Thread: Info on Japanese Chisels

Just from experience, I started with a set of Japanese chisels in white steel. They do sharpen well but don't really maintain it, i did start with an entry level set so it may not be relevant depending on your comparisons. With my plane blades I've found that blue steel blades are a lot more resilient but Japanese chisels are not meant to be levered or so I was taught, with the exception of mortise chisels.

Depending on the task at hand, it is best to use the tool most suited towards it. If you had the budget for it two sets would be ideal, one for paring and one for chopping.

Hi,

Umm, how can I put this?

If the chisel is not such a good one, in white steel, then yes it's going to be brittle. If the chisel is decent and made well, then white steel is surprisingly tough and durable. It's got less to do with the 'hardness' of the steel than it does with how and by whom it was made.

In short, if a chisel has an established reputation of being brittle, then it's particular to that brand/type of chisel and is NOT a representation of all Japanese chisels.

It's kind of like going and getting a set of cheap chisels out the bargain bin of the local hardware shop, finding out they're pretty poor and then deciding all chisels are like this. The folks who own LN, H & S, etc will tell you "not all chisels are like that" and they'll be right.

The snapping the tip off is a real possibility with any chisel. Best practise is when the chisel is stuck, wiggle it from side to side. Good Japanese chisels are slightly tapered to allow just a little movement and help prevent the things being embedded in the wood. Just a small alteration in thinking and technique will help avoid hurting that edge.

The trap to avoid is blanket generalisations.


Stu, who had a good talk with two new-to-me chisel makers on the weekend.