Show Off Your Chisels

[Scribbly Gum]

This post was started because Green Woodchips (GW to his mates) made a sneaky attempt to show off his chisels in the Show Off Your Planes section.
So GW you have the honour of getting us started.
Come on, Ya know ya want to.
Regards
SG

[Green Woodchips]

Hey - don't blame me! Go back and check out Derek's gratuitous photos - you ask for planes and you get half the workshop!

But seeing as you have so kindly opened the door for me ... here they are.

It's not a huge collection, but it's enough for me.

On the left side, we have the generic collection. Chisels from everywhere, all of them pretty cheap. Starts with one lonesome Ward gouge, then mortise chisels (British, American and Japanese), and eventually moves through to firmer chisels (a few Japanese ones here as well), with a few dovetails chisels (one Japanese, two Western) on the end.

Thrown in there as well is our very handy friend, "Old Stubby", with the red push handle (the socket had nothing left of it, and so I epoxied in what looks like a gear stick knob with a screw thread), and also my infamous "East meets West" chisel on the far right of the left bank - a homemade job, very tough and very useful.

On the right hand side, we have my Japanese (Kakuri brand) white oak bench chisels (oire nomi). Then next to them we have my nearly complete set of paring chisels (mostly Berg). I have one more (5/8") to add to their ranks; the Berg blade is in my possession, but I still have to turn the handle. That will complete the set.

In between the two "banks" of chisels is my attempt at a Japanese chisel hammer; it's a chunk of brass hex with a Tassie blackwood handle. Works a treat.

Now I'll stand back and let the pro's take over.

Cheers,
GW

[Scribbly Gum]

That's a beautiful collection GW.
Thanks for sharing it.
The Red push knob looks like an old Stanley Hand drill side knob.
I love the east meets west small shovel in the corner of the first set.
There must be a story to go with that one.

I suppose I should post mine as I pushed you into posting yours.
The first set is my well used set of mongrel Bergs, collected from all corners of the Sunday markets empire. All these are Bergs except the last 2 inch socket, which is a Kronan. It is however also made in sunny Eskilstuna, and the steel is very good.

The second set is my pride and joy, and is my set of English bevelled edge chisels, gathered over a couple of decades. All of these have had previous owners and some of them have the owners' initials or names on the handles. (and before someone says something, I paid for all of them)
Here are Woodcocks, Wards, and chisels by Marples, Preston and Mathieson.
I love this set, and in the immortal words of Doug the Slug, ".....they will have to prise them from my cold dead fingers."

Anyway, that's my Australian Chisel story.....

Regards
SG

[Toolin Around]

There's a few there that I've gathered over the years. The leather role is all my carving chisels I bought with a graduation gift my mom gave me 25 years ago. The pig stickers in the front I made a few years back. The red gum handled ones to the left I made recently. There are few others hiding there that I have also made top left; couple corner chisels and flush trimmer. The buck bothers crank necks and the paring chisels were a price I couldn't refuse, about 100CDN for the lot. I'm partial to Ashley Isles as can be seen by the bevel edge chisels bottom right (Most of the carvers are Ashley Isles also). And last but not least the ones in the bottom middle are cheapie Stanley's and marples. Some say the steel is shyte, I musta got lucky cause they've been quite good and hold an edge well.

[Green Woodchips]

To both those posts above - wow! What else can I say?

I think in many ways our chisel collections tell the story of our woodworking collections - no one knocks on your door and says, "Hi. I have an entire collection of woodworking tools to give you. You will never live in want again."

The truth is, it's a chisel here, a plane there, six months of nothing, an awl here, another chisel there. For most of us, building a toolkit is a truly eclectic enterprise. And though you always dream of finding the mother lode, that's just not the reality for most of us.

But, I admit, I kind of like it this way. Every piece has a story of how it was detected, tracked, stalked, shot, skinned and gutted, and (finally) stuffed and mounted. A table of planes, a rack of chisels ... it's a storyboard. I think it's fun. But I do despise rust.

By the way, the link to the story of my "east meets west shovel" is here:
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...highlight=east

Cheers,
GW

[Zsteve]

Some nice gear there guys.

Me, I like old steel like a couple of you, just something about how it looks and feels in the hand. Most of them hold a good edge too.

I've got drawers overflowing with this stuff(ok only a couple). theres also probably about a dozen not pictured, some nice Ward patternmakers gouges, london pattern boxwood handled paring chisels etc. What i tend to gravitate toward are the Titans, Ward & sheffield brands, plus Bergs, got one witherby but would like more. Cant complain.

Regards
Steve

[m2c1Iw]

I'm partial to Ashley Isles as can be seen by the bevel edge chisels bottom right (Most of the carvers are Ashley Isles also). And last but not least the ones in the bottom middle are cheapie Stanley's and marples. Some say the steel is shyte, I musta got lucky cause they've been quite good and hold an edge well.

