# Knock around chisels?



## Paul W Gillespie (Jul 7, 2011)

My brother does carpentry work and needs a set of chisels that are not expensive and can be beat around doing grunt work. I was looking at the Marples Blue Handle set on Amazon for $26 or the Craftsman set for $29. The Craftsman have the lifetime warranty. He will most likely be beating these with hammers, doing rough work. Any other ones I should be looking at in the cheap, but decent range. Who knows, I may pick up a set for myself.


----------



## Paul W Gillespie (Jul 7, 2011)

Sorry for the double post. Something got screwed up and you can delete the other one if you want moderators.


----------



## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

Unless they have changed, and I don't think they have, the Marples Blue Chips are actually excellent chisels. Every bit as good as more expensive choices. The issue is always the secondary sharpening bevel the user has to put on them, 35 for softwoods, 30 for hardwoods. I've had a set that i used as a working carpenter for at least 35 yrs. These have been punished to the extreme, I'm talking driven into hard beams with a 4# hammer. I have a picture of a couple old ones next to a larger new one. You can see by the condition of the handles that they have been around, probably over an inch shorter, too. I also have a picture of what happens to the edge on the large one if sharpened at the factory primary bevel, next to older ones with a secondary bevel.


----------



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

+1 on the blue handled chisels, but these days look for the name Irwin, which bought out Marples before they were in turn bought out, I think by Rubbermaid.

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2000294/1572/irwin-blue-chip-chisel-set-4-piece.aspx

The handles are robust. I wish the blades were longer.


----------



## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

I like the series 60 Stanley chisels. I always pick up ones I find at flea markets and garage sales.
.
















 







.


----------



## joe bailey (Dec 15, 2011)

Hi Paul - I must disagree with what appears to be the consensus here (namely the Marples) - they are most certainly not what they used to be and in fact are now Chinese made. The black handled Craftsmans (Model# 36859) have great handles and are (I think) made in Sheffield (though that is not the guarantee it once was). The clincher for me is that you want them as beaters and you can't beat the Craftsman replacement policy.


----------



## tlbrooks (Apr 18, 2009)

Yep, what Joe said. Hammer1 your marples were made in Sheffield England, I have the same set. I got mine about 30 years ago. The new ones, (now called Irwin) are all made in China using Chinese steel. They work, you just need to resharpen a lot more often because they won't hold an edge as long. They will be fine for what your brother wants to use them for. Get him a Larson style clamp sharpening guide to go with them. I see Rockler's has them on sale for under $8 bucks thru Christmas.


----------



## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

I carve mostly western red cedar. The knots are like bones. Old blue Marples up at 40 degrees and a 30oz lead core carver's mallet, just as hard as I can swing. They are bash-worthy, faily good steel and I show no mercy whatsoever. They do get my job done.


----------

