Looking for advice on buying chisels

[Cret]

Hi all, after "intending" to learn more about woodwork a year or two back and not getting round to it I'm beginning to make a bit of an effort, and am really enjoying what I'm trying so far.

I've kindly been given some bits of oak and mahogany (the latter being some old bits of parquet floor) and have begun messing with them to practise joints etc.

I've also invested in a rather nice new dovetail saw (Veritas 20tpi) which is a real joy to use!

Now I do have a set of chisels, but they are basically ones that I got cheap from B&Q while doing up the house a few years back ("Magnussen" brand). They don't have bevelled edges so I'm finding them awkward to use for the dovetails I'm doing currently.

I don't have an overall specific type of chisels that I need as such, but I'd like to get some that are better quality than the ones I have, and are bevelled on the sides if nothing else. They'd be for general use though.

Budget would need to be less than £100 really, but I've no idea what's good & what isn't. Are Marples ones worth considering?

Have also treated myself to a kit today so I can use my little mini lathe (Sieg C3) for turning wood, so I can't wait to start trying that! I don't have tools for turning yet though.

It's the wife's birthday later this month and ideally I'd like to make her a simple & small box of some description. It doesn't matter what, but something an amateur could take on. I've got the wood I mentioned, but also a large beam of some hardwood that I think may perhaps also be mahogany (about 10' x 6' x 2' at a rough guess), which I can use bits of.

I'd wondered about using my mill to machine out a piece of this, and a matching lid, then to apply a finish, but using the mill to make it seems like cheating now I'm trying to learn things by hand, so I'm open to suggestions on basic and simple ideas for something.
I do have a router but have only used it once very briefly for a project I got it for so am unskilled with it.

Am pretty well equipped with hand and power tools so generally they're not an issue, but lacking in knowledge/skill on 'proper' woodworking in terms of accuracy/finesse. I don't own a thicknesser or bench router mind, and they seem to be benchmark tools for making stuff in wood.

Appreciate all input either re' chisels, or in respect of a simple box design I could try to make something for "er indoors".

Many thanks!
Jim

 

[MMUK]

I guess a lot of people on here will probably shoot me down for this but WTS, I'm a tight arse so this is my opinion.

As this is essentially your first stab, IMO there's no point spending money on the top of the range kit from the likes of Ashley Iles, etc. Something half decent and of the mid-price range should be more than adequate for hobby use initially. For this I would suggest either Marples or Stanley.

I have a set of Stanley Dynagrip BE chisels which I tend to use as general hacking out chisels. They have a strike cap so you can use them with a hammer or mallet. To be fair they are pretty good quality and hone up nice and sharp, certainly sharp enough to take a wafer off a piece of mahogany. I picked up a set of 5 with stone, etc. for IIRC £40. Just be aware that they aren't ready to use out of the box, they will need honing first (as would pretty much any chisel).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stanley-516421- ... chisel+set Same set on Amazon £33 delivered.

 

[adidat]

I dont wish to be rude but had you of looked on the handtools sub forum you would have seen the second post down is a 3 page thread with almost identical first post. Had you have searched you would have found thousands of similar threads.

adidat

 

[Cret]

Thanks for the reply & suggestion MMUK. While I recognise stanley aren't the last word in tool quality I do have some stanley stuff (sockets mainly) I've been giving abuse to for very many years so I have some degree of faith in their quality.

I'm generally a bit tight as well to be honest but I have also learned over enough years now that buying cheap tools tends to mean buying twice, plus often getting busted knuckles (or worse) in the process, so I don't begrudge paying for good tools that will last and give me a lot of enjoyment in use. If the mrs knew what I'd 'invested' on (second hand) snapon stuff over the years I'd be a statistic!

I've seen several sets of Marples chisels on Amazon, but being pretty new to the ins & outs of woodworking tools specifically I'm not at all sure about the Pros & Cons from one set to the next, or what's desirable or should be avoided when buying chisels?

Apologies aditat & thank you for your input. I should indeed have looked properly, and I did actually start to read the very topic you refer to but thought since I have a lower budget as a maximum and a different intent to the person who raised that thread, that it would be more useful to ask my own question. I apologise if I shouldn't have.

