Chisel Beginner

[Cubsfan]

I've decided that it's probably time to add some chisels to my tool chest, and I was curious what the best way to do that was.

I was thinking that this might be a good place to start:
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/n...chiselset.aspx

Does that set look reasonable?

Also, is there a good kit for sharpening chisels? I have nothing yet. Would something like one of these be my best bet?
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...ter=waterstone
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/s...3stoneset.aspx

Thanks for the help!

[pelligrini]

I don't know a lot about the Narex, I've heard good things about them.

I use a scary sharp system for my chisels and plane irons consisting of assorted grits of sandpapers, some honing films, and a granite tile for the surface.

Another item you might look into is a honing guide. I really like my MK-II http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/200...ing-Guide.aspx
It sure does make sharpening easy.

[woodturner]

I've decided that it's probably time to add some chisels to my tool chest, and I was curious what the best way to do that was.

What do you want to do with them?

Woodworkers commonly use bench chisels, firmer chisels, and mortising chisels.

Bench chisels are the common "dovetail chisels" or "paring chisels" with angled sides. These are good for general woodworking, and the angled side allows the user to chisel into tight quarters, such as the base of the tail of the dovetail.

Firmer chisels are heavier chisels intended for use with a mallet.

Mortising chisels are used to cut mortises, square or rectangular holes in the wood.

Carving chisels are much more varied in shape and function, but I'm assuming you mean chisels for general woodworking.

[iceman61]

Personally, I don't like those chisels. The top of the handle looks like it would mushroom out if you ever needed to use a hammer on the top of the handle. Personally I prefer the chisel where the blade & top of the handle are all one solid piece ending in a cap on the top end of the handle. I try to keep my chisels razor sharp & only use them to shave the wood but there are times when I have to strike it on top of the handle.

[BrazosJake]

I, too, have heard very good reviews on the Narex, enough that I'm tempted to buy a set.

As for sharpening: waterstones have always looked to pricey for me. I use sandpaper on chunks of Corian. I've bought fancy, adhesive-backed stuff from WW shops, but Norton wet/dry silicone carbide from my local autoparts store, in grits 600-2000, works just fine.

Some folks are super-anal about sharpening. I remember reading a post on another forum where someone was disposing of a surgical black Arkansas stone because chisels weren't shiny enough after honing. I usually find that honing to 1500 grit gives me an edge that will shave end-grain pine, and that's sharp enough for just about any woodworking task (a surgical BA stone, correctly used, should do this with ease).

That said, I've been told that some of the harder steels like A2 can't be sharpened on oil stones.

BTW: You shouldn't use a steel hammer to mallet a chisel.

[SARGE..g-47]

The Narex are basically good chisels IMO as I have used them in the store (Highland) while there for other things. But.. I didn't personally care for the feel of the handles but that is a strickly personal thing. What you get in that set listed is metric with basically a 1/4".. 1/2".. 3/4".. 1". Not a bad price but what I think you will find is that you will use the 1/4" and 1/2" and the 3/4" and 1" will rarely get used.

I think you would be better served with a 1/4".. 3/8" and a 1/2" to start off with. At that price you could get the set and then add the Irwin (used to be Marples until Irwin purchased Marples) 3/8" chisel. Frankly that choice might be the only chisel set you will have to purchase. I have been WW'ing for 39 years and still use a set of Blue Beaters by Marples I purchased in 1975. They are about an inch shorter from sharpening than the day I purchased them but they are good chisel for paring and I also pound out dove-tail waste as I have cut hand DT's since 1972.

I did add an Irwin 1/8" to my set of Marples and found the chisel is not the superior quality of the original Marples but still a good chisel. You probably won't need a 1/8" unless you pursue dove-tails by hand and get to the point you cut them from a single entry point and the back wall is very narrow or around 1/8".

