I hate to say it but I have to really disagree about the LN chisels being overstated. Also about career woodworkers not wanting to replace their chisels with the LN's. This is all opinion, but I don't think there is a better chisel on the market than what LN offers. For me there are as close to a perfectly designed chisel as I can imagine. I do prefer the O1 chisels but even find it worth having a couple A2's around for the harder exotic woods I deal with. I cut a ton of dovetails in my work and LN chisels are just perfect for this type of work. I just recently got done with a Honduras Rosewood dovetailed box and had to use my A2 LN's with a 30*+ bevel to keep the edge sharp enough to get through more than a couple whacks. That stuff was a nightmare on any other chisel I fed it, with the exception of a couple japanese chisels (fujihiro).
The LN's are pricey, but when compared with other high end chisels out there I think they're very competively priced. Look at some of the high Japanese hand made chisel prices. And i've seen many professional woodworkers, timberframers and carpenters that wouldn't trade their LN's for anything else. I love the balance of the chisels, their handles, and the size of the edge bevel. Just a well made chisel that fits my needs perfectly. But again, this is my personal opinion and chisels can be a very personal tool. I also love to support my local Maine company so I may be a little bias.
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Originally Posted by James Taglienti
). A hammer should not be used to force the chisel through the wood (unless you are removing waste as with a mortice chisel). Instead, a hammer can offer much in the way of control. It frees one to concentrate on holding the chisel in position and using gentle taps to "push". That said, I also enjoy using a chisel freehand (hence the slicks). The 750s offer me both worlds as I lengthened the handles on mine. By extrapolation, I consider the LNs to be excellent all-round bench chisels (although the handles are too short for me).
