Info on Faithful Chisels

[Paul Sellers]

I am always being asked by students if I can recommend a good set of woodworking chisels that don't cost an arm and a leg, and wrote a short review on my blog , but many of the modern manufacturers have developed chisel types that are unpredictably available or have features totally unsuited to fine hand work. I came across some chisels produced under the British company Faithful banner and tested them out for my own peace of mind. I found them to be as good as any I have used, holding a good edge, fairly hard yet not too hard to sharpen on diamond stones.
Does anyone have any feedback good or bad on these chisels that I am unaware of; handles splitting, steel bending or breaking and such? They cost anywhere from £15-£32 for a set of six bluey/green PVC handled chisels in a nice presentation box made of wood and pine with box-jointed corners.

 

[JackL]

Paul,
I've got a set and have been very pleased with them. I've never had a handle split, though I'm one of the old school who will only use a wooden mallet when striking a chisel handle. But I have cut some very deep m&t joints with them.
They are a delight to sharpen and keep their edge very well. My son (professional carpenter) also has a set (or nearly - having lost a couple on building sites) and they have stood up to the rigours of site work and have been reground several times after being dropped from roofs etc during the course of his work.
I like 'em!

 

[paulm]

Hi Paul,

Although more expensive than the ones you mention these have had good comments on the forum in the past at the cheaper end of the market

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp? ... =1&jump=48

Haven't used them myself though.......

Cheers, Paul.

 

[woodbloke]

In a very comprehensive test a while ago in F&C the 'Two Cherries' chisels from Axminster came out 'best on test' (if memory serves) and this was in a comparison of all sorts of chisels, excluding ones from Japan - Rob :ho2

 

[Streepips]

Just had a peep and a set of 6 Faithfull chisels are available from Amazon at £14:99, a quick google for the "Two Cherries " ( German make " and first site had a set for $USD 144, so around £70:00
Also on Amazon set of four Draper bevel edge for £11:69 10mm to 25mm

 

[Paul Sellers]

I thought it might help others to see the reshaped profile to the ends of my Faithful chisels. This little alteration really improved the chisel without altering any hand comfort when paring and so on. Also, I forgot to mention the profile of the chisel which is square sectioned with rounded corners so it gives good grip and control and is much less likely to roll off the bench. the profile is the same as the old record and the present-day Irwin type.
Also wanted to thank everyone for their helpful feedback.

 

[ivan]

faithful - Clip from the Oxford dictionary -

2 Loyal, constant, steadfast; true.... Of a promise etc.: containing a pledge of fidelity; binding. LME–E17.3 Thorough in performing one’s duty; conscientious. LME.

Very nice for a chisel, but not for it's maker who doesn't seem to be able to spell his own name :shock:

 

[Paul Sellers]

Hi Ivan,
Thanks for the information. Words and their etymology are important. Not sure why the company chose two L's for their name. Perhaps they didn't think it was full enough. :wink:

 

[mr]

Hi Ivan,
Thanks for the information. Words and their etymology are important. Not sure why the company chose two L's for their name. Perhaps they didn't think it was full enough. :wink:

Perhaps because they can't spell? I'm not being facetious here, I have a feeling that Failthfull may be of Indian origin (they are certainly manufactured in India) for some reason though I have to say I can find no supporting evidence for that. It may be that I just heard it somewhere and that there is no truth in it but if there is it may suggest a reason for the "unusual" spelling.

Cheers Mike

 

[Jake]

Same goes for Marianne Faithfull, etc (presumably the surname preserves an historic spelling of the adjective, with the 'full' being completely logical). Maybe it's named after someone rather than the adjective.

 

[BradNaylor]

I have always assumed that Faithfull tools were cheap imports badged up with a British name. They seem to be stocked by hardware stores rather than 'proper' tool shops.

However, I bought a sliding bevel of theirs a while ago and have been mightily impressed with the quality and particularly the price. Now I read Paul's glowing review about their chisels.

So who are Faithfull and where are their tools made? Their website is very vague and uninformative, giving me the impression that they are are a few blokes in an office in Kent sourcing tools from the far east and then distributing them through Toolbank.

As to the extra 'L' in the name, I would guess that there was at some point a Mr Faithfull and that it is not simply a description.

 

[bswiseman]

I was wondering how the Faithfull chisels compared to the Irwin "Blue Chip" which appear to be made in China now? Or the Footprint ones?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... R&v=glance

Thanks,
Stephen

 

[Streepips]

I noticed while looking through the Faithfull site that some of their products are manufactured in UK.... Not that that in itself would make anything automatically better quality or value. No mention of where the chisels originate though, but at the minimal cost involved I am quite tempted to buy and try a set.

