Thread: 'Long Run' Bevel Edge Chisels

Originally Posted by Fergiz01

The back and course grinding can and have been addressed, but you really do expect more from a $54 plus shipping chisel.

can I ask why?

a 1" Blue Spruce in A2 is $130 USD
a 1" Veritas in PM-V11 is $99 USD
a 1" Lie Nielsen is $70 USD

at that comparison, $54, and a bit of time to remove the grinding marks from the back working is a relative bargain.

Hi Ian,

Those are some pretty premium bench chisels you just listed. I'm sure that they come more expensive again, too. But all of those chisels that you listed are flat out of the box, nicely polished and have lovely wooden handles. I haven't used it nearly to say that I regret my purchase, and I suspect that it will be a very good user. However consider that the 1" Ashley Isles MK II bench chisels come in at $35.51.

Cheers,
Zac.

Hi Zac

AI chisels are $35 USD for a 1". However, you still have to get them to Oz and convert to AUD. They are excellent chisels, but not as well finished (out of the box) as Blue Spruce, LN or Veritas.

LN A2 (at Henry Eckhert) are $129 for a 1". Veritas PM-V11 is $169 for a 1" at Carbatec.

I look at this set this way: you could have spent a lot more. You appear to have good steel. Spend a little once-off time fettling the blades. Then make a set of wooden handles in a timber of your choice and a design of your own. Nothing on the market could match that!

Regards from Perth

Derek (who has re-made many chisels over the years)

I have rehandled my Narexes, but I think this handle may prove to be a challenge to remove!

Originally Posted by Fergiz01

I have rehandled my Narexes, but I think this handle may prove to be a challenge to remove!

Nah, I'll bet you can get' it off without too much of a struggle - I've removed more than my share of plastic yuk over the years. I use a bit of brass or steel rod as a punch, hold the blade firmly in a vice, and tap the handle off. Biggest problem is it will almost certainly have a short, fairly round 'tang', which can be a slight challenge to fit a wooden handle on. You need to find just the right size drill, so that it is a tight, but not over-tight, fit - I've split more than one handle trying to fit them on round tangs...

Cheers,

Hi Fergiz01,
That Long Run chisel looks a real lot like a TopMan brand. Maybe the same (just rebadged). I just picked up a set from the local markets for $8. Set consists of 6mm, 12mm,19mm,25mm. Marked TopMan on a navy plastic handle. Unknown quality until I get around to flattening backs and sharpening and of course replacing those poxy plastic handles. Regards Ross

Hi Jazzy,

They do indeed look similar. When you remove the handles, if the tang has bumps along it's length I would think that they are one and the same. Otherwise I think it's possible that the Long Run is a revamp rather than a rebadge.

Cheers,
Zac

Other chisels look like Aldi ones to me, there can only be so many chisel factories in the world....
On the other hand last time I looked Luban planes were very cheap compared to a bricks and mortar store.

Originally Posted by Fergiz01

Hi Ian,

Those are some pretty premium bench chisels you just listed. I'm sure that they come more expensive again, too. But all of those chisels that you listed are flat out of the box, nicely polished and have lovely wooden handles. I haven't used it nearly to say that I regret my purchase, and I suspect that it will be a very good user. However consider that the 1" Ashley Isles MK II bench chisels come in at $35.51.

Cheers,
Zac.

Hi Zac

I'm not trying to imply that the chisel you bought is not good value -- but my point is that at $54 it's considerably less expensive than a chisel that is flat out of the box, so, if for you, the Long Run is as good as a LN chisel, $54 and some time polishing the back represents a real bargain.


BTW
to my eye it looks a lot like a Marples chisel made in the late 80s or early 90s. I have one and they are good chisels.

After much looking around for brass pipe, I finally fitted a new handle to the 'Long Run' chisel from finetools.com.au. The handle is turned from Wandoo, a very tough wood from WA used mainly for fence posts, cattle yards, railway sleepers etc. I've made myself a mallet with a head from the same timber, which has a fantastic heft for its size. I hope that you like the pictures. The handle design is nothing crazy, but is comfortable to hold and hit. Here it is being used to chop a dovetail in some 50mm Jarrah.18136668_10154758892071185_776786591_n.jpg18136544_10154758892091185_1781511046_n.jpg18109686_10154758892081185_1877101744_n.jpg

Originally Posted by Fergiz01

Here it is being used to chop a dovetail in some 50mm Jarrah.
18136544_10154758892091185_1781511046_n.jpg

a comment if I may.

Jarrah is fairly forgiving in this respect, but you really should start your chopping 2-3 mm in front of your base line and then work back to the base line in 0.5 to 1mm steps, once the bulk of the waste is removed.

You can probably tell by the way I have sawed past my baselines that I need all the advice people can give me! Thanks for the pointer, Ian.

Originally Posted by ian

.... but you really should start your chopping 2-3 mm in front of your base line and then work back to the base line in 0.5 to 1mm steps, once the bulk of the waste is removed.

We were taught to do it this way, too. If you start the down-cut right on the line, the pressure against the bevel forces the back of the chisel into the 'good' side a little. This can leave a noticeable void which will be visible after assembly, particularly with softer woods. With crisp-cutting woods like Jarrah, or Qld. Maple, etc., you can get away with it, but if you're using one of today's hard alloy chisels that require steeper bevel angles, it's even more risky. Better to leave a small amount in front of your scribe-line til you've chopped half way, then take out the remaining waste with a clean cut.
We were also taught to slightly overcut towards the centre (the emphais is on slight). This ensures that both inner & outer edges meet precisely when the parts are pulled together. Since the glue-strength is derived from the side-grain contact of the sides of the tail & pins, a small void in the centre of the end-grain area shouldn't have any effect on joint-strength.

Cheers,