tomy josif Posted June 11, 2020 Report Share Posted June 11, 2020 I am a beginning woodworker and can only afford to buy 4 chisels at a time. what are the 4 most common sizes that would be best to start out with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G Ragatz Posted June 11, 2020 Report Share Posted June 11, 2020 I suppose it depends to some extent on what you'll be working on. Most of my projects are small/medium sized furniture and some boxes. The chisels that see the most use are 1/4", 1/2", 3/4" and 1". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted June 11, 2020 Report Share Posted June 11, 2020 What G Ragatz said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted June 11, 2020 Report Share Posted June 11, 2020 Personally I would start with 1/4 & 1/2" better quality chisels and grow from there 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 11, 2020 Report Share Posted June 11, 2020 I lean toward the "buy the one you need, as you need it" philosophy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomy josif Posted June 11, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2020 thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye Posted June 11, 2020 Report Share Posted June 11, 2020 I will agree buying the best you can as the need arises, but the biggest thing is sharpening them and keeping them sharp. I bought a cheap set at HF, learned to sharpen them, and after buying better chisels they are now a beater set, but they are good for trying different methods of sharpening. Speaking of which, what is your plan for sharpening. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomy josif Posted June 12, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2020 sharpening: i was thinking of starting out with sandpaper then moving up to water stones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye Posted June 12, 2020 Report Share Posted June 12, 2020 17 minutes ago, tomy josif said: sharpening: i was thinking of starting out with sandpaper then moving up to water stones. Find a glass shop and see if the have a 8"x4"x3/8" piece of plate glass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted June 12, 2020 Report Share Posted June 12, 2020 Or borrow a sample piece of granite from HD about the same size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted June 12, 2020 Report Share Posted June 12, 2020 Counter top shops will give away pieces of granite or quartz as well and those are also flat. For chisel sizes I like a 6mm 1/2" and 1.5". I find i really only need 3. If i have 4 a 3/4" or 1" will find it way into my hand but it's not necessary. You don't need the perfect size a narrower chisel will work just as well but leave you some freedom away from marring edges. The reason i say 6mm instead of 1/4" is because a 6mm chisel is loose in a 1/4" mortise and makes the work far far easier. A really wide chisel like 1.5" is nice for reinforcing baselines that span long distances. Instead of buying 16 difference sizes buy the same 3 or 4 sizes in a couple quality levels. I'd start out cheap to get over the fear of ruining a good chisel while learning to sharpen. Once you get sharpening figured out buy a nice set like the vertias PMV-11 ones. I have found loads of uses for a beater chisel like if metal is near or for house carpentry work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted June 12, 2020 Report Share Posted June 12, 2020 I agree with @Chestnut Metric sizes are nice when you have an imperial measurement as your target. I currently tend to use 1/4", 10mm, and 1", with 10mm being used the most. Next chisel I buy will be either a 6mm to replace the 1/4" or a 1.5-2" for baselines and bulk removal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted June 12, 2020 Report Share Posted June 12, 2020 Interesting how we differ. I swear we are not trying to give you conflicting answers, it just turns out that way ;-) I am like JohnG in that my 3/8" chisels get more use than any other. They are narrow enough for most things and wide enough to supply a good reference surface. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Ronn W Posted June 12, 2020 Popular Post Report Share Posted June 12, 2020 2 hours ago, Chestnut said: Counter top shops will give away pieces of granite or quartz as well and those are also flat. It's called dumpster diving. 17 hours ago, Woodenskye said: I will agree buying the best you can as the need arises, but the biggest thing is sharpening them and keeping them sharp. I bought a cheap set at HF, learned to sharpen them, and after buying better chisels they are now a beater set, but they are good for trying different methods of sharpening. Speaking of which, what is your plan for sharpening. Read careflully through the above responses. Eveyone has a good set of chisels and a beater set ( The ones they first owned) . You don't need to buy the best you can afford right off the bat. Even a cheap set of chisels can work for you as long as you keep them sharp. You may have to hone or sharpen more often but the expereience you gain will help you when it cames time to upgrade. It is possible to use sandpaper but you won't be saving money in the long run. I am fearful that, if you use sandpaper, you will not really get your chisels razor sharp. I recommend stones (1000, 4000, 8000) and a honing guilde to keep you propoer bevel angle. You can use can use coarse sandpaper for the coarser work if you really need to remove metal) Nothing is more frustrating than than working with dull chisels. And until you do get one razor sharp (You wil hear the angels singing when you take you first cut), you won't even know that your chisels could be sharper. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted June 12, 2020 Report Share Posted June 12, 2020 6, 12, 25. Don't sweat mertic or imperial. Let's open a can of worms. What brand are you going for? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip Sawdust Posted June 12, 2020 Report Share Posted June 12, 2020 Like most woodworking tools that come in different sizes, this can easily become an obsession! I like Buck chisels for cost/performance, but Narex makes a decent chisel for the price as well. I also have a few Stanley chisels. There are many different manufacturers though and what's available in your area may drive your choice. The metric vs. Imperial thing is a matter of taste, I think, although some good rationale has been posted for them and I don't disagree with those. However, I only have one metric chisel (10mm) and prefer my 3/8" over that. The 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" and 1" sizes would be what I would go with to start. Then fill in wherever you find the need. The 3/4" recommendation is good as a lot of the wood you work with will be that dimension. I have one 1 1/2" chisel that, as was mentioned, helps define a scoring line while keeping it square (easier to reference off a wide chisel than several bites with a narrower chisel). It doesn't get much use beyond that, thus it stays sharp. I also have a 1/8" chisel that comes in handy for tiny cleanup areas and small mortises (it is a mortise chisel but has other uses). You may want to look into paring chisels as well, although I don't think anyone needs a full set of those. I've been getting by for a long time with just one 1/4" paring chisel. YMMV. Kinda depends on what you're doing as well. If you are cutting mortises and tenons, you should look at mortise chisels but that's a whole 'nother topic. If you want to do dovetails some folks think that demands a fishtail chisel for cleaning out blind sockets. With all the options out there it's hard to figure what's first, but I recommend you start with one of the recommended size groups on this thread. I also recommend that you buy double bevel chisels as they are the most versatile for general work. Get the best sharpening system you can afford. It will deliver for a long time and deliver satisfaction when your tools are sharp. I love the "angels sing" reference 'cause that's kinda what it's like to work with very sharp tools. Everything is easier (including accidentally cutting yourself!). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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