Thread: Metric Socket Chisels

Originally Posted by Luke Maddux

Is anyone aware of a maker of socket chisels which come in metric sizes and are comparable to the LN chisels?

Hi Luke. I'm only aware of two makers of socket chisels, in the whole world. There's Lie-Nielsen and Stanley. I think the Stanleys are also imperial sizes, and I don't know what metal they use. If you want...
-O1 good steel
-machine ground dead flat on the back
-Socket style handle attachment
...then your best bet would be to buy the Lie-Nielsen chisels and have them surface ground down to the widths you want. That's probably the only way you'll get metric socket chisels.

Good luck.

Cheers, Vann.

And just about every Japanese chisel currently available, some in metric.


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What about Harold and Saxon? They are advertising a line of cabinetmaker's chisels coming soon which appear to be socket style. Anyone know anything about these?

I'm sure that H&S would make them any size you like.

Yes, H&S make socket chisels, and yes they can be made to whatever size you want.

However, when did you want them Luke? Not a chance before the end of 2017 (seriously). Last I heard ( a few months ago) Trent is not taking any more orders for two years.

You can see them here:
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f11/chisels-buy-pics-191004

Yeah, that's kind of what I thought... I knew there was a huge backorder on their chisels.

I guess I can just size my mortises using imperial chisels. I suppose there are worse things than not having elite quality metric chisels.

Originally Posted by Luke Maddux

I guess I can just size my mortises using imperial chisels.

If you put out a help request in the metalwork forum I reckon someone could grind some imperials to metric for you. You wouldn't change the geometry all that much:
0.175mm off each side of a 1/4" for a 6mm
0.35 ditto 1/2" for a 12mm
3/8 couldn't be made 10mm, would have to be 9mm (useful???)
3/4 is so close to 19mm anyway
0.2mm off each side of a 1" for a 25mm

There seems to be quite a few guys with surface grinders these days, and they love helping people out.

Hmm... Interesting.

The 10mm is critical. I feel like it's arguably the most important one, at least for the work that I do. It just makes it so incredibly easy to mark out the center for a mortise on a board with an even number of mm width.

I actually have a second set of the LN chisels. I was kind of expecting to put it on the Marketplace soon, but maybe this is a viable option. It's a shame about that 10mm chisel though.

They make a 7/16" chisel. I suppose that one could work.

Ah, I'd sorta skipped the bit about mortise chisels when I mentioned geometry - I was thinking bevel bench jobbies. Shouldn't be any reason why a 1/2" can't be brought down to 10mm.

Sorry, yeah, I'm talking about bevel edge bench chisels. I actually don't have any mortise chisels. I do all of my heavy chopping with the bench jobbies, haha. Not the best practice I know. I'll eventually get some proper firmers/mortisers. And then I'll probably post about how I need someone to make me a metric set of those, too!

Originally Posted by Luke Maddux

Sorry, yeah, I'm talking about bevel edge bench chisels. I actually don't have any mortise chisels. I do all of my heavy chopping with the bench jobbies, haha. Not the best practice I know. I'll eventually get some proper firmers/mortisers. And then I'll probably post about how I need someone to make me a metric set of those, too!

Yebbut if you are going to grind one down, presumably you'd have to purchase one (unless you have excess bevels lying around). In which case it would be smarter to buy a mortise chisel to start with (for the 1/2" to 10mm anyway).

Originally Posted by Luke Maddux

Hmm... Interesting.

The 10mm is critical. I feel like it's arguably the most important one, at least for the work that I do. It just makes it so incredibly easy to mark out the center for a mortise on a board with an even number of mm width.

I actually have a second set of the LN chisels. I was kind of expecting to put it on the Marketplace soon, but maybe this is a viable option. It's a shame about that 10mm chisel though.

I'm sorry Luke, but I don't understand your problem.

If you use a mortice gauge to layout the mortice, it doesn't matter what width your chisel is -- you set the gauge to match the chisel's width and then set the gauge's fence to place the mortice wherever you want it to be in relation to the "true" face of the joint.

Originally Posted by veloaficionado

And just about every Japanese chisel currently available...

Oops. Err - "...in the whole world, except Japan" - I'd forgotten Japaneese chisels (and wasn't sure if they were true socket chisels, or look-a-likes)

And I'd discounted H&S due to cost and time.

I'm glad FenceFurniture came along to talk some sense .

Cheers, Vann.