Good starter set of chisels.


Sparky1951

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Got my first "set" (of four) Narex chisels in the mail yesterday.  3 were flat,   1 slightly concave but flatish toward the business end.  Sharp out of the box.   Together with my previous couple of chisels (one, an Irwin Marples) they made short work of cleaning a mortise.

I appreciate the input from everyone.

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  • 1 month later...

Aldi is a German style market that sometimes stocks some off brand old world tools that are not awful. That said, Eric is right as it would be a roll of the dice. Many of those off brand tools are made for carpenters rather than furniture or cabinet makers. Just thoughts. 

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I was going to ask Eric why he was so against them. I picked up a set a few months back (moved) and only just opened the package. But I was able to sharpen them up to take off arm hairs. Not certain if they will hold but they seem better then the 20 dollar kit I picked up at the big box store. The way I see it they shouldn't be a bad starter set to get more people into the craft. But keep in mind I've not yet bought any tool over 150 bucks. Yay yard sales!

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I was also excited at how much larger they were.

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I vaguely remember reading something about these mysterious decent quality chisels that Aldi apparently sells every once in a while.  I'd still call them beaters at best.  With the price of Narex bench chisels, I don't see a reason to go cheaper for a primary set really.

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OK, Wald, you can be the second reviewer I've seen!  

By the way, I had to work on one of my Narex chisels, too, so having to work a little on the chisels should probably not be a deal breaker.  Now that you have some nicer chisels, check out the comments on slow speed grinders so that you don't screw up your chisels!

And thanks to Shaffer!1

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On 3/26/2012 at 7:22 PM, Sparky1951 said:

Wantt to buy my first set of chisels. These will be what I learn with so there may be some newbie type abuse to them.

 

Recommendations appreciated.

 

Sparky

I'd recommend a set of Irwin Marples. They feature good hard carbon steel and they're inexpensive and easy to find. 

But just as important (maybe more so) is that you also buy some means to sharpen them. 

I highly recommend water stones and a jig. You can get a decent 2 grit combo Stone for around be $50 and a cheap jig for $15 or so. 

Learning to sharpen correctly is such an important part of woodworking. I work part time in a woodworking supply store and when ppl come in wanting to get started with woodworking, I usually recommend they purchase 2 Chisels and a stone and they learn to sharpen by hand with a jig. 

It's a skill that you will use over and over again as your tool for collection grows. 

Many newcomers are surprised to learn that sharp does not equal dangerous. Dull does. A dull chisel is far and away more dangerous than a sharp one!

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Old thread but I’m new here so I’ll toss in my two cents, adjusted for inflation...

I like Buck chisels. Same guys who make the knives. Cheap but decent, and you can get sizes up to 1 1/2” at HD. They hold an edge pretty well.

I have a set of Narex mortising chisels and they’re alright for the price. Maybe not the top end of steel quality but I hand cut just about all my mortises with them and am satisfied with the purchase. 

The Irwin chisels are a good place to start if you think you may beat em up! 

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