Thread: Intermediate quality chisels

For whatever my comments are worth, I'd stick by the good old Marples Blue Chip, I have a set of Robert Sorby gilt edge 510's and Harold & Saxon's, all have their good and not so good points but for good all round service and usability Bluechip's get my vote.

I would add, that is the "Sheffield Steel variety" not so the new Irwins.

As Fuzzy said trick is to keep 'em sharp!


Cheers


Steve

I go with Steve. When the blue chips first came out they carried the Marples promise, "Good to the last inch". To prove it you could see where the hardness test had been done high on the blade.
Cheers,
Jim

OK, OK. I'll give the Blue Chips a second chance and keep them for a few more projects at least...

And sincere apologies to the OP for inadvertantly hijacking the thread and sending it down this path!

Originally Posted by jimbur

I go with Steve. When the blue chips first came out they carried the Marples promise, "Good to the last inch". To prove it you could see where the hardness test had been done high on the blade.
Cheers,
Jim

Must be kismet or something, (the woodworking faries were looking out for me!). After posting on this thread thought I'd glance over ebay and there they were, could not believe it, hit the buy it now button so fast my finger nearly went thought the keyboard.
Auction price started at $43.00 or Buy it now for $47.00. Brand New and in Mint condition

So I guess i'll be using Blue chips a long time to come.

Cheers


Steve

Let's know how you go with them Steve. Though at that price you can't go wrong.
cheers,
Jim

I know it's been said again and again but a common problem with secondhand chisels is that the temper may have be drawn on the grindstone making it hard to hold an edge.
Cheers,
Jim

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 took my 1970's yellow plastic handled Stanley in to the professional for sharpening, together with a Titan of the same size. They needed a fair bit more off than my son's Tormek could do due to some pitting near the sharp edges. The professional's comment was just how hard the steel in each of them was, and that it took a fair bit of work on each.

My Stanley came via an old NSW Electricity county council that I worked for way back then (now defunct), and was used by all the linesmen working with hardwood poles and crossarms. It still has the name of the County Council engraved on it.

NZstu, no worries ! Good luck with your Blue chips.
At this stage I think I'll order the LV chisels, they rarely get it wrong.

The early blue chip and stanleys were from a time when tradesmen had to carry their own tools - and not in a ute or trailer. Even a mallet was an extra burden so the side of hammer was often used instead. Added to that was the risk of getting them nicked. Good workmanlike tools at a reasonable price fitted the bill.
Cheers,
Jim

The chisel handles are fine so far and pampered more than most. The tips of the chisels have a special shape and edge for relief. I remove the waste with a drill or router base with a self centering jig. Then clean up the corners. Two pins equally spaced from a bit in the center of a homemade router base. Finally chuck a pointed bit to center the base on the router then tighten it down.

Thanks to all those that replied. I ordered the LV 5 chisel set which I figured were a safe bet for now. Havent sharpened or flattened the backs yet but first impressions are good.

I'm now heading off on another chisel tangent - I can't help myself. Stu from ToolsFromJapan has some nice looking mid-priced Japanese chisels that look like they would suit me quite well.

I'm interested in "going Japanese" largely because of my experience with Japanese kitchen knives, which invariably completely outperform their european counterparts in terms of edge-holding. Their steel really is lovely...

Why not go the whole hog Stu? Dick in Germany and I suppose other places sell the different Japanese steels so you can make your own.
Cheers,
Jim

Originally Posted by jimbur

Why not go the whole hog Stu? Dick in Germany and I suppose other places sell the different Japanese steels so you can make your own.
Cheers,
Jim

My wife is very understanding, but I think I would be pushing my luck if I were to set up a forge in the basement