Bench Chisels... The best ones are..........

[00dannyboy]

Barr, Lie-Nielsen, Ashley Iles?

i'd like to hear some opinions on these and other chisels. looking for something that will hold an edge a long time and take a good beating. (not morticing chisles though)

Thanks,

dan

 

[Racers]

Hi,

My vote goes to old Cast Steel Chisels I have picked up loads from car-boot sales Ebay etc often for £1 each. They all seem to be cracking steel take a good edge and stay sharp for ages, but I don't take them out of the workshop, I have a set of new stanley/marples for that.


Pete

 

[dchenard]

Imai Sword Steel. Well worth the money (a lot of it)

LN's are comfortable, I wouldn't cry if one set landed on my doorstep :wink:. Never tried the Barr or the A-I.

DC-C

 

[pam niedermayer]

None. I prefer using specialty chisels, and once I got all the mortising, paring, and carving I needed, no longer need any bench chisels at all.

If you still insist, any of the top end Japanese chisels (Tasai, Funahiro, Imai (Fujihiro)) are wonderful, closely followed by old laminated chisels (Witherby, Swan, Cam, Herring, Addis, etc.). Also very good are 2 Cherries, Dastra, Stubai, Pfeil (last 3 plus Herring and Addis are carving chisel makers). Others may also be good, but I haven't tried them.

Pam

 

[Philly]

Dan
Not tried the Barr chisels but love the Lie-Nielsens. Very comfortable and hold an edge for a long time without complaining. A pleasure to use.
The AI chisels have some weird sized handles - that put me off, I'm afraid.
Hope this helps
Philly

 

[Anonymous]

not tried Barr but have a set of 11 Ashley iles and 9 LN bevel edged.

The best? I like my AIs, but it is the Lie Nielsen without a doubt and by a long way, not even a close race. I would say we are comparing apples and oranges here.

The LNs are more accurately manufactured, have thinner shoulders, and the blades are dead flat when new (my AIs took around 8-12 hours to flatten, whilst the LNs come flat and ready to use). However, the Ashley ilses hold an edge a little longer.

What about Bluespruce? My Blue Spruce dovetail chisels are even better than my Lie Nielsens, however, I don't' think they sell standard bevel edge chisels

OK, the AIs are around £11-18 per chisel and the LNs around £35, but I bought my Ls one at a time, one per month during 2006 and this cost me less each month than friends who smoke spend on fags!!! (and I haven't burnt the chisles yet :wink: )

 

[Woody Alan]

I don't know about the Barr other than their rep. I do know I have some LN and I am extremely pleased with them. I had some Ray isles (Ashley with London pattern handles) which I loved the handles. To try to get the isles chisels into shape was a bit of a task and the cross sectional profiles was a random thing with the bevels being completely random too. In the end to regard them as a set was not within my capability, I also found them very whippy and springy which nobody could accuse the LN's of. I have a set of stanley 750's which are a different beast again to the LN's. They don't hold their edge in the same way but theyy do sharpen more easily. Somehow either chisel lends itself to a particular job, however if I had to make a choice for consistency LN hands down. Have some blue spruce too but bench chisels they ain't by a long way.
I would put two cherries (yes sadly I have them too) on my list before the Isles as value for money, horrible handles though.

Alan

 

[Woody Alan]

I just had a another thought as a somewhat bizarre demonstration of LN's consistency, you do have to watch the sides of the blades as I have cut myself without knowing on the edges. I recall someone else has done this and had to dress the edges to stop it happening but cannot remember who it was.

Alan

 

[Anonymous]

I just had a another thought as a somewhat bizarre demonstration of LN's consistency, you do have to watch the sides of the blades as I have cut myself without knowing on the edges. I recall someone else has done this and had to dress the edges to stop it happening but cannot remember who it was.

Alan

I think David Charlesworth advocated this?

 

[WellsWood]

Sorry Dan, but this is another poll with not nearly enough choices. Barr and LNs are out of my price range I'm afraid. Aesthetically, for me at least, LNs would be the favourite - not a big range of sizes though.