Looking at the great collections here I started wondering of the sheffields what is considered top end, came across this site I'd be interested in views. Haven't even thought about Japanese as this will start a whole new discussion.

Cheers mike

[Toolin Around]

Looking at the great collections here I started wondering of the sheffields what is considered top end, came across this site I'd be interested in views. Haven't even thought about Japanese as this will start a whole new discussion.

Cheers mike

How much do you want to spend? Or more to the point how much will the wife let you spend

[m2c1Iw]

Ah....correct Not really thinking of buying new, seems looking out for pre loved is the way to go. Just interested to know which ones are considered to be the prize finds and why. As a lot of the earlier makers are not around using current prices as a guide seems futile.

[Scribbly Gum]

Great chisel collection TA.
I particularly like yout home ground skew chisels, and the red gum handles look very professional.
I have a couple of home ground Jernbolagets that serve me well as skew chisels. (Forgot to put them in the photo)

There's a few there that I've gathered over the years. The leather role is all my carving chisels I bought with a graduation gift my mom gave me 25 years ago. The pig stickers in the front I made a few years back. The red gum handled ones to the left I made recently. There are few others hiding there that I have also made top left; couple corner chisels and flush trimmer. The buck bothers crank necks and the paring chisels were a price I couldn't refuse, about 100CDN for the lot. I'm partial to Ashley Isles as can be seen by the bevel edge chisels bottom right (Most of the carvers are Ashley Isles also). And last but not least the ones in the bottom middle are cheapie Stanley's and marples. Some say the steel is shyte, I musta got lucky cause they've been quite good and hold an edge well.

I wonder where the bad press is coming from on the Marples chisels.
Like you, I have never found a bad one.
I noted that Rob Cossman uses marples Chisels in his DVD on hand cutting dovetails.
Most of the other tools I see him use are Lie Nielsen, so the Marples Chisels are in good company.

Thanks for sharing your collection.
Cheers
SG

[fletty]

OK, shown off the planes (?), now for the chisels,
These are the only ones I'm game to show. Some of the others have succombed to paint tin openers and glue removers!
The LN's at the back are now my main users but, as noted earlier, the Marples and Stanley in the front looked after me well for many years. To the right of the LN's are my growing collection of socket chisels sourced from markets and fitted with LN pattern rock maple handles. The turned but unbladed handles are a sign of optimism. I'm looking for another 1/2" socket blade to be skewed in the 'other' direction.
The LN 1/2" mortice chisel is my latest splurge and what a lovely thing it is. I put it near the workpiece and the mortices clean themselves up!
Fletty

[derekcohen]

If there is one tool I like even better than planes it is a chisel.

I have been reducing the collection in recent months. Honest. But I suspect that they breed in the dark. I will have some more to go to good homes in the near future.

My main users are either Japanese chisels, which include Koyamaichi, Matsumura and Iyoroi bench, dovetail and paring chisels, and Berg paring chisels. I rehandled the Bergs (collected over several years) in Jarrah - these all have 20 degree bevels and are only pushed, never struck. The Japanese chisels are especially useful for hardwood.

Others in the cabinet include Oval Bolstered Mortice chisels (aka "pigstickers") from 1/8" - 1/2" (all rehabbed with new handles in Australian hardwoods), and a set of Marples carving chisels that were gifted from my late FIL.

The other chisels that I am mad about are my dovetail/detail chisels. These are from Dave Jeske at Blue Spruce (US) and include a few custom ones he made up for me. What is special about them is their hollow ground sides which allow one to really get into the corners of dovetails. Overall they are wonderfully balanced and have a delicate feel. These handles are African Blackwood.

One of the extras here is a fishtail chisel I made for cleaning out blind dovetails. In Tassie Blackwood ..

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Cliff Rogers]

I like that fishtail chisel Derek, is it a bought blade or did you make it too?

[Green Woodchips]

Hey Derek.

I'm pleased you've weighed in - making me feel better now!

I also love looking at what you're doing with that fine collection. Seems to get better with time, even if you're culling a few out of it.

I'm with Cliff on the fishtail chisel; looks awesome. I have a small dead socket chisel that I intend to do that with.

Cheers,
GW

[derekcohen]

Thanks Cliff, GW

The fishtail was made out of an old high carbon steel chisel blade. The bevel is a low 20 degrees as it is just for paring inside half-blind dovetails. It was made before I received the two skews from BS. They do the same job, but in a slightly different way. The fishtail can be pushed straight (see the first Rob Cosman dovetail DVD for an illustration), while a skew is used in a slight slicing action.

Regards from Perth

Derek