Thread: The Veritas Bench Chisels Reviewed

They look very nice, im looking at a set of Ln's now i have another in the mix...like the look of the handles.......oh and the box aint bad either

So Derek, in light of your 100 tools comments, which of your other chisels would you get rid of in favour of these?
Cheers,
Jim

Hell Jim, in the light of those comments, I shall have to give up these!

Regards from Perth

Derek

Originally Posted by derekcohen

hell jim, in the light of those comments, i shall have to give up these! :u

regards from perth

derek

:u :u :u

Another excellent review.
Many thanks for sharing that with us Derek.
The handle shape seems to be similar to, but not quite the same as so many of the old US chisel makers' handles. These have always been comfortable to hold. The longer Veritas handle looks more comfortable than the LN/Stanley to my eyes.

Here is a selection of old US iron. From the top, Pexto, Douglass (pre-cursor to James Swan), James Swan and one that I can't completely read.
The Douglass is likely the oldest here.
Cheers
SG

So why is is so important? Firstly, it is possible to use a chisel that is shaped like a banana. It is even possible to sharpen it. However, a back that is curved will be difficult on both accounts.

Man, I think your concept of what lapping the back of a chisel achieves is hugely, hugely, hugely overemphasized, bordering on outright superstition.

Here is a selection of old US iron. From the top, Pexto, Douglass (pre-cursor to James Swan), James Swan and one that I can't completely read.

Hi SG

Knowing the vaste "library" of tools that LV have for reference, it would not surprise me if they experimented with these as part of the design process. I did have the first handle (actually 10 of them) at one time, and it was huge and heavy, and said so. The handle certainly morphed into one that is comfortable and attractive.

Man, I think your concept of what lapping the back of a chisel achieves is hugely, hugely, hugely overemphasized, bordering on outright superstition.

MC, you cannot just make comments such as these without backing them up with some evidence. Why is a flat back "superstition"? I could show you pictures of well-known woodworkers using a guide the way I illustrated. Are you saying that this is unnecessary and/or you could do this with a banana?

Regards from Perth

Derek

Nicely written Derek, a good read even for someone who isn't going to buy any more bench chisels in the near future.

On flatness:

I've had annoying and frustrating experiences with "bellied" chisels, (i.e. with a convex shape to the back across the width). This is one of the reasons I chose my Ashley Iles, they are ever so slightly concave. Makes them easier to maintain an edge on.

I've also seen numerous new and old chisels bent lengthways. This certainly introduces an added set of parameters that needs to be taken into account when working. It doesn't make them altogether useless just more difficult to use in any type of precision operation. If the back of the chisel is in a single plane and the set of handle is parallel with that, precisely andgled joinery is easier to achieve.

So thank you for the review, really enjoyed it.

Horaldic

Hi Derek,

You mention in your review the roasting of the wood for the handles to dry and increase its density.

It reminds me of a process indigenous Australians use with mulga and other woods in Central Australia when making boomerangs and other tools. The wood they use is green cut directly from a tree, shaped, and the final process is to 'cook' it over a fire to dry it and harden it. This 'cooking' process could take hours. (As an aside, sometimes in the 'cooking' process they would bend the boomerang in the 'V' of a tree limb to put a twist in the boomerang to aid in flight.) The boomerangs I've bought off the old men I've worked with are very, very hard; harder than mulga normally is.

Not as controlled as the process Veritas uses I'm sure, but I thought it might be of interest....

DO

Great review Derek, comprehensive to say the least. Sounds like you could start by limiting yourself to 100 chisels.

Regards
Matt

Hi Derek,

Thank you for the evaluation writing. I enjoy this, and your others very much.

I am not sure if they actually release it yet? I cannot find these on their web-site.

(I was undecided between the Lie-Nielsen and the Veritas router plane. I like the look of Lie-Nielsen one, but I do not like the idea of the adapter for the small blades. I went with Veritas after reading your evaluations.)

Best regards.

...behai.

Hi behai

Here is the link:

Veritas® Bench Chisels - Lee Valley Tools

Regards from Perth

Derek

I was asked for pictures of the box I made for the Veritas chisels, and how it was hinged.

The hinge is different. It had to allow the lid to stay up on its own.

Here is the front of the box again ..



Here is the rear ..



The lid is pinned from the side. At the rear you can see the lid and the box are both bevelled at the join.

Here is another rear view ...



.. and one more from the side ..



Internally, there is a rounded bar that closes over the curve in the handles. This secures them in place even if the box is upended. The grain in the bar runs in the same direction as the lid (the lid is bookmatched from two pieces). The rear of the chisels rests against a leather filler (leather over wood). The chisel handles lie inside a dovetail-shaped recess (there is an image of this being pared in the review) .



Regards from Perth

Derek

Nice looking chisels but does the new steel justify replacing my motley collection of odds and ends? I doubt it but if I were buying from scratch these are the ones I would go for.