A Couple of Chisel Questions

[gsmittle]

I've read the threads on the Irwin Marples chisels and how there was some question of the quality going down since Irwin bought Marples. Is the general concensis still that Irwin Marples are lower quality?

Anybody have any experience with the Wood River brand?

As you can tell, I'm in the market for a new set of bench chisels, but Marples, Footprint, and WR are about the limit of my budget.

g.

[charliex]

I have a set of 8 the Irwin Marples. No complaints. They need honing from the box but they hold a good edge. Don't use them for chopping mortises because they will break. DAMHIKT. Price is right and you can add to your set or replace easily.

[chopnhack]

Don't know anything about those, but I have been satisfied with my Narex chisels, not expensive and take a good edge.

[cabinetman]

This may sound a bit ho-hum, but I've always liked the older style of Stanley...I think they are the 16-900 series. I've got more expensive chisels, but I seem to always go for my old standbyes. I usually get them at flea markets and garage sales, as I don't know if they are sold retail anymore. You might check Craigslist or Amazon.

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[cwsmith]

About four years ago, I bought a set of four Marples chisels from Home Depot. At the time they were about $40, IIRC. I was quite pleased and these were clearly marked "made in Sheffield, England". The blades fully sharpend and honed. These were the "Pro Touch" models which have steel caps. I of course still have them, and my only complaint is that they require oil coating often, as these NY humid summers cause some spotting.

But about a year later, someone on either this forum or the Ridgid forum posted a problem with a picture of one of their Marples actually splitting lengthwise on one of the blades. Their description of "Chinese-made" left me wondering what was up and I went over to my local Home Depot that very afternoon to see. Sure enough, the package clearly said "made in China"... the new set looked almost identical, except that the blades no-longer had the "Sheffield, England" stamp, and they were no longer "honed". Sadly (IMHO), Irwin tarnished the "Marples" brand and decided to go cheap.

I recently took advantage of the Lee-Valley sale on a special purchase offer of Narex mortising chisels. It was a great price and these babies, seem to be very well made. Time will tell of course, but certainly the price was remarkably affordable for the quality that these appear to be. I'm a fan of Lee-Valley and I suggest you check out their offerings. While they carry better quality chisels, the Narex brand comes highly recommended as inexpensive "good quality" chisels. I'm sure other members would recommend these, especially if your budget is as tight as mine.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...504,43500&ap=1

I hope this helps,

CWS

[vaking]

I have a set of these and I like them.
http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11737

[pelligrini]

I haven't used the woodriver chisels. I have a big set of Crown bevel edge they are pretty decent. My first set was some Bucks from HD, they get used for rough work. I picked up a 1/4" Sorby registered and those are nice chisels, probably out of your price range right now. My favourite ones is a pair of Crown skewed chisels. I got them in a big set with the others.

Like CWS, I got in on the Narex Mortise deal from LV. I'm still pretty impressed with them. Highland Woodworking has a special on a Narex 6 piece bench set for $50. I haven't used them, but I've read very good things about them. If they're anything like their mortise chisels, they'd be a good buy. http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/n...chiselset.aspx

[dbhost]

I've got the Stanley 16-305 set from Lowes. Not super fancy, but they work well,

I only recently managed to ding an edge on one of them after 4 years or so of pretty abusive use, most of the chisels have been sharpened maybe twice in that time. They stay pretty danged sharp... Depending on the material, typically the chisel just sort of melts through like butter...

A word of caution about the Stanley chisels though. Mine are marked "Made In England". The ones I have seen on the shelves since I bought mine all say "Made In China". You are warned...

If I were looking to buy a new set of bench chisels, I would be awfully tempted to spring a few extra bucks for the Narvex while they are on sale...

[Uncle Hook]

You might consider buying a few of the japanese chisels carried by Grizzly and adding to the set over time. They were highly regarded in a fine woodworking review along with the Narex chisels.

http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2010/Main/137

If my memory is correct Narex was considered best value in western style chisels and Gizzly best value in Japanese style. I have a set a of the Grizzly Japanese gouges and I like the steel, but I like the handles on my Marples ProTouch chisels much better. You can usually find a set of the english made Protouch chisels on ebay.