# Thinking about a new 6 piece set of Stanley FatMax® Chisels.



## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

I’m tired of having mismatched chisels and someone gave me a $50 gift card for Home Depot which is just enough to buy a FatMax® set. 

I had a 4pc set of Craftsmen Chisels that are 40 yrs old, but some got lost so I bought a set of Harbor Freight chisels. The HF chisels don’t work very well so then I bought a 3pc set of Stanley Chisels a few years ago. 

I am organizing my shop and started to build a chisel holder, but wanted a whole set so I tried to buy matches to the 3pc Stanley set and discovered they are not available anymore. That’s when I found the Stanley FatMax® Chisel set only I want to add an extra 2” chisel.

Anyway they appear to be made in the England instead of China like my other Stanley set and I was just wondering if anybody heard any negative reports about them. I know there are much better chisels out there, but I don’t use them that much to spend the extra money. :|


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## gornarak (Jun 5, 2014)

What about making your own handles for them to let them look the same? I would rather invest in high quality for the missing ones instead of investing in a whole set that isn't worth it after all (not that I would have experience with that brand).


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I'm wondering how you are sharpening the chisels. I'm sure the fatmax chisels are good chisels but I have a set of the HF chisels and they work as well as any chisels I own with the exception of a homemade chisel I made from a jointer knife. It has the best steel of them all.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

gornarak said:


> What about making your own handles for them to let them look the same? I would rather invest in high quality for the missing ones instead of investing in a whole set that isn't worth it after all (not that I would have experience with that brand).


 Well that’s an idea. I’d have to look into how to remove the handles and I’m not sure if it would be worth the trouble.
I actually do have to make some new handles for an old long chisel set that I bought off of eBay. I was pretty much into it when I discovered that one had a crack. I got a lot of mixed opinions on whether or not it could be welded. So I put them up and forgot about them.











Steve Neul said:


> I'm wondering how you are sharpening the chisels. I'm sure the fatmax chisels are good chisels but I have a set of the HF chisels and they work as well as any chisels I own with the exception of a homemade chisel I made from a jointer knife. It has the best steel of them all.


When I bought the HF set I still had my old Craftsman set that I was keeping sharp and I really wasn't using the HF set for quality wood working. I was using them for rough stuff like scraping paint or caulking and got pretty nicked up.

I'm still undecided if I'm going to buy the FatMax set because I've been going through all my tools looking for the missing chisels and I really have to start getting rid of stuff.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

Steve Neul said:


> ......I have a set of the HF chisels and they work as well as any chisels I own with the exception of a homemade chisel I made from a jointer knife. It has the best steel of them all.


I just got back from Harbor Freight and I saw a 6 Pc Wood Chisel Set for $10. Is this what you have? 










I could live with this set which is a lot better than my old HF plastic Wood Chisel Set


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Sleeper said:


> I just got back from Harbor Freight and I saw a 6 Pc Wood Chisel Set for $10. Is this what you have?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


No, what I have has plastic handles and resemble stanley chisels. Most of the chisels I have do have the wooden handles, I just use them with a round wooden mallet though.


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## gornarak (Jun 5, 2014)

Does the crack go all the way through? If it's not a really big chisel I think you can just keep it without noticing any issues though. My bet is that it would need to be forged rather than welded.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

gornarak said:


> Does the crack go all the way through? If it's not a really big chisel I think you can just keep it without noticing any issues though. My bet is that it would need to be forged rather than welded.


 Yes the crack does go all the way through. It’s an old Sears Roebuck & Co Chisel made in Chicago and I don’t know that it’s worth going through the expense of having it forged. I believe I only paid about $10 on eBay for 3 of them.

I have an arc welder but nothing to do any forging on my own.


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## hts1965 (Jan 19, 2016)

I have a set of the Fat Max chisels made in England and they are better than average. The part I liked best was the tang from the blade goes all the way through the handle to the cap on top, so you are not hammering on the plastic handle. That was always a sign of a good chisel once. Beware though, I saw some, Fat Max, that looked the same but did not have the tang through the handle, at Lowes or Agent Orange, They were made in China and where about a dollar more each, than the ones from England at a local lumber yard.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*forging is a whole different process....*

If you want to weld it you should start at the open end with a "tacK' then keep making tacks spaced out from either end... assuming a MIG welder on a low or med heat. I have MIG welded very thin metal but it ain't easy and tends to blow through if you get too much heat on the weld.

A TIG welder would be the best option if you can get to one. 

Annealing and other heat treating processes are beyond my skill level, but you may need to do that to retain the original strength. If you try it and blow it up, it's about same as before... still not useable.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

hts1965 said:


> I have a set of the Fat Max chisels made in England and they are better than average. The part I liked best was the tang from the blade goes all the way through the handle to the cap on top, so you are not hammering on the plastic handle. That was always a sign of a good chisel once. Beware though, I saw some, Fat Max, that looked the same but did not have the tang through the handle, at Lowes or Agent Orange, They were made in China and where about a dollar more each, than the ones from England at a local lumber yard.


Thanks, I think the ones you are talking about from China are the set I bought already. I bought them on short notice when I needed a 1/2" chisel and could not find my Craftsman or Harbor Freight chisel. 
I didn't notice that they were different until I started this thread. If I'd had known that I would have gone to Harbor Freight and bought the 4 pc set for the same amount.


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## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

Sleeper said:


> I just got back from Harbor Freight and I saw a 6 Pc Wood Chisel Set for $10. Is this what you have?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I bought a few of those sets to sharpen and give to friends. I got NO complaints. :thumbsup:


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

woodnthings said:


> If you want to weld it you should start at the open end with a "tacK' then keep making tacks spaced out from either end... assuming a MIG welder on a low or med heat. I have MIG welded very thin metal but it ain't easy and tends to blow through if you get too much heat on the weld.
> 
> A TIG welder would be the best option if you can get to one.
> 
> Annealing and other heat treating processes are beyond my skill level, but you may need to do that to retain the original strength. If you try it and blow it up, it's about same as before... still not useable.


I probably can get by with out trying to repair it since it's small and of I keep it sharp, I shouldn't have to hit it with a hammer. my only problem with it now is that the handle keeps coming loose. I don't know, but maybe if I glue in the handle it might work.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

OnealWoodworking said:


> I bought a few of those sets to sharpen and give to friends. I got NO complaints. :thumbsup:


Thanks that's good to know. I like the price for a large set and I wouldn't be out much if it didn't work out so well. I guess if I really get into hand tool woodworking then I might need a better set. As it is now I only use a chisel for cleaning out dadoes or inlaying hinges.


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## gornarak (Jun 5, 2014)

Does the handle sit tight? If not the loose fit may be rather the problem than the crack.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

gornarak said:


> Does the handle sit tight? If not the loose fit may be rather the problem than the crack.


I'm not sure, I quit investigating when I saw the crack. I'll look in to farther when I get around to making new handles. Thanks


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