# Marksman chisels - anyone used/heard of them



## =Adam= (20 Jul 2012)

Hi guys,

I am in the market for a cheap set of chisels and I have found a set on eBay which are made by marksman for £15. Now I know that £15 is really cheap for a set of chisels but can anyone comment on the quality of these, or any other marksman tools for that matter.

I have seen these chisels in the flesh before as someone I worked with had a set, he said that he didn't like them because they were cheap, however I didn't really see anything wrong with them. I'm not sure if he didn't like them because they weren't a set of £60 irwin marples that everyone else had!

Basically I don't want to spend £50/£60 on a set because I only work part time for my dads joinery company and I am mostly out fitting, therefore the chisels get abused and I don't think I could stomach seeing a set of £60 chisels get smashed into brickwork/nails!

I know some of you will recommend getting a cheap set from of vintage ones from a boot sale, I am in the process of doing this but would like to keep the vintage ones for bench work as I'm sure they would be better quality!

Here are a few eBay numbers to look at the ones I am on about:

150569212338 - plastic handles, similar to irwin split proof 

200777997521 - slightly more expensive at £21 but they are through tang which may be better for what I want!

Thanks for looking guys!


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## Phil Pascoe (21 Jul 2012)

Don't be to worried about sets - if you're in a hurry on site, or working in clutter( which most of us do, sometimes), it's an advantage to know that the 1" is a black handle, the 3/4" is red and yellow, the 1/2" is blue, and so on. I did maintenance work in an old building, and I kept what I called "beating chisels" - they were cheap stuff that I kept ground but more often than not not even honed, just for wrecking work and first fixes.


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## =Adam= (21 Jul 2012)

Thanks for the reply!

I like your logic!

I am going to a boot sale in the morning, so I will try and bag as many chisels as possible haha! I also want/ need a decent square too! Wish me luck!


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## GazPal (21 Jul 2012)

A friend's son bought a set of Marksman chisels via evilbay not long ago and they appear well made, but - while outwardly they look fine - my impression is the set he bought doesn't hold an edge at all well and their form is closer to that of a shorter bladed butt chisel. I'm not condemning the brand, as they're well priced and - I think - serviceable for D.I.Y./occasional use, but you do generally tend to get what you pay for when it comes to hand tools. Especially if relying upon them when earning wages or pocket money.

The best advice I can provide is that you consider the tool preferences of those you'll be working alongside and perhaps follow their advice. Invest well and you'll not find yourself replacing them several weeks/fifteen years down the road. :wink:


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## RogerBoyle (21 Jul 2012)

For general use and abuse on a site Marksman chisels will hold their edge as long as any other make.
Remember you will use these for chopping into Block work, scrapping old silicone/paint /glue, At times going through old screws and nails 
For finer works get better quality chisel in the size's that you need?????

I'd be surprised if your dad hadn't already told you this LOL :twisted: 

Roger


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## Doug B (21 Jul 2012)

Adam.

Are these of any use to you







They need a bit of TLC which was sorely lacking when my Dad owned them, 
I don`t want anything for them, though if you wanted to drop a fiver in your local Macmillan collection tin that would be great.
PM me your address if you can make use of them.


Cheers.


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## jimi43 (21 Jul 2012)

I was just going to say get a set of black or blue (the older ones) handled Stanleys and just sharpen them. You may not even need to cut a new bevel...and then along comes Doug! =D> 

Bite his hand off...you will be using decent steel instead of regurgitated cheese!

Later if you migrate from site to bench...you can just regrind them...hone them...put new handles on them if that is what you like ( :mrgreen: ) and they will perform for another job.






:mrgreen: 

Jim


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## =Adam= (21 Jul 2012)

Doug that is incredibly kind of you! I would love to have them however I will not take them for free, I would feel much happier to buy them from you even if it is just for £5 and then you can donate the money as you see fit. How does that sound?

I will drop you a pm now anyway!


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## No skills (21 Jul 2012)

Thats a thoughtful offer for sure, UKW at its best, as usual =D> if I were Adam I would be tempted to use Doug's chisels for nicer projects at home/bench work and still buy some cheap chisels for the daily bang and crash work. Those older stanleys/marples seem to take a better edge than any of the modern cheap chisels that I have/have used. Shame to see them battered IMO.


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## GazPal (23 Jul 2012)

The norm used to be for one to have a set of good chisels -in sizes you commonly need - for accurate work and a couple of roughing-out chisels for where they might take some abuse. As your dad's probably already told you, you simply keep the good ones well honed and the roughing-out chisels refreshed by consistent re-grinds.