In my defence, it sounds from your comment that a large chunk of the forum's 13 thousand or so membership are guilty of the same thing, so at least I'm in good company.

 

[carlb40]

I have started to try these out
http://www.workshopheaven.com/tools/Nar ... tural.html

So far i am impressed. They take and hold a good edge and are comfortable to use. Plus they won't break the bank.

 

[Cret]

Thanks for the reply and link Carl, they look nice for the money so I'll short list them and read up more.

Your photography is fantastic by the way. I'm into landscapes mainly myself (I go by "iomscapes" on Flickr), but not nearly of your standard I'm afraid.

 

[carlb40]

No worries on the link. They are well regarded chisels for the money. Plenty of reviews on here.


And thank you re my photography. You have some great stuff yourself. Really like the 'scorts and the Talbot sunbeam you have in your stream.

 

[Roughcut]

Im only a wood butcher who plays about with wood for a hobby so in no way a skilled cabinet maker.
But I have two brands of chisels I use: Stanley and Ashley Iles.
The Stanley chisels were about £15 for a set of 4 with a stone. :shock:
The Ashley Iles chisels were around £20 each.
So it is plain to see the price difference.
I cannot speak a negative word against the Ashley Iles chisels they are superb, look beautiful and they only take a couple of minutes to hone straight out of the box.
However the cheap blue handled Stanley chisels I have get used the most.
Yes they required more work out of the box to achieve a sharpness I was happy with and they probably don't hold a keen edge for as long as the Ashley Iles chisels.
But pound for pound I would say the Stanley chisels offer the best value for money for an amateur.
ps. I've also found for me it's not worth buying sets that include more than 4 chisels as I would never use all of those sizes.
99% of the time I use the same 3 or maybe 4 different sizes, so it might be worth considering buying your chisels individually in the sizes you will actually use.

 

[dkaardal]

I'll second the Narex vote - over the years I've bought sets of these for several friends who've gotten into woodworking and I consider them very good value for the money. I used them myself for quite a long time before slowly moving to chisels and gouges that used softer steel.

I also keep a Veritas honing guide (MKII) handy when I get new chisels - using the sandpaper sharpening method with the jig is a simple (though somewhat slow) way of making sure the chisel is turned up right the first time. After that you can just touch up the edge by hand quite easily.

dak.

 

[Grahamshed]

I also brought a bunch of Narex chisels and I am perfectly happy with them...... But I still remember the feeling I got when I handled the Ashley Iles and I know I will end up getting a few even though I don't need them.

 

[Zeddedhed]

I know this will probably start a war but here goes....
I've been working as a site chippy, joiner, and latterly making some furniture for nearly 25 years and I've only ever owned these:

http://www.its.co.uk/pd/M373S6-Marples- ... R373S6.htm

I've never felt the need for anything else, and they do everything I ask of them. Admittedly they come out of the box as blunt as a nanny goats d*ck, but that can be sorted with an hour on the Tormek and then they are good to go.

HTH

 

[shed9]

+1 for the Marples M373's. I'm no pro and can't comment on the more expensive chisels, but given that most people seem to run half decent chisels for 'bulk' work and then buy the more expensive tools as they move on for finer stuff, can't go wrong with the M373's as a basic set.

They are robust, easy to get a decent edge and comfortable to use. I appreciate the comments above re: buying sets and not using some of the tools, but to be honest when buying chisels at this cost its a no brainer - single M373's are over £20 each on average.

FFX are doing a special on these with free delivery (no I don't work for them and other suppliers are available);

http://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/7344421989876

Forty five of the Queens English for six decent chisels is not bad, that's £7.5 a chisel and includes a storage box. They do the eight piece set for £63 as well.

 

[John15]

I have set of second-hand narrow necked M373's which cost around £40 in ones and twos off ebay. I find I mostly use these in preference to some other brands I have, finding them comfortable, tough and quick to sharpen.
Cheers,
John

 

[Jacob]

These are good too

Chisels are simple things - to be bad they have to be very bad and very cheap.

