Thread: Intermediate quality chisels

I bought a set of these. Excellent. I got the 11 piece set in denim roll. I then ordered a skew pair to match because they were so good.

Ashley Iles beveled Bench Chisels

Col.

Sam

Col made an great recommendation. Of your list, the LV have the best reputation. I have not used them, but they are reputed to be reliable and good. I have seen/used the AI, and they are excellent in design and reliability.

Regards from Perth

Derek

I'm currently pondering much the same question (replacing old Marples Blue chips that i'm not massively happy with), so would be interested to see some responses to this.

I was pretty much set on getting unpolished Kirschens (Set of 6, from TWO CHERRIES Chisels), but those Ashley Iles ones have stopped me in my tracks. The set of 5 looks particulary inviting and would probably work out about the same as the Kirschens...

The Bahco 434 chisels are in the $35-50 range and handle a severe beating pretty well. They will also take a little flattening because of the polished/rounded edges. They are intended as a tradesmans chisel rather than a cabinet makers chisel so the steel is good, but the handles aren't great. Can be had from All Tools.

Thanks Col, I hadnt considered those. The AI's certainly get a good wrap on other forums too. It appears that the long edge is quite fine which I think will be helpful getting into tight spots. Col, how did you find 'thebestthings' customer service ?

Derek, it's just a pity about the plastic handles !

Recieved a $59.99 set of very Narex mortice chisels on sale for christmas 2010 and they perform fine.
The steel is very good quality and the handles or stained black. When and if handles fail, I'll simply turn new ones from hard maple.

How are the handles Woodhog ? They are are so cheap it's almost a no lose situation....very tempting.

Thanks for the recommendation of the Bahco's Kman, a few years ago I recall seeing them reviewed favourably.

Decisions, decisions !

Originally Posted by Sam

..... how did you find 'thebestthings' customer service ?

I've bought off them on a few occasions, great to deal with!!!

Originally Posted by NZStu

I'm currently pondering much the same question (replacing old Marples Blue chips that i'm not massively happy with), so would be interested to see some responses to this.

I don't have any Blue Chips but do remember seeing good things said about them over the years as intermediate user chisels.

I have been doing quite a bit of chisel work lately that has required me to revisit my sharpening techniques several times. I have an eclectic collection of chisels including Titans, Toledo, Peugeot, Stanley, Stormont, etc, of a variety of ages.

Whatever the name, the better I sharpen the chisels the better they perform. I have been on a learning curve and now realize that to get the sort of performance I want, the chisels really have to be sharpened to the point of being polished, front and back.

The closer I get to a good polished edge, the more and more I have actually been liking the maligned 1970's plastic handled Stanleys which I think would be comparable to Marples Blue Chips (not necessarily the current Irwin batch).

I'm no metallurgist but I suspect those old Stanleys aimed at tradies may have been closer to HSS than carbon steel. When I get a good edge on them it seems to last longer than the others.

I'm now of the opinion that other than the aesthetic appeal of having a nicely matched set of chisels with beautiful handles, the best next step for intermediate users would be to upgrade the sharpening system before the chisels.

I don't have an issue getting the Blue Chips razor sharp - I have a honing guide and 1000 & 6000 grit waterstones to see to that. The things I'm not happy with are the handles (I find the plastic a bit slippery and uncomfortable), and the edge holding.

For my last project, I had to resharpen the 1" about 4 times over the course of cutting 4 mortise and tenon joints in Rimu. Whether that is normal for these chisels or not, I don't know. Either way, I'm hoping to find something better.

How old are your blue chips Stu? I've been using mine for about forty years without any complaints. Nothing wrong with the old stanleys either as Fuzzie says.
I've been hearing good things about Narex though I haven't had a chance to try any yet.
cheers,
Jim

Originally Posted by Sam

Thanks Col, I hadnt considered those. The AI's certainly get a good wrap on other forums too. It appears that the long edge is quite fine which I think will be helpful getting into tight spots. Col, how did you find 'thebestthings' customer service ?

Derek, it's just a pity about the plastic handles !

The postage was high but I could have asked for cheaper rates I suppose. They arrived very quickly from the USA which was good. I originally was going to buy direct from the UK from Ashley Iles but it worked out cheaper to get them including the postage from The Best Things in the USA. The chisels were ground pretty good from the factory and took minimal work to flatten and sharpen and hold a great edge. You should be more than happy with these as I am. They are no cheaper from ebay either.

Col.

No idea how old they are. I got one which used to belong to my grandfather, so that one would have to be at least 35 years old. The others are from trademe and are probably at least 30 years old. To further complicate things, I bought a couple that I thought were blue chips, but turns out are not - the handle is a lighter blue with no markings. God knows who made them...

I could rehandle them I suppose, but I don't have a lathe and it would be a bit of a faff. Wouldn't help with the edge holding either. Although, to be fair it's only the 1" that's had a proper workout: the others might be better.

Originally Posted by NZStu

I don't have an issue getting the Blue Chips razor sharp ..... The things I'm not happy with are the handles (I find the plastic a bit slippery and uncomfortable), and the edge holding....

Hi Stu

I wouldn't recommend this for everyone, but if you are looking for a project you could remake these chisels into something special.

The "old" Blue Chips (in the days before Irwin) were decent chisels - they may have held an edge for a moderate amount of time,but they certainly got sharp enough and were cheap enough and durable enough to become the work horse of many.

Stanley made a near-identical chisel with black plastic handles. If you removed the handle (I just clamped the blade in a vise and used a hammer and wedge to knock them off), then you get this ...



I re-ground, re-heated treated and made a new handle to produce a chisel with minimal shoulders, harder steel, and a comfortable handle ...



I think that you will need to be keen to do over more than one or two. I did just one as a gift. I can point you to a couple of article on my website if you are keen.

I built myself a set from derelict Stanley 750s, mostly without handles or with bust handles. I did, however, take time to wait for those with decent blade length ...



Frankly, of all the chisels available, I think that the AI are the best value for cabinetmaking. They have slim shoulders - ideal for dovetails - the handles are great, as is the steel. And they reek of careful construction. You would be happy to use them forever.

Regards from Perth

Derek