# Chisels......



## FishFactory (Nov 8, 2013)

Wife is looking for a gift idea for me. I figured maybe its time to retire my carpenters chisels to my tool belt and get a set of nice chisels. What is the difference between the Stanley sweetheart and bailey chisels? Is it worth the price difference? My father has a really nice set but cant remember the name but seems to me the expensive shisels are well worth it. Am I on the right track? Anyone have any suggestions as to which way I should go?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Actually you are better off with the carpenter chisels with the plastic handles than either of the ones you listed. With a chisel with a wooden handle you will need a wooden mallet to use them to keep from damaging the handles. There really isn't a difference in the chisel part. I have some high dollar carving chisels that don't hold an edge any longer than my Stanley or Harbor Freight carpenters chisels.


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## JimMacLachlan (Dec 15, 2014)

I bought an old set of a dozen Swedish chisels at a yard sale maybe 25 years ago that I keep just for joinery at my bench. They've got wooden handles & I've sharpened them at the same angle as my smaller (only 4) Stanley set. Both are beveled bench(?) chisels & are of a size, save the blades of the Swedish ones are about half the thickness of my Stanley chisels. The old Swedish ones seem to hold an edge better & do finer work. It may be psychological or the way I use them, though. I do tend to use the Stanley ones for tougher, nastier jobs like scraping glue or a fast, tough job. Maybe that's all the real difference, but perhaps that's what you'd like, too.


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## FishFactory (Nov 8, 2013)

I have a wooden mallet so that's not an issue.......just can't seem to do a very fine job in hardwood, even sharpened just like my fathers set. Maybe they are just too thick.......


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## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

I have a set of WoodRiver 6 Piece Bench Chisels which Woodcraft had on sale last years for 50 bucks. Pretty happy with them. I think they are around 90 bucks right now. I also have a set from HF which I use when doing rougher work.


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## BZawat (Sep 21, 2012)

I have a set of the new Stanley socket chisels and I love em. The steel takes a much keener edge than my plastic handled beater chisels, even though they all go through the same sharpening process. 

The 750's are nice & light, and well suited for fine work. The bevels on the edges are thinner than standard carpenter chisels so they are good for getting into tight corners, like in dovetail work. 

The edges hold up well if you're using them as they were intended. If you're chopping mortises by hand, get mortise chisels. If you're wasting out half-laps in construction lumber, stick with the plastic handled beaters. 

I'd buy them again in a second. I think they're a good value.


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## Woodenhorse (May 24, 2011)

When you get into higher end chisels you're really paying for the finish. Look at a set of Irwin Marples Blue at the Hdwre store and notice the machine marks left on them. They're good steel and hold a good edge but for very fine work you'll need to flatten the backs, do some lapping, and sharpen. I even changed the handles on mine so they're wood, I'm not in to plastic. Now look at Two Cherries or Lie Nielsen and you'll notice they shine like mirrors. The steel isn't that much different between the brands but the fit and finish is. If that's important to you then great. But for a little labor you can get a fine set of 4 for well under $75. A few years ago FW did a study and found four they recommended: Lie Nielsen, Narex (cheap but very good), Matsumura, and Grizzly. I have a mix of old and new chisels, in the end some of my favorites are off brand or unknown makers chisels made before WWI. I have my grandfather's set of Stanley 720's & 750's and though some of the handles are replacements the steel is still pristine and they work great. The newer Stanleys I've seen are variable with some edges crooked and the blade bevels inconsistent. They may cut fine, but the edge needs regrinding at the minimum. In the end, the steel is very similar, it's the workmanship that makes the difference. Consider this, many of my favorites were made with W1 steel rather than O1, A1 or A2. They sharpen easily and get me through a job quickly. The harder the steel the longer it keeps lying to you that it's still sharp.


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## banjopicks (Jan 3, 2009)

I much prefer a blade that sharpens easily even if it gets dull faster, it's no big deal to get it back.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

I have a set of craftsman chisels. Still made in the USA and the quality has been superb!!


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## Trav (May 30, 2011)

I love my Narex chisels 
For the price I consider them to bs a bargain. 
I would also pass on the advice that I was given and didn't heed when I was looking to buy. Don't buy a set. Only buy the chisels you need.