New chisels should take a minute or less to hone ready for use. Never easier than when brand new. There's a big fashion for "tuning" but it's best ignored IMHO.

I've been fiddling with some old 5001s - grinding 15º and honing slightly higher. They make a very good paring chisel and hold an edge well. I think they are amongst the very best.

 

[Cret]

Really appreciate all the replies and suggestions thank you.

I LOVE the look of the Narex 8116 with the dark stained handles - very VERY tempting, but I haven't yet read up about all the other ones suggested so I must do that first before deciding anything.

One question I do have re' Narex chisels specifically - is there any real difference between the 8116 and the 'premium' ones they do for about the same price or is it just the handles that are different?


Current set is a Magnusson set from B&Q for reference/comparison. I'm going to make myself sound like an oaf here and confess that I never realised until now that chisels needed honing even when brand new! Embarrassing, but I'm new to doing this stuff the proper way.

I own a honing guide similar to this, but I don't think I can use it on small chisels can I?
I need to investigate what kind of stone etc I should use for chisel sharpening too. I've got a stone that was my dad's, but am unsure of how it is meant to be used (dry/oil/water etc) as I've very little experience of correct tool sharpening technique.

 

[carlb40]

Really appreciate all the replies and suggestions thank you.

I LOVE the look of the Narex 8116 with the dark stained handles - very VERY tempting, but I haven't yet read up about all the other ones suggested so I must do that first before deciding anything.

One question I do have re' Narex chisels specifically - is there any real difference between the 8116 and the 'premium' ones they do for about the same price or is it just the handles that are different?


Current set is a Magnusson set from B&Q for reference/comparison. I'm going to make myself sound like an oaf here and confess that I never realised until now that chisels needed honing even when brand new! Embarrassing, but I'm new to doing this stuff the proper way.

I own a honing guide similar to this, but I don't think I can use it on small chisels can I?
I need to investigate what kind of stone etc I should use for chisel sharpening too. I've got a stone that was my dad's, but am unsure of how it is meant to be used (dry/oil/water etc) as I've very little experience of correct tool sharpening technique.

The narex chisels blades are the same in the 8116/8106 are the same - only the handles differ. The 'premium' ones on ebay etc from other sellers are the same as the 8116 but again just a different handle.

As to the stone, pop a pic on here and we can ID it for you.

I use the original version of this with the smaller rollers.
http://www.workshopheaven.com/tools/Ric ... Guide.html
Very easy to use/set up.

Before anyone mentions it, have a search for sharpening/ jig use - plenty of threads. Some very looooooooong and tedious

 

[Cret]

Thanks Carl

Just realised I didn't post the link to the hone guide I was describing. It's the same kind as this (but pretty old):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Faithfull-FAIHG ... +sharpener

As a complete side note, I notice from some google searches on chisels that Faithful aren't liked on here as a cheapo brand. I bought the Faithful box set (plane, square, angle thingy, mortice marker) for about £30 delivered and I love them. It's the only plane I have (besides model ones!) so it may well be absolute cack but I've found it very useful for the crude stuff I've used it for.

Re' the stone, I dug it out and found it is marked on the back, and I think it's for cutthroat razors. It mentions razors and "3-4" swipes on it being ample for perfect sharpness. It says not to use water or oil, and to use it dry. It's pretty small anyway so I'll need to get some sharpening stones of some description as I think this is no use other than conceivably for very narrow chisels, maybe not at all.

 

[carlb40]

If a tool does the job it's made for then there is nothing wrong whatever the brand. As to the honing guide, yes you can do narrow chisels with it. Pretty sure they go on the lower half of it.
Do a search for eclipse honing guide, that will give you loads of info on it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojzzCXq5ook

As to the stone, exactly how big is it?

Something like this would be ok for a first stone. Other grits ( finer ) are available or oilstones if preferred.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Whetstone-400 ... 4d170e423d

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You do realise that we're on a very slippery slope here - this could be the year's first!

 

[carlb40]

You do realise that we're on a very slippery slope here - this could be the year's first!

LOL

Nah i'm sure this will be the forums first ever sensible sharpening thread :-"