Let's talk chisels


Llama

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Thank you for this post. Nice conversation. I have been thinking for a while about new awesome chisels and even though I am a huge LN fan, if it does not give me a huge advantage to invest in their chisels, I have to do what is best for my money ... return on investment.

 

I own two sets of chisels, the Narex classic bevel edged chisels, and the Stanley socket sweethearts. They both took a little work to flatten the backs initially but since then they have worked very well. I have the Narex's ground for pairing and the Stanley's ground for general bench work that might require some mallet blows. You can get a set of 4 Narex's for less than the price of one LN.
 
I have to agree with Byrdie, LV and LN are not the best, they are just the most well known. Right now LV has PM-V11 going for them, as they are the only makers I'm aware of who are making chisels out of a powdered metal super alloy. Though I do question if anyone other than a die-hard neander, would need chisels this abrasion & impart resistant. 
 
LN has nothing really going for them as far as I'm concerned, A2 is no longer cutting edge, and the handles are humdrum.

 

Personally if i was going to spend the money that LV & LN wanted, id buy somehting more exotic, like hand forged Barr chisels, or art gallery quality Blue spruce chisels.

 

In reality if i had to buy some chisels tomorrow , I'd buy the Ashley Iles Mk2 bevel edged chisels from  tools for working wood.

http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/TBBC/item/IL-100-40.XX/Mk2_Beveled_Edge_Bench_Chisels_by_Ashley_Iles

 

They are reasonably priced, have nice Bubinga handles, and are kind of a cross between Japanese and western chisels, as the back is slightly hollow ground.

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great topic and thanks for sharing all this great info. I've got a hand full of mixed chisels I picked up from a neighbor, and slowly trying to bring them back to life. Turning out it's a bit more work than expected (but getting lots of practice in, so I'm looking at getting my first 'real' chisel or two in the near future.  

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nod, how far are you going on prep?

Nothing to deep here. The chisels themselves aren't anything special from what I can tell (learned from reading here mostly). A couple hardware store chisels and two blue handled marples.

 

The other day I dove into a 1 inch with a bunch of chunks taken out of the tip (plastic handled chisel with MF etched). At least it was still square, so I started there. I don't have a jig, so I went freehand. Only took me ~40 minutes on my 220 grit stone to remove enough material to show a hint of edge. Now, I've got about another 30 minutes to spend flattening the stone. ugh. Not sure this was a worthy chisel of that much time (still needs another bit to refine that edge, then really sharpen). It's not a "nice" chisel at all either, was just one of the squarest I could comfortably dive into freehand. Figured I'd hone my skills on these old guys first.

 

Next up are the Marples (1/4 and 3/8 iirc) that need some love. Neither are square, so I need to buy a jig to try to save those. After my time the other day, it's much more tempting to buy something NEW!!  

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I feel your pain! Especially when blue chip irwin/marples are quite cheap. The reason I asked was I wondered if you were investing a lot of time into flattening the backs?

No kidding!

I haven't spent much time on the backs. I should have done all my flattening before cupping my stone. Once I get IT flat again, I'll work on the chisel backs. I did do a couple passes first, but didn't spend much time on that side. Personally, I don't know enough if they need to be perfect or not. Should I be putting in more time there? I can sharpen a knife just fine, but chisels and plane irons are totally new to me. That's one of the reason I wanted to work on these old blades. 

 

I forgot I have a swedish chisel set I picked up at an estate sale a while back. I'll have to post pics and see if you guys think they're worth bringing back to life or not. 

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nod, if you haven't started flattening the backs just hold off. If they are concave on the backs just leave them and see how you go. Perhaps have one super duper flat chisel for the finest paring jobs and leave it at that (and leave that until your wonky backs have let you down). You might be pleasantly surprised how you get on with them.

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nod, if you haven't started flattening the backs just hold off. If they are concave on the backs just leave them and see how you go. Perhaps have one super duper flat chisel for the finest paring jobs and leave it at that (and leave that until your wonky backs have let you down). You might be pleasantly surprised how you get on with them.

thanks for the tip. I just snapped a couple pics of the swedish set. and boy, they're roughing looking than I remember. Looks like a pretty good time investment to bring those blades back to form. I'll post in a new topic when I get some time. 

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Just an update... I ordered the chisels, I switched the 3/4 for a 1/2". I have a 3/4, an not the 1/2.

The bevel edge chisels should ship in a couple of weeks. Good news is my hat and 1/2" mortising chisel are on the way. The hat will make all the difference!

I have not heard anything from blue spruce about the mallet. I'm sure it's being processed and should be here soon :)

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I have a bunch of L.N. Stuff. The hat too! I don't think I have used 1 of their tools yet, that made me ask, why did I buy this? It's a piece of junk! I work 98% with hand tools. I don't want to spend any extra time tweaking a tool to work well, just to save some $. Buy it once, and be done. I do use cheaper stuff for rough work. If properly taken care off they will last longer than I will. As for not having the "Wow Factor?" I use tools to make $$. Not a enough though :)

 

If you ever have a chance to take in a L.N. Toolworks Show, GO!!!!!! Just leave all your plastic $$ home. Philip C. Lowe has an event close to me. Between his shop/school and vintage tools, along with the L.N. Line it's like stepping back in time. 

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I have Lie-Nielsen tools because I do not want to take the time to make the old stuff work right. I have several Stanley planes and it was a real chore to get them into shape.

The LN tools just work :) the less time I spend making my tools operate the way they should, the more time I can make stuff that can turn a profit.

I am finding a good mix of hand and power tools, although I am leaning towards mostly hand tools right now.

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Well, my bevel edge chisels arrived today. They feel great in my hand, very well balanced.

My hat also arrived, also well balanced and feels nice on my head :)

I am just waiting for my mortising chisel and my blue spruce mallet. I can't bring myself to knock these chisels around with my old hammer.

I hope it comes in soon!

In related news, I got a LN scrub and a LN edge trimming plane off of eBay. Decent saving over new, and I can use Paypal.

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