Thread: Choosing Chisels for Cabinetmaking & Joinery

Greg

My advice is to buy fewer but better chisels, rather than a "full set" of mediocre chisels like the Stanley or Marples/Record (same thing).

Both Carba-tec and Timbercon are the major woodworking shops.

A basic set might include a 1/4", 1/2", 3/4" and 1" (or metric equivelents). So you need 4 chisels to start. Or three if you exclude the 3/4" for now.

What to get? Well Japanese chisels are fantastic at holding an edge, and the balance is great, but I would not recommend them to a novice or for general use (the steel is very hard but this also means that it is brittle and unsuited for levering chips). If you are not a novice, then these will make a great investment. Around $50 each.

Hirsh and, particularly, Two Cherries get rave reviews both for their toughness and edge. Also pricey (about the same).

Avoid Sorby. Old Sorby have an enviable reputation. New Sorby are pricey and crap. Crown are another hit-and-miss tool. They look stunning with their Rosewood handles but are as expensive as Japanese chisels and not in the same class steel-wise.

Do a search on this Forum. This is a often-discussed topic.

Regards from another Perthite

Derek (whose collection of chisels is beginning to rival Imelda Marcos' shoes!!!)

I beg to differ derek, I suspect you're descending into tool snobbery!

I have a few of the Marples Shatter Proof chisels and really, they're great.
Perhaps it's a case of not knowing what I'm missing as I've never used a top'o'th'line chisel. But I get a nice edge using scary sharp and they chop and pare pretty nicely.

I'd heartily recomend them, they wont restrict a WW'er in anyway. The trick is though, the choose one thats ground square at the factory, then if like me you dont have a grinder, you just need to lap and sharpen, not grind.

I'm looking forward to getting a few Japanese Kanna, Ryoba and Dozuki but the chisels (Nomi?) just look a bit to brittle and fragile for me.

Marples:
(http://svc010.bne011i.server-web.com....html?cache=no)

I also have a set of no name chisels, $6 for a set of 4. After seeing SWMBO prying out staples from the back of a photo frame with one of my Marples......

I don't wish to hijack the thread, But, I would appreciate Dereks opinion on Eskilstuna chisels.

Heaps on Ebay at the moment, all making reasonable money, ('bout $20 - $25 ea).

Here's a couple more for the list Greg,
Pfeil - Good reputation for their carving chisels ($37 for a 1/2")
Stubai - A bit cheaper, haven't heard much about them ($23 for a 1/2")

The prices might be a bit out as they are from last years MIK catalogue. I seem to do alright with a set of Stanley (dynagrip?) chisels but wouldn't mind upgrading one day if I can find a good enough reason.

Greg,

A better option than the ones you mentioned in my opinion are Bahco (aka sandvik). I've had given to me and purchased a few different brands but none have performed as well and these, so much so I recently bought the box set (see the link below). It set me back $120 but retails for around $140-$150. The set goes to 1 ¼ so you would still have to get a 1 ½ if you need it



I have one Japanese chisel that was the result of an off-the-cuff purchase at a wood show a couple of years ago. It's sitting somewhere in the shed after it’s one use. I soon realised that to apply them properly I’d need another three or four different sizes – the right tool for the job syndrome – and the novelty has since worn off. In fact if I can find it I’ll soon be on the buy-swap-sell forum.

As with other brands in this price range you will have to spend a bit of time lapping the backs flat, etc, but with the ‘savings’ on going with cheaper but equally as useful and good to work with chisels is that you have more room in the budget for a good sharpening setup.


Whichever way you go look around – as there are some good chisels in this price range but there are some real duds.


http://www.bahco.com/US/pdf/bahco/chisels.pdf

Greg, not long ago I bought a set of Hirsch chisels from Lee Valley tools in Canada - they cost $US87 for a set of 6, and of course postage of 20 bucks or so. I think that is an outstanding deal, though I dont know if it is still offered. By mail order they will probably work out about the same price as the Marples splitproof, though you will have to wait a bit. Steelwise, they are reputed to be the same as the famous 'two cherries' brand, with some compromises made in finish.

If you put up a post like your's you will often get responses like 'I bought one of those (substitute cheaper brand name here) chisels years ago and its the best chisel I have ever owned'. They are probably right, they probably do own a wonderful tool, but I think this goes to show two things:
1. cheaper brand chisels have slipped in quality a great deal over the last few years. I think this is common with most hand tools because they are aimed at a market flooded with power tools and most buyers will use the tools once or twice a year so why make them any better?
3. quality control of cheaper brand chisels is extremely variable. I think (just speculating here) what often happens is a manufacturer will put a bunch of their cheap chisels into the same process (esp. heat treating) as their more expensive brand when production scheduling gives them no other choice. Ditto they may substitute more expensive steel for the cheaper stuff when the latter runs out. It costs them a little more but at least they dont break production.