 

[DaveL]

Hi Stephen,

Welcome to the forum.

Your link has been caught by our spam trap, this will stop once you have a few more posts to your name.

Here is your Amazon link.

 

[bswiseman]

Thanks Dave - very kind! I thought I had done something wrong this very first post!

 

[Paul Sellers]

I was wondering how the Faithfull chisels compared to the Irwin "Blue Chip" which appear to be made in China now? Or the Footprint ones?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... R&v=glance

Thanks,
Stephen

Hi Stephen,
The Faithfulls are every bit as hard and may even be harder because they take and hold a good edge and I think they hold their edge longer too.

I don't know about Footprint. I was writing an article on the making of Clifton hand planes about three or four years ago and saw what I was told was the Footprint chisels being hammer-forged on an 18-ton hydraulic drop-hammer alongside the highly acclaimed Clifton irons, so if that's the case they would be a good choice. I will try to find out if that is still the case and let you know.

You are right about the present-day Irwin blue chips being made in China. I was talking to some of the Irwin people at the North of England woodworking show this Autumn and they told me that they had basically set up their tooling system in China and as with all such compromises, touted that the tools are basically the same as those made in Sheffield, but just in a different situation. Perhaps they are. We will only tell by the testing of them. I remember when Record shut down their vise making in Sheffield and the US tool catalogs proclaimed that the Indian company that had bought up the Record tooling was now basically producing the same vise but in India. I tested out those vises and they were not at all the same Record vises and even though I have seen Record standards steadily decline to the shame of Sheffield and its worldwide reputation for quality, these vises did not in any way measure up to Record. Again, perhaps they do now. I don't know if things did improve. Does anyone else know?

Paul Sellers

 

[bswiseman]

Thank you Paul!
It would be interesting to find out about the "87" Footprints since their handle shape looks like they appear closer to your modified Faithfulls.

Wondering too if the Sorby boxwood handled chisels are still good as they are still (even with the low USD!) about 1/2 that of the L-N's and to be honest I dislike the L-N handle connection due to the extreme humidity/temp differences where I live. I don't think I need A2 working with local Cherry, Walnut, etc...

Right now making your bench design in the 24" X about 72" in select softwood but thinking about a maple top. I am in fact in the market for a Record type vice and see that a few suppliers are saying Anant is making a very good Record copy. Anyone know?

Thanks to all!
Stephen

 

[Paul Sellers]

Stephen,
The Sorby's are still an excellent investment and are well made from quality materials. I gave a set to one of my sons last year and he loves them. They are hard and hold their edge well. The boxwood handle is wonderful, but you will likely want to sand the manufacturer's finish off and ease and smooth the corners with fine sandpaper to suit your personal hand comfort as they are wonderful for paring with. I apply a couple of coats of boiled linseed oil, one each day, and they will keep clean indefinitely.
Three points about the Sorby's that I like:
1) Hexagonal, solid boxwood handles. They never roll off your bench, give good grip and easy control, and last forever.
2) Balance: The steel to handle weight ratio is perfect.
3) I really like the slim steel blades, which are considerably thinner than most manufactured chisels. They are lovely to use, especially for dovetailing and all other fine work. One of my sons makes cellos and he uses them for aspects of instrument making.

Paul Sellers

 

[Streepips]

Found some interesting Footprints that I am going to invest in..

Not a bad price either,
My Xmas present to myself.....

 

[Paul Sellers]

Hi Stephen,

Re the bench: I recommend that you use a hardwood for the top if you can, even though pine works for a modest priced first bench. In fact, when I was an apprentice most all of the joiners benches I ever saw were made from pine or some other coniferous tree. Hemlock would work great and you can get 4 x 4 hemlock posts from Home Depot over there so you can make your leg frame from that. You can of course as you say use pine for the sub frame which goes fast and then use something like hard maple for the laminated top.

Re the vise from Anant. That's the Indian vise I was referring to. Perhaps they have improved and that would be great. Veritas has a good vise made for them somewhere in eastern Europe that is made from a fine-grained iron I understand, so you could look at those. I bought some for the school and tested them and they worked well. Also, you should look on Ebay for Record vises. I have seen them fairly frequently and they go for half as much there in the US from US sellers secondhand as the do on Ebay here in the UK.

Paul Sellers