help on choosing chisels and block plane needed please.

[scubadoo]

Hello,

Thought i'd take advantage of the 10% of at Rutlands and am after a bit of advice.

I make guitars but also want to get into some more general woodwork.

I really need some chisels (not sure what would be the best for guitars) and a block plane for delicate work/end grain planing and was wondering if anyone could advise on suitable stuff from Rutlands. Sadly budget on the plane won't allow for Lie Nielsen! Just looking for some good value quality tools. The Anant ones look like a Stanley copy, are the Qiangsheng ones a better bet?

And I can't really afford a full set of chisels so what would be the essential 2 or 3 types/sizes?

Offer closes at midnight tonight so help me out fellas! :lol:

Cheers

Dave

 

[Dodge]

Personally I would suggest you contact Matthew at workshop heaven and get yourself a set of Narex 8116 cabinet makers bevel edged chisels and a quangsheng v2 low angle block plane.

I am using these on my workshop, are superb quality and excellent value for money.

In fact just bought my son a set of the Narex chisels for christmas but don't tell him!!

If you want any other info on them give me a call

Rog

 

[Jacob]

Personally I wouldn't touch Narex with a barge pole as they are being too pushily promoted on this forum, post after post! Shouldn't be allowed!

If I was instrument making I think I would start collecting cheap SH chisels, especially the little old wooden handle ones. Light weight would be handy for that sort of work and you aren't going to want to thrash them hard, I imagine.
Sizes depends on what you want to do but in general 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4, 1, inch is a common starter range.

Here's few, many excellent, nearly all dirt cheap

 

[Lowlife]

I've just ordered some block planes from Rutlands, like you taking advantage of the last day of their 10% discount!

I got the Qiangsheng Block Plane, Block Rebate Plane, and the Small Chisel Plane. Not quite as nice looking as the same planes from Workshop Heaven with their bronze caps, but significantly cheaper and hopefully good enough for my purposes!

I did go to WH for chisels though and ordered the set of 6 Ashley Iles bevel edge in a nice leather roll. If you can't afford a full set I would buy a few of the best you can afford now, and add to them as and when to complete the set. Single chisels make affordable Xmas and birthday presents, drop a few hints and you'll soon have the whole lot!

I don't know anything about guitar making, but the most used sizes for me would probably be 1/2", 3/4", and 1", although if I could only buy 3 I'd probably omit the 1" and get a 1/4" or 3/8" instead and make do with 3/4" as the widest.

 

[Allylearm]

Hello,

Thought i'd take advantage of the 10% of at Rutlands and am after a bit of advice.

I make guitars but also want to get into some more general woodwork.

I really need some chisels (not sure what would be the best for guitars) and a block plane for delicate work/end grain planing and was wondering if anyone could advise on suitable stuff from Rutlands. Sadly budget on the plane won't allow for Lie Nielsen! Just looking for some good value quality tools. The Anant ones look like a Stanley copy, are the Qiangsheng ones a better bet?

And I can't really afford a full set of chisels so what would be the essential 2 or 3 types/sizes?

Offer closes at midnight tonight so help me out fellas! :lol:

Cheers

Dave

Get on E Bay and find what you are looking second hand, always some good British chisels wooden handled or plastic vintage, your choice. If they got a good bit of blade left and handles in good nick why pay for more. Same goes for the blocks they are easily picked up to suit your budget and needs. It don't need to be brass or shiny to be good, all it needs is fit for purpose. The shiney tools are only for the magpies, and if it floats their boat their choice.

Good luck.

 

[scubadoo]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Slightly confused about Quangsheng on WH vs Qiangsheng on Rutlands. Are they the same brand? I guess not as the latter are cheaper on Rutlands.

 

[scubadoo]

Can you recommend any good makes of secondhand chisels? I see a lot of Sorby.

At the moment I don't have any sharpening system so need to look into that as well......does it ever end?

 

[Lowlife]

Yes the planes are the same brand just slightly different spellings, as you can see the WH ones have the nice bronze caps whereas the Rutland ones are steel, and some of the planes from WH come with two different angle blades, other than that I'm not sure there's any difference? Matthew mentions some modifications that have been made, but it's not clear if this is only on the ones that he stocks or if they're all made that way now.

As you're just getting into this, and don't want to spend a fortune, I would recommend going with the so-called "scary sharpening" system, it works well and is cheap to get started, especially if you have a suitable piece of glass to stick the lapping film to, just buy a sheet of each of the films and you have a good sharpening system for under a tenner.

 

[Dodge]

Personally I wouldn't touch Narex with a barge pole as they are being too pushily promoted on this forum, post after post! Shouldn't be allowed!

Sorry I dared to open my mouth! I am recommending the Narex and Quangsheng as I have personally bought them, and using them in my day to day cabinet making and am only stating what I see hopefully for the benefit of other forum users from my personal experience!

Roger

 

[Jacob]

Sorry, not picking on you particularly. Just that there seems to be a narex feeding frenzy going on - they are only chisels, not much better or worse than most.

 

[Max Power]

Horrible looking handles though :-&

 

[Jacob]

Horrible looking handles though :-&

Surely that's a plus - gives an excuse to wally about and change them all. :lol: :lol:

 

[Max Power]

:? Think I'd rather buy some with sensible looking handles and spend my time making something :wink:

 

[woodbloke]

Personally I would suggest you contact Matthew at workshop heaven and get yourself a set of Narex 8116 cabinet makers bevel edged chisels and a quangsheng v2 low angle block plane.

I am using these on my workshop, are superb quality and excellent value for money.

In fact just bought my son a set of the Narex chisels for christmas but don't tell him!!

If you want any other info on them give me a call

Rog

Yup, that's the way to do it. Personally, I'd look at Rutlands but go and see Matt at WH when you're ready to buy. Difficult at the price (almost impossible in fact) to better the Narex and the QS planes. I have the rebating block which is a very nice bit of kit - Rob

 

[Ollie78]

I think the quangsheng planes look good value and are well reviewed, personally I used a stanley block plane for years then I bought a veritas one and its like night and day, just better in every way the quality, weight, blade, adjustment etc are all hugely better. Unfortunately it seems that it is a case of get what you pay for with hand tools.
As far as chisels go I got a set of the japanese ones, not expensive or hand made by a specific blaksmith or anything.
I think I paid less than £100 from Tilgear in the sale several years ago for a set of ten. I have not gone back to my old Bahco or stanleys since, except for really rough jobs.
The Japanese chisels take a bit of set up as they don`t come anywhere near ready to go. I had to clean off the nasty laquer from the handles, set the hoops myself pein over the wood at the top of the hoops and oil them, then a bit of sharpening and honing. (took a few days on and off) . But I don`t think you could get better chisels for a tenner each.
They are well balanced and easy to handle, stay sharp for a long time and are quick to sharpen up when they eventually dull.

Ollie

 

[dunbarhamlin]

Hmmm. My minimum kit chisel selection for guitars would probably be:

1/4"/6mm - matches truss rod slot width.

How are you shaping heels?
2"/50mm - nice wide chisel always handy - coarse heel shaping and brace shaping, for instance. Width make it less likely to slip off and gouge the plate.

What style of neck joint? A chisel to fit if hand cut mortise and tenon or dovetail.

I generally find full length bench chisels handier than butt chisels, but it can be useful to have a short chisel for tweaking when part assembled.

Nuts and saddles
Whatever widths you plan on using, get a piece of sharpened steel to match.

Block planes are easy enough to fettle, so no need to go expensive (though I'd only replace my LN with the same again, unless the mysthical Clifton ever saw light of day - I like the heft.) Just get a decent iron (Ray Iles, Hock, etc) and get fettling.

 

[woodbloke]

...unless the mythical Clifton ever saw light of day

It may well do, but you won't get hold of one Steve 'cos Paul C's gona grab the lot! :lol: :lol: - Rob

 

[deserter]

Ashley Iles chisel all the way for me, as for the block plane I have a stanley bailey and it cuts through everything i can find, comfortably.

 

[dunbarhamlin]

...unless the mythical Clifton ever saw light of day

It may well do, but you won't get hold of one Steve 'cos Paul C's gona grab the lot! :lol: :lol: - Rob

Hehehe I had heard Paul has even more of an eye for British Racing Green than I.

 

[fluffflinger]

I'm with Dodge.

Quansheng and Narex from Workshop Heaven IMHO.

Best value out there for new tools, maybe some value to be had on the bay if you know what you are looking for but if you want new then do as I did and choose to support a company that is run by a very decent man who values his customers and gives sound and unbiased advice.