An option that's wide open to you is for you to have a couple of all steel wood chisels such as these; http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-an ... rod844543/


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## =Adam= (23 Jul 2012)

Thanks for the reply Gaz!

Those chisels look great, however they seem to be a bit out of my price range!

At the moment the plan is to use the Stanley chisels that doug is sending me (extremely grateful for this, I cannot explain how much) as my "best" chisels and then to use my boot sale bargains for my "site" chisels.

The only box that is left unticked now is a method of sharpening them, now I have my own grinder for the lathe tools, plus there is a grinder in the joinery shop, however the stones that they have there are old oil stones that are pitted and don't produce consistent bevels, so this is making me lean toward buying a stone to carry around in my bag and use as and when required!

I dont want to spend a fortune on a japanese stone or a DMT Diamond stone (although I would love to own them) as the stone would be used to just get them sharp enough to use (mainly on site). My girlfriends dad also owns a set of three DMT Diamond stones and altough they produce great results, I dont want to use them that much because they are expensive and I dont want to take advantage!

I have seen in the B&Q trade point catalogue that they do a stanley sharpening kit which includes a stone, honing oil and a honing guide, irwin and faithfull also offer similar kits which seem to be at the same price range. Can anyone give me an idea to the quality of the stone/guides, are they worth the money or should I just not bother and save up for a better kit?

The kit in question is here:

http://www.buyaparcel.com/pageview.php? ... =STA016050

THanks for all of the help guys!


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## stoatyboy (23 Jul 2012)

Do not buy the stanley sharpening kit - it's a P.O.S

the guide doesn't hold accurately and takes ages to set up and the stone is like some sort of weird sponge that just soaks up oil and never leaves any on the surface to do what it's meant to do

The only good bit is the oil - which really isn't saying much

I bought one thinking it would meet all my needs in my starting out days - epic fail

you're going to get loads of advice about the best sharpening set up - in fact there's a nice argument brewing as I type - each to their own, read the threads and make a decision but DO NOT buy that kit!!!

Cheers

I mean it DO NOT!!


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## MIGNAL (23 Jul 2012)

Probably thousands of unused India combination oil stones lurking in Garages. Car boot time.
Forget the honing guide. Useless things. Only clutter up the site tool bag. Jacob told me that.

Oh and whatever you do, DON'T buy a Stanley sharpening kit!


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## No skills (23 Jul 2012)

Get one of the cheapo 4 sided diamond 'stones' from ebay/aldi/toolstation etc, for about a tenner (or less) you will have something thats quite usable. They certainly wont last forever but will get you up and running for now and give you some time to think about your sharpening options and time to save some money towards it.


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## =Adam= (23 Jul 2012)

I thought that the cheap diamond stones were not worth the bother? If possible I would like to get something that is quite slim so that I don't waste too much space in the bag!


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## No skills (23 Jul 2012)

I use them currently for my home woodworking and the occasional bit of sharpening at work, their certainly not as good as the 'brands' but you get what you pay for. When the one at home finaly gives up I'll invest in some eze lap or similar, when the one at work wears out I'll buy another cheap one. Horses for courses.


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## No skills (23 Jul 2012)

BTW if your grinding your chisels then all you will be doing is honing them on the diamond plates - not a huge amount of wear, few swipes through the grits and your there. At the risk of a lynching go find paul sellers on you tube and watch his sharpening videos (duck and runs...).

I think the only other realistic option thats fairly cheap and compact will be an oilstone, I really cant be cabbage with all the mess personally.


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## =Adam= (23 Jul 2012)

Thanks no skills!

Out of interest, how long has your one lasted?


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## GazPal (24 Jul 2012)

=Adam=":2guxup0i said:


> I thought that the cheap diamond stones were not worth the bother? If possible I would like to get something that is quite slim so that I don't waste too much space in the bag!




These diamond plates http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/390396310743? ... 2780wt_952 are pretty good and inexpensive enough for you to at least have a decent start. They're available in grits varying from course to extra fine too :wink: 

My son uses and swears by his set and I actually an extra fine one tucked into one of my block plane pouches.

Those Aldi/Lidl four sided diamond stones aren't too bad, but can wear out pretty quickly if used for anything heavier than simply re-honing/whetting an edge.

--------

In terms of long term cost, I'd consider the all steel chisels a good investment if you do a lot of roughing-out work, as they can take a great deal more beating than other chisel types and one/a set should last a good working lifetime. See how things go with your cheap chisels - in terms of durability - and I'm sure you'll pick up something else from among the options you have.  Best of luck with your endeavours and here's hoping you enjoy your time woodworking.


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