Ashley Isles Butt Chisels

[bobscarle]

I have 6 AI bevel edge Mk 1 chisels and have been pleased with them. However in my quest to cut the perfect dovetail (one day) I am finding them a little too big, a little unwieldy. I have a set of 5 Axminster chisels which are shorter and lighter and have been using them tonight. They are nowhere near as nice as the AI set.

I have been looking at the AI Butt Chisels and even sent Matthew at Workshop Heaven a question regarding their size. My question is, does anybody have a set of these chisels, and if you do, what are they like to use? I think the Mk 2 are a little shorter and lighter although I have not used one.

Matthew has said that if I buy some but do not like them he will take them back for a full refund. Thats a great offer, but I feel that I would need to use them for a while.

Any opinions?

Bob

 

[Ironballs]

I have the AI dovetail chisel set (bar the skews, I already have a pair of 2 cherries skews) and it has to be said they're ****ing awesome. The edge they can take is excellent and they hold it for a long time; there are also some chisels (or tools) that you just seem to get along with and these fall right into that category.

I was doing some paring and always reached for the AIs as opposed to my Kirschens as they just felt better for the task in hand. The only thing to be wary of is that the thinner chisels do flex a bit if you push them, so don't use them for jobs they aren't intended.

 

[mark]

Hi Bob,
I have a set of the Mk2 Butt chisels and think they're great.

They are perfect for that finer, more intricate work you describe and while I do try to use them cautiously they are fine to use with a smallish mallet too.

I imagine that you'd get an idea of whether you'll get along with them or not fairly quickly so the the offer of a full refund if you don't like them seems good to me. (You could always just go for one or two if you're hesitant about getting a full set).

I bought mine based on the reviews here and have no regrets.

I would add, though, that mine are supplemented with other chisels for more specific tasks e.g. paring, skew chisels, fishtails - I find the combination very useful.

I suppose that if I ever needed to chop out a deeper joint than, say 2", I would be reaching for a different tool.

Best wishes,
Mark

 

[frugal]

Bob,

I have not tried the butt chisels, but I do have a pair of the dovetail chisels. I cheated and just got the two smallest sizes as I figured that would get most of the waster out with my normal pairing chisels and then just get right into the corners with these. I have to say that they are the nicest chisels I have. The handles are glorious to hold and the geometry means that you can get right into the corner of the tails.

 

[bobscarle]

The Mk1 chisels are really nice to use and take a great edge, I am very pleased with them. My thoughts were that a shorter chisel might be easier to control when doing more intricate work such as dovetailing. I think I might take Matthew up on his offer, possibly ordering one or two to start with and see what happens.

I guess another possibility would be to look at the handles. I think the Mk2's have shorter handles although I do not know by how much. Swapping my Mk1's for Mk2 handles may be an option as would tuning some new ones.

Bob

 

[Benchwayze]

The Mk1 chisels are really nice to use and take a great edge, I am very pleased with them. My thoughts were that a shorter chisel might be easier to control when doing more intricate work such as dovetailing. I think I might take Matthew up on his offer, possibly ordering one or two to start with and see what happens.

I guess another possibility would be to look at the handles. I think the Mk2's have shorter handles although I do not know by how much. Swapping my Mk1's for Mk2 handles may be an option as would tuning some new ones.

Bob

Hi Bob,
I use butt-chisels mostly for chopping. When dovetailing, I hold the blade low down, with a 'pencil-grip', and find it easy to control where the edge goes. Knowing where the handle is becomes instinctive and there's no need to look when you use the mallet.

For downward paring, I like a longer chisel (Paring chisel?) so the handle nestles against my cheek, or I can get the weight of my shoulder behind it. I also don't need to bend over so far! (One day, I might get to 'oldtools' in time to secure some Marples paring chisels!)

But to each his own.
Regards
John