So.. you just have some options and I would consider purchasing individually with the sizes you will most likely use. Does that make any sense? BTW.. I just sold a set of high dollar Ashley Isles that shipped to the new owner today. Sometimes I think that high $ chisels are over-rated by today's generation of WW'S much as digital read-outs and other non essential items when it comes down to brass tax.

As far as sharpening.. I have been through the stones.. both oil and water and ceramics. I concluded the easiest.. quickest and less messy way is simply Scary Sharp using sand-paper on glass or something flat. Once you get the backs of the chisels flat and take the grind marks off both front bevel and back.. it takes only minutes to re-sharpen. A good honing with a piece of leather during use on a project does add some sharpness back. I have been through the jigs to ensure the correct angle also and again... find that over-rated. I sold them also and and guide with a hand hold. Doesn't take long to get the feel. And don't waste your time after you sharpen checking angles IMO.. when the tip is sharp it's sharp... pick up the chisel and go build something. ha.. ha...
Good luck...

[crybdr]

My current chisel collection is low-quality ACE/True Value stuff....eeek!

But..... sharpening using the methodical 'scary sharp' system made them into VERY useful tools. With a Veritas honing guide, I was able to put a legitimate edge on the chisels I had (they never had a good edge to begin with) not to mention my hand plane blades as well.

With these types of tools, sharpness and quality of edge is key - and you will need to know how to fine-tune this yourself. Even if you buy a set that is 'ready to cut' from the beginning, you will still need to know how to sharpen them eventually.

For me, learning to sharpen (and learn from inevitable mistakes) on a cheap set of chisels has worked well. They are a joy to use when sharp - they were not sharp when I bought them. While they do not hold an edge as long as the higher quality chisels - they give me good practice at sharpening them efficiently and effectively.

High quality steel for me someday... but not yet.

If you already have a few low-quality chisels, try to sharpen them and see how they perform. My 2 cents..

[LinuxRandal]

I have a set of Marples blue (chip?), and I still see them on Ebay, on occasion. Now I have wondered, how the blue Footprint? compare to them (made in Shefield and look similar), that Sears sells.

Two Cherries (bought one, didn't have that size at the time), gets mixed reviews.

How about offering some more advice guys, (for all those that have not just paring) I know I could use some Mortising recommendations (size and brand).

Thanks

[cabinetman]

I would suggest as a starter set of chisels a set of Stanleys like these, not the newer Fat Max. My first chisels were the old style of Stanley with the percussion cap. I still have them and use them. They were bought separately at a flea market for about $1.00 or $2.00 each, and they match. I have sizes from 1/4" to 2".

Another good set would be Buck Bros.

I could throw out names of expensive chisels, but for a great toolbox set of chisels, these can be used for a variety of projects. For not a lot of money these chisels are a workhorse. Properly sharpened, can pare with the best.

As for sharpening, I use a wet wheel and finish with stones and wet-or-dry sandpaper. I don't call it scary sharp, as I call a dull chisel scary sharp. They hold a very good edge, and dressing the edge as needed sure beats waiting until a whole new bevel is required.

Using these chisels will familiarize you with using chisels. You will have a good idea of your needs and will be in a more educated position to make chisel buying decisions. For paring, and general use, how a chisel feels to the hand may be an important issue.
.

[woodturner]

How about offering some more advice guys, (for all those that have not just paring) I know I could use some Mortising recommendations (size and brand).

It's primarily about the sharpening - a really sharp lower quality chisel will cut better than a less sharp higher quality chisel.

I like the "scary sharp" method developed by Patrick Olguin of the OldTools mailing list some years ago. It's easy to get a chisel flat (a critical requirement for a bench chisel) and sharp with this method.

The scary sharp method uses a flat surface, preferably a small piece of plate glass. Plate glass is ground optically true, so it is flat to within a few thousands of an inch.

Any flat surface can work - some people use a machinists surface plate or the table of their table saw.