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## banjopicks (Jan 3, 2009)

This got me thinking about pricing for just one Narex mortise chisel so I went on Amazon and found a 1/4" for $34 with free shipping. Then I looked up the same thing at Lee Valley. $14 + ~8 shipping. Total $22. That's $12 less than Amazon. That don't seem right. I wonder if they are different chisels but I can't find any differences. They look the same.


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## Woodenhorse (May 24, 2011)

Order it from Lee Valley. Amazon does not always have the best prices. For example, Making Traditional Wooden Planes by John M. Whelan is $22.95 from www.astragalpress.com or $40.00 on www.amazon.com. Caveat emptor my friend.


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## Maylar (Sep 3, 2013)

ryan50hrl said:


> I have a set of craftsman chisels. Still made in the USA and the quality has been superb!!


Things change with time, and it seems that the Craftsman chisels have changed for the better. I have a 30 yr old Craftsman set that totally sucks at holding an edge. The reviews of what they currently sell are very positive.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

FishFactory said:


> I have a wooden mallet so that's not an issue.......just can't seem to do a very fine job in hardwood, even sharpened just like my fathers set. Maybe they are just too thick.......


How are you sharpening the chisels? With the majority of chisels out there you can get them razor sharp using natural stones.


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Maylar said:


> Things change with time, and it seems that the Craftsman chisels have changed for the better. I have a 30 yr old Craftsman set that totally sucks at holding an edge. The reviews of what they currently sell are very positive.



Mine not only came with a phenomenal edge, but have held it a long long time. They do need sharpening now, but not a ton so they should clean up quickly. I've had some more expensive chisels, and I put these right up there with the ones that go for two to three times the price.


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## FishFactory (Nov 8, 2013)

Steve Neul said:


> How are you sharpening the chisels? With the majority of chisels out there you can get them razor sharp using natural stones.


Pretty good. I can get a good edge on my beaters with a stone. For my better ones I use a wet grinder for a hollow ground edge, dress the back and polish it on a wheel with compound. Gets a mirror finish. I can do the same on mine and dads and his still cut much better.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

It sounds like you have a good system for sharpening. The wheel with the compound I'm not sure about. Without seeing it working I don't know. It might be taking the edge off the chisel. I use a piece of leather stretched over a board to strop my chisels. I keep the leather impacted with a jewelers rouge and use wet. Still, I don't have any idea why one of your chisels would sharpen any better than another. I probably have 10 to 15 different brand chisels and all of them work the same. The only exception is a homemade chisel I made from a jointer knife. It preforms the same however holds a edge longer.


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## Lola Ranch (Mar 22, 2010)

*Japanese*

I probably have 50 chisels including my slick and a few gouges. Some are antiques. I have always carried a 1-1/2" Stanley which I can wallop with my framing hammer and abuse it by sometimes cutting nails with it and scraping glue off of something.

My favorite user bench chisels are Japanese in about 8 different widths plus a paring chisel. These chisels have the entire back side hollowed out which when placed flat on the work piece the cutting edge is sure to come in contact with the wood. The steel is laminated with a harder steel on the cutting edge with milder steel for the body and tang. And yes, most of my bench chisels have wood handles and I only strike them with wooden mallets.

The Japanese style chisels require a little extra effort when sharpening especially when you ground in far enough to get into the hollow area which requires lapping the back side or reworking of the edge by tapping it with a hammer.

Bret


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## Fastback (Sep 2, 2012)

I also have the 30 year old Craftsman and yes they are junk. They can not and will not hold an edge. I use them strictly for scraping paint and glue. I do have a real nice set of the Blue handle chisels I bought maybe 20 years ago, when they were still build by Marples. In addition, I have a couple of sets of old wooden handle Stanley's that were my fathers. He was a union carpenter starting back in the 40's. I also inherited a set of Freud from my Sister, they also have wooden handles. I really have not used they much I believe they were made I the early 90's. My favorites by far are the Marples.

Paul


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## jacko9 (Dec 29, 2012)

*Narex chisels*

I just bought a set of 6 Narex mortise chisels from lee Valley for $86 and while the manufactures grind pattern is deeper than higher quality chisels, they seem to be quite a bargain.

I also have two sets of high end Japanese clad chisels and the steel quality is much better. Chopping a series of mortises in Oak with my Marpels chisels means sharpening every other slot vs working most of the day with my Japanese chisels (brand unknown since I bought them 35 years ago from Japan Woodworker).

If your going with cheap chisels you need to learn to sharpen them quickly.


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