What Size Chisels do I Need?

[62woollybugger]

A while ago I picked up some, OK a lot, of Narex bevel edge chisels, at a bargain price. The only 2 missing from the full range are 22 & 50mm. I have 20 & 26mm and the biggest is 40mm. My logic brain says I probably wont use half of them & it doesn't matter that those 2 are missing, but my OCD side says I should have them to make up the set. Am I likely to ever need those 2?

I also want to get some mortise chisels but cant see myself needing all 8 sizes in the Narex range. What sizes would be the best to get? Most of the things I intend to make will be boxes & small furniture items.

[hiroller]

Need vs want.
I think there's a thread about that here.

You can get by just fine with your current set, you don't need any more.
But if you want some more, that's different question!

[thumbsucker]

You must have every chisel from 0.5mm to 150mm in 0.1 mm increments in all styles includes firmer, paring, bench, mortise, skew & fishtails. This will total a mere 10,500 chisel. Unless you have all of these you are not a woodworker. - there it has been said. Then you must purchase said chisel from every maker both past, present and future.

Or you can use that marvellous talent nature give you to learn and develop those skills that allow you to design, create and make with what you have.

[hiroller]

If you are going to get all the metric sizes, you may as well get all the Imperial sizes too!

[switt775]

Don't forget Japanese chisels.

[orraloon]

Do you need them or do you want them is the question. Chisels can be a bit moreish for most of us and I have to admit I have more than I really need. I dont however have those 2 sizes. My largest is 1&1/2''(got 2 of em) and they mostly get to sharpen the pencil. I do have some 7/8'' that would be close to 22mm but again not a specific task chisel. Mortise chisels are really task specific so figure what size mortices you will mostly be cutting. I should think the standard set of 6 should be ok. Even on my bench build the mortices were only 3/4''. That said Narex are quite reasonable in price so would a couple more really hurt.
Regards
John

[TermiMonster]

Also, buying as a set, you usually get a much better price than buying individually.
OTOH, you can usually buy a good old chisel (second hand) at a quite cheap price. So if you buy only as you need, you might get better quality, at a cheaper price, if you go down that route.
Having said that, I've got heaps more chisels than I actually need.
TM

[Poppa]

I just know that you can never have too many...

[IanW]

62WB, jokes aside, your question can't be answered by anyone else but you. The only way to find out how many sizes of chisels you need (vs. want) is to plug away at making stuff for a few years. By then you'll have a good idea of the sizes that you use regularly, those you use occasionally, and those you've forgotten you own. You will still end up with more chisels than you need, we all do, because it's just too hard to resist filing-in those perceived 'gaps'. Thank goodness most chisels only come in 1/8" increments! Sets of beautiful chisels gleaming in a drawer look great, but remember someone has to keep them all sharp and ready to go, and in my part of the world, any chisel not used regularly soon acquires a rust mark or two.

The sizes I find 'essential' vary depending on what type of chisel we are talking about. For e.g., I could live very happily with a few sizes of mortise chisels, and just a couple of paring chisels (though I have more paring chisels than I 'need', simply because of the aforesaid 'set' mentality ). For furniture, or furniture-scale objects, the vast majority of mortises I'd make are 1/4", 5/16" or 3/8". Occasionally, I need narrower slots, e.g., for lock-tongues, so a 1/8" and even a (home made) 3/32" have their times on the bench. I do have a 1/2", which I use only occasionally, and for the rare time I want to make even bigger mortises, I use a wide firmer chisel, which isn't as good as a dedicated mortise chisel, I know, but more than adequate for an occasional job.

The only lot of chisels I "need" in a wide range of sizes are my dovetailing chisels, & I have a set in all available increments from 1/8" to 1". That's because I like to lay out dovetails according to the size of the drawer or whatever, and match chisels to my chosen sizes of pins & sockets, rather than be limited to set intervals by a small number of chisel widths. I do have a couple of wider BE chisels, but I rarely use them, I can usually get away with using a 1" chisel in overlapping cuts. It does require more care & a bit of practise, but isn't that hard to do. Also, the wider the edge, the harder it is to get & keep it perfectly straight & sharp, so it's far easier to keep chisels in the 3/8" to 1" range in perfect trim (narrow chisels are also harder to sharpen accurately if you're a free-hand sharpener like me), and a truly sharp chisel will always do a better job than a nearly-sharp one. If you cut a lot of half-blind d/tails, you'll also want a couple of skews, which are very convenient, but not essential. If you only make one or two sets of half-blind d/tails in your life, don't bother, it's not that difficult to make half-blind sockets in most woods, with straight chisels.

And so on - I have a couple of other 'sets' of chisels, such as a set of butt chisels (6 of them, ranging from 1/4 to 1 1/2"), and again, there are a couple of sizes that get used almost daily, while others rarely see the light of day, and a couple, practically never. So which sizes of any type of chisel suit you & your style of work can only be discovered by yourself, through making stuff. You will rarely be stumped by not having the 'just right' chisel size. As I said, if you don't have a chisel that is the exact width of what you are cutting, you simply make overlapping cuts (carefully!) with the widest chisel you have. It's best to have the 'right' size of mortise chisel, for accuracy as well as convenience, but not absolutely essential. If you have a firmer chisel in the right width, it can do the job pretty well, and if pushed, you can use overlapping cuts, but it does require a bit of skill & care to cut a good mortise with an undersize chisel.

So just chisel away and you'll eventually know the answer to your question.....

Cheers,

[Ratbag]

What chisels are needed depends on what they're used for.

Many of mine are used regularly: some seldom or not at all.

My used mortise sizes are 1/4" & 5/16", and my 3/8" & 1/2" hardly ever.

My "bench" collection sees daily use of the 1/8", 3/8", 3/4", and occasional use of 1" & 1 1/4". The rest, quite frankly are pretty useless for me.

When building in pine, the 1" & 1 1/4" chisels are essential. In hardwood its usually 1 1/2" & 1 3/4". Building chisels are treated roughly and hammered with steel. Through-tang or even all steel types are best for me.

I don't have any "proper" paring chisels, but use a 1/2" & 3/4" bevel edged firmer with a "carver" type all wood handle. A 3/4" with a bent tang makes a useful housing joint parer. Better still is a Stanley router plane.

Then there's a home modified 3/8" "dovetail" chisel which I find indispensible.

My most useless chisel? Probably a 2" firmer. I have a couple, neither of which has ever actually ever been used in anger. It's just too big to use for housing 2" hardwood. I prefer using the next size down every time to allow for a tight friction fit.