, and took the time to flatten the backs. They're decent chisels for beating on, although I've chipped the smallest one (1/4"). I'll regrind it at some point.

My shop chisels are Irwins. I'm pretty sure they're made in UK Irwins. I've never seen a "china" stamp on them, but they do have a Made in England stamp. They are used regularly and sharpened as needed. I love the weight balance on them. They're very comfortable and easy to maneuver.

I keep all my chisels "scary sharp" with micro-bevels. This process is simple, and results in a good, lasting, edge that's easily reproduced. I try to keep the little plastic covers, especially for the ones that end up in my tool bag. Since the Irwin's never leave the shop, the plastic end covers are .... well, they're around...somewhere... I keep them in the box they came in and make sure they always go back in the box when I finish up in the shop. A good set of chisels is an investment. Think not only of the purchase cost, but of they time you'll spend using them. A good set of chisels will last and last, providing a lifetime of reliable use. Spend $80-150 once, or spend $20 over and over. I hate shopping...so I'll go with the purchase them once plan!