Thread: Stanley Made in Australia chisels - quality of steel?

A photo would help they could be as far back as the seventies, I bought a full set as a apprentice Cabinet Maker, I am still using some of today hold edge well easy to sharpen
a 100 times better then the rubbish Stanley make these days (Henry would be ashamed to have his name on them)

Well I like them. Not just because they're locally made, but they also (generally) have nice balance & feel too. Made from high quality BHP tool steel in a rather thinner than average section & pretty well ground flat, straight & with true angles. My own examples (a couple of dozen) are ageing well, & take a lovely keen easily-formed but not necessarily super long-lived edge from basic oilstone honing. They're my preferred bench chisel daily users.

The basic bevel edged firmers are the most commonly available, but there's also standard firmers too. The latter are sufficiently robust for light mortice work. I've found that the narrow neck, scaled according to width dimensions, provides a useful degree of flex & shock absorption, but makes them perhaps just a little less suitable for the rather cruel, destructive leverage needed in heavy demolition work. Nevertheless, tens of thousands of carpenters have found them to be satisfactory peformers over the decades.

The most damning criticism that I'd personally level against them is in regard to their handles. Whilst much more usefully robust, they lack the warmth & ergonomic comfort of wooden alternatives. The CAB (Cellulose Acetate Butyrate), just as with Marples' own proprietary "Splitproof" equivalent, is not entirely resistant to continuous abusive steel hammer strike, and will eventually break down. Personally, I regard hammer usage with chisels a form of unnecessary abuse, but on building sites the world over this still appears to be the norm. The handles are scaled in size (only 3 from memory??) according to width classes, which is not necessarily ideal. Nevertheless, in comparison to Marples' old "Blue Chip" or Ash, Boxwood & Rosewood series' carver style's uniform sizing it's positively luxurious.

Their steels, the same as used in the much more highly regarded Titan chisels from which this design evolved following Stanley's takeover of the Titan & Turner companies, are I consider every bit as high quality (if not superior) to post-war English Sheffield tool steels as used by the likes of their Marples, Stanley, Sorby et. al. contemporaries during the 50s-90s. Only the likes of Ashley Iles, Henry Taylor and more "esoteric" English makers seemed to produce better steels, mainly by virtue I suspect of superior "traditional/old school" hand forging techniques. Nevertheless, they (Oz Stanleys) are fully drop-forged, oil quenched & hand ground in the traditional manner. I myself was witness to the production process many years ago in or about the year 1971 on a school trip. Yet another sentimental reason for their personal appeal to me.

They were available in initially Imperial only, and later Metric equivalent sizing from 1/8" to 2", although some sizes: 5/16", 7/8", 1 1/8", 1 3/4" & all the (more restricted) range of unbevelled firmers all seem to be rarer. There's undoubtedly some extremely rare & even unique custom designs & sizes out there too. In the 60s & 70s Stanley were only too happy to accommodate unusual customer requests.

Their most attractive feature, however, is price. High production numbers, almost universal useage & ubiquity, and their intrinsic longevity all combine to make these chisels readily & inexpensively available in virtually all second hand sources, online & at flea markets. A relatively unfashionable status also helps to keep prices low too in comparison to their much more fashionable predecessors from Titan & most of their (in my opinion) inferior English counterparts.

Originally Posted by China

A photo would help they could be as far back as the seventies, I bought a full set as a apprentice Cabinet Maker, I am still using some of today hold edge well easy to sharpen
a 100 times better then the rubbish Stanley make these days (Henry would be ashamed to have his name on them)

That would be Henry Disston.

No, Henry Stanley

The Stanley Rule and Level Company was founded in 1857 by Henry Stanley in New Britain, Connecticut. In 1920, this company merged with the separate but related Stanley Works, founded by Henry Stanley's cousin Frederick Trent Stanley, and continued operating as its hand tools division.

So, if I understand correctly, Stanley chisels were first made by Stanley Works so we're actually talking Frederick Trent Stanley not being a happy camper...

I was referring to all Stanley products

Hi Ratbag,
thanks for the detailed answer and based on this, I now have a 19mm and a 22mm Australian-made Stanley chisel for general bench work. These are odd sizes, so pleased to get them.
Cheers
Paul

Originally Posted by dubrosa22

The Stanley Rule and Level Company was founded in 1857 by Henry Stanley in New Britain, Connecticut. In 1920, this company merged with the separate but related Stanley Works, founded by Henry Stanley's cousin Frederick Trent Stanley, and continued operating as its hand tools division.

So, if I understand correctly, Stanley chisels were first made by Stanley Works so we're actually talking Frederick Trent Stanley not being a happy camper...

Stanley Works made hardware - originally specialising in hinges.
It was Stanley Rule and Level that bought out Bailey and made hand tools.
So Henry Stanley is correct.

Originally Posted by paul.cleary

Hi Ratbag,
thanks for the detailed answer and based on this, I now have a 19mm and a 22mm Australian-made Stanley chisel for general bench work. These are odd sizes, so pleased to get them.
Cheers
Paul

Metric or imperial chisels, Paul?

3/4 inches = 19.05 mm ==> 19 mm,
7/8 inches = 22.22 mm ==> 22 mm,

Maybe not so odd.

I also like the old Oz Stanleys; just feel nice.


Cheers

Graeme

Hi Graeme,
definitely metric as the chisels have the words 19mm and 22mm engraved on their blades.
Must have been the last generation of Stanley chisels made in Australia?
Paul
PS Apologies for sparking an intense debate on who was the original Stanley founder - makes for confusing reading

What's probably more to the point, Graeme, is that 3/4" & 7/8" are both extremely useful sizes in bench chisels, too. Enjoy.

No apologies needed, there nothing like a good healthy friendly debate to wake the mind up

Whoops Henry Stanley it is then

Originally Posted by hiroller

Stanley Works made hardware - originally specialising in hinges.
...So Henry Stanley is correct.

Personally I like the English made 5001 chisels (1960-70s) over the Aussie black & yellow plastic handled ones.
Admittedly they're not much better looking and the steel is only slightly better or worse depending on the chisel but they are very comfy to hold IMO.
The English 5002s are the same profile but even less attractive.

But don't even think about the current Chinese made 5001s...

There is a particular Titan chisel that is head and shoulders above all the other ones as far as a steel that holds a good sharp edge.
They are a bevel sided paring chisel that has a rectangular section tang. You don't see them nearly as often as the firmers or the round section tang chisels.
Saw a complete set of them for sale on ebay a few years ago however the bidding and price was too hot for me.