Thread: Australian made Stanley Chisels

The topic of how hard edge steels need to be comes up so often & I guess we each have an opinion, but I'd venture that virtually any recognised "brand" chisel made last century (& this one) is probably good enough for any reasonable tasks we are likely to call on them to perform. As I've admitted on more than one occasion, I chased ever harder edges for years, 'til I eventually realised it was largely a waste of time (& money!). It very, very slowly dawned on me that how I prepare the edge has a lot to do with how suited it is to the task & how well it holds up doing so. Over the last 2 years I've been dabbling with heat-treating my own blade from O1 & 1084 steels. Ten years ago I would have dismissed a "simple" relatively low-carbon steel like 1084 as not worth considering for a plane blade, but a couple of blades I made from 1084 have turned out to be as good as any blade I've got. Now, if only I can do that consistently....

For me, it becomes more a matter of how a tool like a chisel feels when using it than how well it stands up to some relatively artificial test of being bashed into ultra-hard wood to see if the edge chips or curls up. As I said above, the lands on my old Titans were too fat for my liking, but the steel was quite up to the job. What I should have done, perhaps was make up a jig & grind them off a bit. My dislike of synthetic handles is pure prejudice, I'm more than willing to admit the better quality ones are far tougher than wood, I just don't like the feel of them, particularly on a hot day. If I were chopping housings in hard woods all day I'd probably sing a very different song [Note to Moby - as you well know, the building hardwood they used back in our fathers' day was pretty green & far softer than when dry, I certainly wouldn't have enjoyed mortising a hundred studs into dry penda or JRH bearers & top-plates ].

On the topic of how much you fuss over your tools: to me, there's a line between hard use & abuse - a beaten-up plane with a mushroomed blade indicates to me it's been well-used, but not used well! OTH, scratches & scars from the occasional accident are inevitable on any tool that's used frequently. It's usually not too difficult to spot the difference, and in my experience, a bloke who takes some care over his tools usually takes at least equal care in his work - there has been a pretty good correlation in my experience.

But most of us can't help having 'favourites' - there are some tools that not only work well, they feel just right in the hand and may also be aesthetically pleasing (though beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say ). Using these just adds to the enjoyment of the time we spend at the bench. I think I can fully understand the small thrill Auscab must feel every time he picks up one of those spiffy ebony-handled chisels. Knowing you made or modified a tool to your own requirements & preferences makes it better still, even for boring tasks...

Cheers,