Thread: Beginner chisel set

I suspect you're right, the socket handled set set look to be exactly the same as my Luban set even down to the Bubinga handles. McJing occasionally uses images of products that aren't the exact product they're selling so might pay to check with Max there. I'm very happy with my chisels.

McJing 6 PC Bevel Edge Chisels look the same as Luban set I have from

https://www.finetools.com.au/product...-bench-chisels

I am quite happy with these too.

I'm currently putting my pennies aside for a Narex set: https://www.timbecon.com.au/carving-...set-of-6-cased

I keep hearing nothing but good things about them. That said, I keep hearing good things about Luban planes (strangely, I was at McJing today, and bought a Luban plane) - if their chisels are as good as their planes, this should also be a good set.

I actually looked at these when I was there today - the sides of the bevel on these are a little larger than I personally am looking for, I'm aiming to use them for some dovetail work, and I think in that case the sides of the bevel are preferred to be on the thinner side.

Then again, I'm a newbie too, so don't truly know all the answers, only what I've read and researched!

Originally Posted by qwertyu

Can anyone recommend a good beginner chisel set? Any thoughts on these:

https://mcjing.com.au/categorybrowse...?categoryid=57

the 6 piece set for $85. Doesnt say what brand but I assume its Luban?

?? thoughts ??

Don't buy a set of chisels.
The sizes you need to get started are just three 1/4", 1/2" and 3/4" or metric equivalents. Having written that, my most used chisel is 16 mm (= 5/8") carbon steel sharpened for use as a paring chisel.
Steel that is easy to sharpen is a plus when starting out.

I recommend you start off picking from the following:
Also - buy 1 of 2 in the sizes you need vs a whole set including a pile you won't use much....

Cheap:
Easy to Sharpen: Stanley Dynagrip (China) Stanley 5002 blue handle series (China), Marples blue chip (China), or Narex (Czech republic)

Alloy steel - a bit harder to sharpen: Stanley Fat Max (UK), Stanley Bailey (UK), Stanley Dynagrip (UK)

More expensive: Two Cherries/Kirschen, Ashley Iles, Pfeil, Stubai.

These are all good chisels.
The more expensive chisels are better - but the cheap ones I list are still quite good.

Knowing what I know now - I would buy 1 two cherries rather than 2 or 3 cheapies...

But if you need Mr. right Now - don't be afraid of buying a 3 pack of Stanley's out of Bunnings or thereabouts... They are quality tools and you will get a lot of work out of them......

The trouble with cheap miscellaneous store brand stuff is that it's massively variable... Sure - you can buy a 4 or 6 pack of Miscellaneous Chinese import store brand chisels really cheap... They might be decent enough... They might not.. My experience with these is that they generally aren't particularly good.....

Not wanting to side track a thread but when someone says this chisel is better than that one, what is the main reason for doing so? Apart from a style that is comfortable to use which is a personal thing, is it the ability to hold an edge that they are mainly being judged on?

Originally Posted by Beardy

when someone says this chisel is better than that one, what is the main reason for doing so? Apart from a style that is comfortable to use which is a personal thing, is it the ability to hold an edge that they are mainly being judged on?

several criteria
how the chisel feels in the hand
ease of sharpening -- which often depends on the user's skill and sharpening set up
does it have a tendency to roll off the bench?
ability to hold an edge -- which can depend on the sharpening angle, what the chisel is used for, and the wood being worked.

I can only speak for myself... I have personally tried out everything on my list except Stubai as well as several more I didn't list... I based my recommendations on my own tests and opinion of them.

To me - a chisel is all about cutting - it doesn't really do anything else.... So if it doesn't do that well - it's just an unwieldly paint can opener...

For me - I want a chisel that's "well behaved" in regards to sharpening... Because sharpening can effect the cutting ability and edge holding well over 10x vs doing a poor job of sharpening..

I don't want tough stringy wire edges or feather edges. That's often the first "problem" with alloy steel - wire edges or feather edges hold on tenaciously - and as a result their cutting performance is often degraded...

I would also really appreciate the blade to take sharpening from the stones I have.. You can easily drop $1,000+ on sharpening paraphernalia when you count diamond plates, water stones, jigs, and all the rest... And so if the chisel requires you to buy $400 more worth of stones to make it sharpen right - you have to consider that.

All the chisels I listed will sharpen reliably on common (cheap) oil stones and will take stropping without issue... If you do other stuff - they will cooperate reliably...

After that comes feel in hand and balance. That's a place where more expensive chisels stand out... They generally are far better balanced. They tend to have thinner blades and better feeling handles. For example - Fat Max chisels have a very heavy steel shank inside them.. They tend to feel quite heavy and clunky - though the steel is decent stuff and they generally cut well enough.

Originally Posted by truckjohn

. So if it doesn't do that well - it's just an unwieldly paint can opener...

LOL Had to laugh at this - I have had more than one paint can opener.

Originally Posted by truckjohn

So if it doesn't do that well - it's just an unwieldly paint can opener...

Or if it's a decent size and has a bit of heft it becomes your demolition chisel.

What do people think about the veritas pm-v11 chisels? I hear really good things but then I saw the price tag...

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

I have Narex chisels and they are great. I did replace all the handles, though.
18361090_10154794681071185_1147114711_n.jpg

Originally Posted by Midnight Man

I'm currently putting my pennies aside for a Narex set: https://www.timbecon.com.au/carving-...set-of-6-cased

I keep hearing nothing but good things about them. That said, I keep hearing good things about Luban planes (strangely, I was at McJing today, and bought a Luban plane) - if their chisels are as good as their planes, this should also be a good set.

I actually looked at these when I was there today - the sides of the bevel on these are a little larger than I personally am looking for, I'm aiming to use them for some dovetail work, and I think in that case the sides of the bevel are preferred to be on the thinner side.

Then again, I'm a newbie too, so don't truly know all the answers, only what I've read and researched!

I have a set of these Narax chisels and the sides do come to a pretty fine corner, probably only about 1mm high on the side. Looking at these they appear to be quite fine too. My set gets used mainly for dovetails too as I have other larger Stanley chisels for other work.

Originally Posted by taz01

What do people think about the veritas pm-v11 chisels? I hear really good things but then I saw the price tag...

It's a bit like shopping for a handbag in Paris -- if you blink at the price you can't afford one.


Seriously, if the PM-V11s will be an upgrade from whatever you have now and you can afford the asking price, you won't be disappointed. Just don't buy them as a learner set.


By all accounts, the Narex are the current sweet spot for price, quality and usability.