I invested in a (nearly) full set of AI bevel edge chisels last year, and I love them to bits. I wouldn't say that they're the best though, just the best that I could afford.
I'm with Philly on the handle sizes, I found the standard handles way too large (plus I'm not really a fan of Bubinga), particularly on the smaller sizes, so I had a set made up using the Beech handles from the carvers. I would have preferred London pattern but it seems they're only available to our cousins across the pond :?
I can get them nice and sharp but the edges don't seem to be very durable at standard angles. With a 25 deg primary and 30degree secondary bevel the edges collapse fairly easily when chopping dovetails in Oak. So much so that I tend to use my £5 Lidl set for the donkey work and only use the AIs for final paring.

 

[sparky]

I have the Barr's and the edge holding is on par with the best out there, they sharpen very easily and they stay sharp for a long time even after chopping DTs. The handles can certainly take the worst beating of the three that you mentioned. I like the AI's but the LN's seemed small to me.

I do not regret getting the Barr. But since quality is very good of the three that you mentioned I think the most important thing is first what will you do with them and second what is comfortable for your hand. The bottom line is that I rarely reach for and use a tool that I don't like the feel of.

Peter

 

[dunbarhamlin]

Yep, too much missng.

Of the bench chisels I have, I'd put Sorby way ahead of AI - edge holding, grinding and setup time far better. (Though I haven't seen the new and improved AIs)

I've looked at (though not tried) LN, and they looked too dinky for me, but I may just be a bit oafish :twisted:

 

[David C]

Yea, it was me.

I dress or minutely bevel the long edges of all chisels if sharp enough to deliver a nasty cut, just enough so they wont cut me, no more.

But not the first 3/8" near the edge, as I want nice sharp corners here for cleaning into corners......

L-N for me, though I have not had a chance to try Barr, and will not be getting rid of any of my Japanese chisels. I like the way one can turn any handle you like for the L-N, and switch between long paring handles and the amazingly tough Hornbeam handles which like to be hit with a metal hammer, Japanese barrel head is my favorite.....

David

 

[wizer]

Oh come on David, we all know you really just use the £5 Lidl Chisels......

 

[White House Workshop]

As Ashley was my uncle I have to vote for him I do have a number of his carving tools and some of them haven't been resharpened since the day I bought them, and they've had a lot of use! The ones I have really do hold an edge, and that's enough for me. Unlike my old 'Footprints' that are forever in the honing guide.... but they would last longer if SWMBO didn't use them for purposes for which they were never intended :evil:

 

[David C]

For a real ethnic experience, what about the Chinese chisels from Dick, with the brazed joint across the centre of the blade......

David

 

[head clansman]

Hi Dan

sorry mate not enough choice with this poll , i have replaced all my chisel just recently with all Marple's box wood handles they keep a good edge for a long time there all from the turn of the century excellent steel I'm about to get rid of my Marple's shatter proof handles and as for giving them a good beating well that should never ever happen. you can keep all these fancy names that you mention the tool is only as good as the guy who sharpens it .

 

[seanybaby]

Where is the vote for random?

I have bought lots of random CHEAP chisels (maybe old)....(probably old) however they have been exceptionally hard (sharp). That is compared to my mates at college which, have bought newer, generally cheaper chisels. I have even sharpened my mates chisels at college, and they have had sharpest chisel they have seen!

BUT i have no LN! to compare

I would like to see a scientific test, with the hardest (steel) chisels, cheap chisels, Japanese chisels etc....(but there are so many variables? will this happen?

IE. can we buy a set for life? or do we all become collectors by default!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Philly]

IE. can we buy a set for life? or do we all become collectors by default!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

You know the answer to that one....... :wink:
Philly

 

[woodbloke]

seanbaby wrote:

I would like to see a scientific test, with the hardest (steel) chisels, cheap chisels, Japanese chisels etc....(but there are so many variables? will this happen?

It has already. F&C did a pretty comprehensive test a while ago of chisels ordinaire but I seem to recollect that no oriental offerings were included. I think that the mag did a good review of Jap chisels a bit later - Rob