Chisels

[titan]

Just a thought here

I thought to to recommend Barr chisels. I have a set of their cabinet makers chisels 1/4"- 1"

sparky

They look really nice, but a quick calculation adding on import duty and vat would make them about £230 here for the four chisels.

 

[mr]

I was thinking specifically of Ashley Iles in this case, with RC61 being the aiming point with a slight tolerance below (chewy) but not above (brittle).

I've got a few of the AI bench chisels,in my limited experience ( I know others swear by them) they are very brittle, I wouldn't buy more of them I don't think.

Cheers Mike

 

[matthewwh]

I've got a few of the AI bench chisels,in my limited experience ( I know others swear by them) they are very brittle, I wouldn't buy more of them I don't think.

Cheers Mike

Hi Mike,

If you pop them in the post to me with a note of your address, I'll arrange to have them checked and re-tempered if necessary then send them back to you.

 

[mr]

Thanks for the offer Mathew, however they have already been back to AI, have to say that you can't fault AI s service for want of a better word. They still chip out at the end though, praps I'm just too rough with them though they don't get malleted at all.

Cheers Mike

 

[MarcW]

... I have a set of their cabinet makers chisels 1/4"- 1"
...

sparky

Sparky and all,

Would you mind posting a pic of your set and may I query a detail pic of the cross section of one of those? I never came close to a Barr chisel but heard only good things about...

Pam,

I had to smile reading that you didn't even flatten the face of the Two Cherries. Chisels like those come in handy to do rough work but unconsciously we don't cherish them as we do with other tools of which we know someone had put great attention to their making.

 

[mr]

I had to smile reading that you didn't even flatten the face of the Two Cherries. Chisels like those come in handy to do rough work but unconsciously we don't cherish them as we do with other tools of which we know someone had put great attention to their making.

And amusingly the tools that someone has put great attention into making don't or shouldn't (IMHO) require further fettling.
Cheers Mike

 

[David C]

I have never yet encountered a chisel which did not require back flattening and polishing.

Just one of those wierd oddities of the woodworking trade?

Odd really, as we expect our cars and white goods to work.......

David

 

[mr]

I have never yet encountered a chisel which did not require back flattening and polishing.
David

Likewise though I always expect that the better ones should be free from that requirement. I am often disappointed.

Cheers Mike

 

[David C]

Often or always?

David

 

[mr]

Regarding chisels - to date - often, I have one LN mortise chisel which was sufficiently flat out of the box for my purposes. None of my other chisels have been "perfect" out of the wrapper as far as I can recall.
Cheers Mike

 

[dirtydeeds]

thats a curious notion, the first thing that sprang to mind was japanese oak

 

[matthewwh]

*Big Rant coming up*

Odd really, as we expect our cars and white goods to work.......

David

David,

Please don't take offence, as this is intended with the highest possible regard for your skills and standards, which the vast majority of us aspire, one day, to approach.

Given the performance that a highly tuned 'street car' is capable of on the track, versus the performance level that we would drive off the dealer's forcourt, I would suggest that tool consumers get an incredibly good deal from their manufacturers.

Suppliers like Clifton, Lie-Nielsen, Veritas, Richard Kell, Ashley Iles and Sorby work bloody hard to deliver products that are within sensible tolerances of perfection. Yes, they can be tuned for higher performance levels, but would the average high-end consumer be willing to fork out for the extra labour required when with one of your DVD's and a couple of hours of shop practice, they can achieve, and most crucially, maintain the same standards themselves?

The very finest Japanese chisels are usually delivered blunt as a babys ar53 and without the hoops fitted, yet no one would suggest that Tasai San, Fujihide San or Iyoroi San and their serious competitors were delivering anything but the very finest products that money can buy.

I have no intention of trying to belittle the standards that you set, however I would seriously question the proportions of your analogy.

 

[pam niedermayer]

...
Pam,

I had to smile reading that you didn't even flatten the face of the Two Cherries. Chisels like those come in handy to do rough work but unconsciously we don't cherish them as we do with other tools of which we know someone had put great attention to their making.

Marc, it was a very tongue in cheek statement. I did use the 2 Cherries right out of their box (also nicely crafted) with no preparation; but they were apparently in great shape, ready to go. I took them to a weekly woodworking class where I was making a fine cherry table, didn't want to expose the Japanese chisels to the machinery using heathens. They did a great job.

True, I cherish my Japanese, Dastra, antique US laminated, and UK chisels more; but I suspect that's because I had to work more hours to obtain them.

Pam

 

[Racers]

Hi,

I have loads of top quality chisels often bought for a pound from cat boot sales Ebay etc and a set of new Marples/Stanley for taking out on jobs with me (I chipped my favourite old cast steel Marples that is hard as nails and it took forever to grind back on my waterstones) Some of the old chisels have two names stamped on them, I will have to add mine, that’s 3 generations of use. I can't think why I would ever buy new chisels unless to replace my taking out chisels then they would be new Marples/Stanley.


Pete

 

[David C]

Matthew,

Great rant, thoroughly enjoyed, and spot on.

I will give it some thought before posting a counter rant on behalf of the legion of weekend warriors who struggle with their tools instead of enjoying best performance.

best wishes,
David

 

[ike]

david c wrote:

on behalf of the legion of weekend warriors who struggle with their tools instead of enjoying best performance.

Tool 'performance' is the least of it. It's mostly about getting skilled and for a lot of us - being hampered in the process by having to wear the bins!

Ike

 

[mr]

being hampered in the process by having to wear the bins!

Ike

If I follow you correct, I have to agree, I find my tediously poor eyesight is a real obstacle to good work.

Cheers Mike.

 

[sparky]

... I have a set of their cabinet makers chisels 1/4"- 1"
...

sparky

Sparky and all,

Would you mind posting a pic of your set and may I query a detail pic of the cross section of one of those? I never came close to a Barr chisel but heard only good things about...

Ill see what I can do. A pic of my chisels would be my first posted pic so what angle(s) would you like.

and how would I post a pic anyway

Sparky

 

[CHJ]

......
If I follow you correct, I have to agree, I find my tediously poor eyesight is a real obstacle to good work.
Cheers Mike.

Having been involved with fine detail work for many years, often using large diameter magnification lenses, when vision problems started to become a nuisance during a spell at a drawing board I got a pair of mid distance glasses and asked for a magnification factor to be added.

Ever since those times whenever my main specs have needed replacing due to abuse, slow drift of vision parameters etc. I have used the option of 'second pairs' to have a pair prescribed for close/mid distance with an increased magnification, it means that print this big is readable on a monitor and close work on the bench or lathe is aided without struggling to align the bi-focals.

 

[MrJay]

Grrr bench chisels. I've been looking for some olde englandish examples to replace my plastic handled marples DIY specials for maybe 12 months or so. So far I've only found two not banana shaped enough to be worth buying, and one of them was American. I think Ashly Iles will be getting a call before very long.