New Steel/ Old Steel?

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Harbo

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I have been following the thread on LN chisels etc. etc. but how do modern chisels compare with older models?

I have some stuff inherited from my Father, Grandfather and Great Grandfather (who was a wheelwright back in 1850). The really old stuff I cannot recognise apart from some wooden spokeshaves and some wooden planes. But the more modern stuff: Stanley 5000 series chisels (about 30years old), J D Addis & Sons "Prize Medal" wood carving chisels (about 60 years old?), I. Sorby wood turning chisels, R Sorby (Kangaroo series - not very good) and some "Anvil Brand" Sheffield chisels.
Apart from the Kangaroos the others sharpen up and perform very well but how do they compare with modern steels?
I know there is always a debate about Japanese laminated steels (which I have got in the form of kitchen knives and IMO knock spots off European knives). So should I replace my old stuff?

Rod
 
I've recently bought a few second-hand, old, pig sticker chisels by makers like Sorby, Ibbotson and Marples and I've been very impressed by the quality of the steel. No idea how they compare with LN, because I don't have any, but they are significantly better than more recent (1970s and 1980s) offerings by Marples.

Cheers :wink:

Paul
 
Rod,
Do not replace your old stuff! Sharpen it and use it.

Modern steels are a mixed bag in the sense that what is sold as a blade in a modern Record or Stanley plane for example is likely to be inferior to its counterpart of 30 years ago. OTOH from a good maker like Lie Nielsen or Veritas or any of the specialist suppliers the blades will be as good as anything of yore.

My preference in steel for edge tools is old carbon steel. My favourite chisels are over 100 years old and most of my frequently used chisels are pre-war. My planes are modern from specialist makers - some with A2 cryogenic steel but again, I prefer modern carbon steel to A2. This is a personal preference and others do not necessarily share it. I just like the combination of edge holding, durability, ease of sharpening and other considerations that differ amongst woodworkers.
 
Rod

I have many vintage chisels and plane blades. Mostly these are excellent, and mostly they are laminated steel. As far as I am aware, the only comparable steel is the Japanese, but you cannot equate the two as they represent different styles of tools.

I have Ward, Ibbotson, Mathieson, and Marples mortice chisels and planes, amongst others. I have AE Berg (OK, that is only 1940/50-ish Swedish steel) paring chisels, and from the USA I have vvintage Witherby bench chisels (these are not laminated, but they are tough nonetheless).

The only modern steel that compares for durability is A2, but this does not get as "sharp" as the laminated vintage steels. By contrast, the Japanese chisels (and I have quite a number) get both sharper and hold their edge longer.

What you must keep in mind with vintage steel is that it may have gone through many cycles of being over heated, and these will not hold an edge. Still, they can be re-temptered.

I like laminated blades (vintage and Japanese). I am not sure if it is just my imagination, but they seem to get sharper than non-laminated blades, yet have a "soft" feel to them.

Regards from Perth

Derek
 
Hi All,

This is anecdotal--I haven't made any controlled tests. But the steel I'm finding in moulding plane blades dating from the late-18th/early-19th century is hard, sharpens well but not particularly easily, and holds its edge. There are no apologies to be made for it whatever. My old moulding planes are mainly American Revolutionary names such as Jo. Fuller and I. Lindenberger, and at that time, the cutting steel was likely imported from England. When I use the old planes, I sometimes wonder how much we've learned about handtools in the meantime, versus how much we've forgotten.

Uhhh, if you want to sell those Addis gouges, please ping me off line.

Wiley
 
I have talk to one of the guy on the Sorby stall at one of the tool fares.

I have some old Sorby carving tools that when sharp, will hold a very good edge and he said you cant get the steel like that any more.
I do find most of my old chisel and carving tool much easier to get an edge on.

My bench chisels are mostly old Marples and also hold a good edge but I am not sure how they compare to some thing like LN as I dont have any.
 
well in regards to steel i think the best is still high carbon steel...for chisels anyway. i have a set of Barr chisels and they are a dream come true. they get incredibly sharp very easily (i use just two norton waterstones 1k and 8k) and they hold an edge for a long time. i don't think that i would ever prefer A2 for chisels because it is harder to sharpen them. but for plane blades A2 is great. it is much harder to sharpen and i have no problem with getting a razor sharp edge on them. but they stay sharp for a long while. i can't compare the two since all i have is cheap vandium steel or A2 for planes. the only high carbon steel that i have is my chisels.

sparky
 

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