Arron

Adam

You are probably right that I am getting a little snobbish about chisels. There is nothing inherentky wrong with Marples. They will work. The chisel is a very basic tool and depends for a large part on the skill of the user. But Marples do not have a good reputation for holding an edge. Sooner or later, if used often, one will tire of using a mediocre tool and then have to replace it with another (which makes it an expensive chisel to begin with). That is why I suggested getting fewer but better chisels, and building up the collection as you can afford it.

Look, no one chisel should be considered to do it all. Yes, you can make it do so, but then all is a compromise. Greg, what do you want to use the chisels for? Most users purchase a set of butt chisels, which are good all-rounders. Threre are also pairing chisels, mortice chisels, firmer chisels, and dovetail chisels. And variations on a theme, such as skewed chisels (very useful for cleaning out half-blind dovetails) and corner chisels (very useful for squaring the ends of mortices cut with a router).

I do have a lot of chisels by the standards of many. I get most quite cheaply on eBay (local and USA). I have a 4-piece set of 150 year old Witherby chisels that I restored. Cost me about $80 because I bought them one-at-a-time. These are considered to be chisel "Royalty" among Americans and highly desired, commanding very high prices in set form. I have several Japanese chisels that cost me under $20 each, where the local cost is around $50-70. It does not have to cost much to put together a really great set of user chisels if you are patient. The old Mathiesons and Sorbys will outperform most of the new chisels around. And the wooden handles are MUCH nicer to use than the plastic ones.

I will repeat again. Marples chisels can be made to do a good job. They don't do it for me, and I accept that this makes me a chisel snob.

Outback, Eskilstuna chisels are basically a generic brand. It is the same as saying "these chisels are Swedish, from the area of Eskilstuna". The most famous of these are Berg chisels. These go for a good price (a couple of days ago I saw a set of 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" and 3/4" go for $103 on Oz eBay. This was cheap compared to the USA prices. A day later an 8-piece set (up to 1 1/4") of E-steel sold for $150. I thought this to be a good purchase as well. "E-steel" stands for "Eskilstuna Steel". Berg was eventually bought by Sandvic, who were taken over by Bahco. All these chisels have a very good name and worth acquiring.

Regards from Perth

Derek

I repent!

The price difference really isnt that great, the Marples are around $30 whilst some of the better older ones can be picked up cheaper than that. Even at $60 each it's not really such a big investment.

When we're talking quality scales in table saws or planes, the difference can be many hundreds of fahzoos, but with chisels, at most, it's $50.

Most people can't afford top of the range tools, a plane could set you back $700, the infamous Festool Sander $1000. Even a top of the range Vice could cost you a thousand bucks. Chisels though, are relatively inexpensive and present an opportunity to experience the best.

And having said all that, the plastic handle on the marples do look a bit dodgy!

Thanks Derek, I tought all Eskilstuna were the same, but apparently not.
I am slowly acquring a "mongrel" set of chisels. A couple at a time, from flea markets and the like. I have seen the above, (not sure if they were berg, but I'll check in future). The sellers seem to put a higher asking price on Marples, Ward, and Stanley.
My latest addition is an old Sorby, 1/4 inch mortise chisel for five bucks! I guess the bloke selling didn't know what it was and the handle has a small crack, but I think I can force myself to fix that at the price.

Derek,

I will fulfil your prophesy, and say that I have a set of Marples chisels, about 10 years old, and I am perfectly happy with them. I can hone them on diamond plates, followed by polishing with Veritas honing compound and get a razor-sharp edge which cuts effortlessly, and lasts a reasonable time. Maybe there are better chisels around, but, if so, I am convinced that the improvement over my Marples ones would only be marginal. I use chisels primarily for delicate paring jobs, and I find that the Marples do everything I require of them.

Rocker

I have a set of 4 of the Marples black & blue handled variety. Not bad - can get a decent edge going with a 240 grit belt sander and hard felt wheel & green compound in no time flat. I'm not afraid to use them to clean up semi-set glue or hack away at a mortice. Good value.

I also have a set of 4 Hamlet butt chisels. Mirror finish, stay sharp pretty well, and are great for fine work & paring. I look after them. Good value at $89 from Carbatec.

Next chisel purchase is probably going to be Two Cherries or a Japanese set. I'm actually working out how to chop a mortice accurately, and I'm doing more of them. I'd like a set of chisels able to cut rather than tear out a mortice and keep the edge for more than 5 minutes.

I'd like to have a real quality set, but the Marples set will continue to have a place on my bench.

Just for the hell of it, here is my chisel cabinet. Still under construction. Japanese chisels plus a set of Witherbys on the left. On the right are a set of Nooitgedacht (Swedish steel and Dutch handles), old Sorby and Marples morticing pigstickers, and Mathieson firmers. A few other odds and ends, such as the Crown skew chisels at the top.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Now that's a chisel set. Makes me feel chisel deprived, with my hotch potch of about 10 heinz variety.
Oh well I guess I'll just have to keep chipping away at it. :eek:

I am wondering if chisels with the maker's mark "C.I. Fall", which I think are made in Sweden, are generally felt to be of good quality. I have seen new (recently manufactured) sets of these chisels for sale at various places. Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks. Tony Farrell, Canada.