Thread: Hamlet Bevel Edge Wood Chisels

Gareth,
I have a couple of hamlet turning gouges and they are very good. I have not used hamlet wood chisels but I would expect them to be good. They have one of the best names in the buisness. They will sharpen like any other chisel. I use the old oil stone as that works for me. If I were buying new clisels they would be well up on the list.

Regards
John

Gareth,

Maybe check the size of the chisels before purchase. Recently I dropped into the store locally looking for chisels and compared two 6mm versions, one a Hamlet and another from a different manufacturer. Although the Hamlet was stamped 6mm it was noticably wider than the other - more like 7mm! Maybe this could be explained by an Imperial-metric conversion but it was unnerving. I had done some mortices on a project with a friend's 6mm chisel and decided to buy one of my own to finish the job. Not possible with a chisel 1mm wider than the original.

Hello Gareth,

I mostly power carve, but I do have a set of bevel edge Hamlets and they are beautiful to use/hold, sharpen well and stay sharpe; Well, on the soft woods I use at least. I've been really happy with the quality. And I know the handles are pretty robust because someone once bashed the hell out of one of mine with a hammer and it stood the assult. Not that I'm recormending that!!

Karl,

As you've pointed out the inch to mm conversion might be to blame. 1/4inch comes out at 6.35mm, so I'm guessing that's maybe why it felt a bit bigger.

Thanks

Hi Gareth,

The difference was definitely more substantial than 0.35mm, and certainly visible to the naked eye. But the main point of concern was that the tool was stamped with 6mm! Anyway, it's something to be aware of. Good luck with your chisel hunting.

Originally Posted by GarethR

• Does anyone have experience using these?

I think I the same set you are referring too. I got them as a Christmas present a few years ago

• How is the finish out of box?

Not bad. Definitely not ready to use, but the backs only needed minimal flattening and a polish...as would most chisels in this sort of price range.

• How easy are they to sharpen?

I dont have any trouble sharpening them...I use a 1000 and 6000 waterstone to hone a micro bevel and touch up the primary bevel every now and then with a rough diamond stone.

• Do they hold an edge well?

I dont own any top of the line chisels to compare them to, but I have noticed it depends what your doing with them as to how long the edge lasts. I have mine set up with a primary bevel of around 25 degrees and a micro bevel of 1 to 2 degrees more......so they are very sharp but the edge doesn't last long on end grain cuts in an Aussie hardwood (tends to bend over a bit)... I have another set (second hand titans) that are sharpened with about a 30 degree primary bevel so the edge seems to last a bit longer when used in hard timber on end grain.


Any opinions appreciated. Any other similar priced and quality chisel sets that you're willing to recommend?

Not that i have much to compare them to....but they seem okay to me. The handles are comfortable to use and I find them quite suitable for fine work...any heavier work I use the the Titans.

Cheers

cheers
BD

Gareth - one should definitely not judge from a single example, but I've had a bad experience, & human nature being what it is.......

I bought a 3/4" Hamlet chisel a few years ago & was bitterly disappointed with it. For starters, I hate chisels which are polished the way some maufacturers seem to be so stuck on doing it. It duffs all the edges & I got RSI trying to flatten the back to get sharp corners again. But my main beef, & what really ticked me off after expending all that elbow grease was that it was hardly any better than mild steel - either not hardened properly, or over-tempered, but the result is any edge you put on it curls up on anything harder than butter. So I read Brown Dogs comments with interest - a decent chisel should definitely not "bend over a bit" - it should chip rather than bend if forced too hard into hardwood end grain with such a low sharpening angle.

In any case, said chisel resides in a drawer, & when I get around to it, it's going to be my guinea-pig for a try at hardening & tempering (got to build the forge I've been getting round to building, first ).

All of their products can't be that bad - too many people find them ok, & there's no way even the most non-discriminating wodworker could find this example ok, but it does maake one concerned about their QC when such a dud can get through!

My 2c,

You could go hunting for some Tritons - some forum regulars in the handtool area allegedly sell their grandmothers for them

ebay has some at the moment, here and here

no I'm not the seller nor do I have any idea whom it may be.

I've had that set of chisels for a few years. They sharpen well and handle fine. However, I subsequently got myself some old Berg and Titan chisels. Edge retention of the Hamlets is nothing like either the Bergs or Titans, especially when paring end grain. I have improved this by running the blades over a strop with Veritas green very regularly, but still not in the same league. I haven't had a problem with the edges bending, but the edge of the 6mm chisel (25 degree bevel) is pretty fragile when working those tough hardwood endgrains. The corners on my Hamlets were sharp out of the pack. Having said the above, I still use my Hamlets regularly.