Sandpaper is then laid on the flat surface and used to sharpen the tool. If a full sheet of sandpaper is used, one can hold the sandpaper with their subordinate hand and move the tool over the sandpaper with their dominant hand. In other words, a right-handed person would hold the sandpaper with their left hand and the tool in their right hand.

Start with 100 grit sandpaper, preferably silicon carbide wet or dry paper. Sharpen the face and back of the chisel until the scratch marks are uniform and no light is reflected when you look directly at the edge. This indicates that the back of the chisel and the bevel are meeting in a line and thus the chisel is as sharp as it can be with 100 grit.

Repeat the process with 220 grit, 600 grit, etc. up to 6000 or 12000 grit (finer grits are available at auto parts stores, they are used for auto body work).

If you sharpen to 12000 grit, the bevel and back of the chisel will be polished and it will be very, very sharp. Try to pare the end grain of a piece of pine or similar wood. If the end grain cut is shiney, the chisel is sharp. If it tears or is dull, the chisel is not sharp.

[woodturner]

I know I could use some Mortising recommendations (size and brand).

It's tough to find good quality mortising chisels these days. I've had better luck at the flea markets and auctions than at the woodworking stores.

The "mortise" chisels most places sell are really firmer chisels. A mortise chisel intended to cut a 1/4" mortise will be 1/4" wide and at least 1/2" "thick". The Lie-Nielsen mortise chisels are decent, but really expensive (IMHO):
http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?grp=1291

[Cubsfan]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I'm mostly just looking for general woodworking chisels, so it sounds like the place to start is with some of the chisels suggested here.

Looks like this might be a good place to get started sharpening:
http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product...ening%20system

Thanks again for the help!

[SARGE..g-47]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I'm mostly just looking for general woodworking chisels, so it sounds like the place to start is with some of the chisels suggested here.

Looks like this might be a good place to get started sharpening:
http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product...ening%20system

Thanks again for the help!

That is a OK deal but... you only need to order either the Course or Fine System as you only need one glass plate and honing guide. Then order the pack of remaining grits. Once you get on track it would be ridiculous IMO to continue to order packs that only contain (I assume so I would call Rockler) with two sheets each of say 4 grits. You can order an adhesive backed roll 6" wide and 5 meters (just under 15') straight from Klingspors at around $10 a roll which is much more economical if you sharpen often.

BTW.... it is hard to find the rolls on their web-site I speak of. Unless you have the number from their catalog and enter it into the search function keyword at the top.. you probably won't find it. So.. if anyone is interested you can PM me and I will give you the catalog numbers. Or if enough were interested... I will post them all here.

BTW... it is my opinion you really don't need to spend extra hours taking an edge beyond 1200.. 2000 at most. Will it be sharper if you do? Of course it will but you will lose the gain of that sharpness you spent extra time on in about 3 minutes working in hard-wood. As I stated before and IMO.. once it is sharp... it's sharp.. use the tool at that point as the extra polishing is not going to make that much difference as the extra fades away quickly.

[pecker]

I bought these from Hartville tool earlier this year:
http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11737
They were quite well sharpened right out of the box, although a little honing improved them.
But you could use them for awhile before having to learn how to maintain them.

[BrazosJake]

Sarge is right on about sharpening. The only time you may truly need a jig is for grinding a bevel. That long bevel is easy to keep flat on the paper. I've started putting a hollow grind on mine to ease honing.

As for mortising chisels: If you're willing to part with some $$$, the Ray Isles pigstickers from ToolsForWoodworking are outstanding. I was so happy with my 3/8", I started buying old Ward Master pigstickers on Ebay and now have every size mortising chisel from 1/8 to 1/2 in 1/16" increments, though my 1/4 and 5/16 are Marples. The Lie Nielsen American-style socket mortise chisels get great reviews, but I've never used them. After that, the Two Cherries and Hirsh are supposed to be good. I had a Two Cherries once, but didn't like the handle and sold it.