Chisels

[cwsmith]

The Narex mortise chisels from Lee-Valley originally (late last year, IIRC) came as a set of five (1/2, 3/8, 5/16, 1/4 and 3/16 th). At sometime earlier this year they added the 1/8; but all can be bought individually, just like the Narex bevel-edge chisels.

I've found my Narex chisels to hold a much better edge than the Sheffield England-made Marples that I have.

As far as size/heft is concerned, I've snapped a picture of three like-sized chisles (Marples and Narex bevel and Narex mortice) and post them later today.

CWS

[gsmittle]

I too have the set of six Narex chisels from Highland, and a set of four Sheffield Marples from HD. I lucked out on the Marples, since I bought them before I really knew anything about chisels.

The Marples are fine; they have a rubber overmolding on the handles and a steel cap on the end of the handle. They hold an edge pretty well, much better than the no-names I inherited from my father.

The Narex chisels are an order of magnitude better; they balance better in my hand, hold a much sharper edge for longer than the Marples, and I like the "thunk" of a mallet hitting the wood handle better than the "ping" off the Marples' handle.

If I had the skill, I could probably get the Narexes sharp enough to shave with. IMO, they're a bargain.

g.

[cwsmith]

Here is a picture of the three chisels, so you can see the general "size" comparison: