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Thread: First Chisel Set

  1. #1
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    First Chisel Set

    So I've read through a few of these sort of threads and still haven't figured out how to go about this. I'm currently enrolled in a few woodworking courses and need a few chisels. I need some bench chisels and I'm in a hand-tool joinery course, so dovetail chisels as well. On one side I've seen some suggest Narex chisels for beginners to learn how to sharpen and beat on. On the other side I've read you should buy a quality set like LN or Iles, buy it once and learn on a quality tool. I'm leaning toward the higher end chisels, as I will have some books read and professional teaching. Hopefully this means I wouldn't ruin anything as I learn. I plan on taking plenty more courses, so the chisels would be used for furniture, instruments, etc.

    Which would you recommend? If it helps, I also get 10% off the LNs. I'm 6'2 and have medium-large sized hands. Wasn't sure if the smaller handles would feel off. I'm not on a budget per se, but would prefer not to pay a ton for aesthetics like bluespruce.

  2. #2
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    Greetings from Sydney, Australia.
    I would suggest you will be happy with the LN chisels: I have 5 of the bevel edge socket chisels (1/4" to 1") and they are great tools. Very nice balance and steel- I have 0-1 except for the 1" which is A-2. On the other issue - I am 6' 3" with similar-sized hands to your description and have not had an issue with the size of the LN chisels....whether striking or paring.
    Good luck with your decision.
    Peter Widders

  3. #3
    There is an old saying: "A rich man buys once, a poor man buys many times". Buy the best you can, you will save money in the long run. BTW, a high price does not equate to a better chisel but there is a strong price/quality correlation.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by ken hatch View Post
    "A rich man buys once, a poor man buys many times".
    Oh, great. Now you tell me...
    I am never wrong.

    Well...I thought I was wrong once...but I was mistaken.

  5. #5
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    Other "premium" chisels: Barr Specialty Tools hand makes quality heavy duty chisels, Lee Valley/Veritas offers their PM-V11 chisels & Japanese "Dovetail" Chisels (made by Koyamamaichi), Tools for Working Wood offers a good selection of several types of chisels, If you get the urge to use nice Japanese chisels you can order from Tools from Japan and save some money, Koyamaichi, Ouchi & Fujikawa. Be aware that Stuart at Tools From Japan is often very busy and it may take a while to get an order made if you are not sure exactly what you want. Stuart is very knowledgable and a good resource if you don't have time constraints. If I was starting over I think I would buy a few of the LV PM-V11's for paring and light work and Ouchi or Barr chisels for the heavier work with a hammer or mallet. I think I would go for a couple of the long handled Japanese paring chisels too.

  6. #6
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    There are some amazing chisels out there. I actually fantasize about the LN socket chisels and will probably buy a set of Ashley Iles MK2s some day. Some are breathtakingly expensive some are dirt cheap. Some have harder steel that might keep an edge longer but might take more work to resharpen.

    I have a several brands of lower end chisels. Some Stanley Bailey, Some Marples Blue Chips, Some recent Marples/Irwin, even a Narex. IMO, they all seem to sharpen up well and can slice pine end grain like butter. They were fairly inexpensive but it took more effort to get the backs perfectly flat. I haven't see the thing that the expensive chisels do that mine do not. Heck, I have some ancient home center butt chisels that are so sharp I can pare pine with them.

    It's not a terrible idea to start with some harbor freight chisels or the Irwin/Marples chisels. They will mostly likely take much more effort to flatten the backs but you can get a whole set at HF for $8 or 3 for $5/$6. Good practice on the cheap.

    I have 1 Narex mortise chisel. Based on it, I'd buy the bench chisels in a heart beat. You can buy several sets of some chisels before you cover the cost of a single LN or Blue Spruce chisel. It's just going to take a bit more work with the cheapies.

    A rich man doesn't buy an AMG because it lasts longer or get's better mileage. Likewise, some tool purchases are luxury buys.


    The most important thing is learning to sharpen whatever chisels to buy.
    Last edited by Daniel Rode; 09-03-2014 at 8:40 AM.
    -- Dan Rode

    "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

  7. #7
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    The Narex chisels from LV can't be beat for value. I really love mine, $50.00 for 4 very good chisels. I do have a 1" "premium" LV that is terrific. I will eventually buy a set 1/4", 1/2", and 3/4" to go with the 1". I just prefer the handle and the lands of the LV chisel -a lot-. But I am in no hurry whatsoever. The Narex work great, and are a fantastic bargain, in my opinion.

    As an aside, if I were to buy premium chisels right off the bat, (and was made of money) I would buy the LV premium chisels or the lie-Nielsens. They are both great chisels. You can't lose with either.

    oh, and whatever you buy, budget for sharpening. An eclipse guide and a combo stone will get you started and last you a long time. I would consider a 1000/4000 stone. But there are other, far more knowledgeable people here about that. If they offer advice, follow them!
    Last edited by paul cottingham; 09-03-2014 at 2:22 AM.
    Paul

  8. #8
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    I had a set of koyomaichi chisels, I have used narex and own a narex mortise chisel, and I recently sold the koyomaichi and bought a set of Ashley Ills mk2. The Mk2 are my favorites but I wouldn't hesitate getting a set of narex and using them my entire life, I Would turn new handles for the narex, if you do that you'll have a set you will not want to part with. Edit: note the Ashley Ills are ground a little thinner and resemble vintage chisels, you can get a set of 6 with a jeans tool rool for just 150$ At 'the best things'. The narex are more stout and you would probably feel more comfortable doing heavy work with them if you don't own mortise chisels. Both have very good steel but the Mk2 is drier much nicer to sharpen than the narex. I recommend you also buy a fine India stone and maybe a good hard arkensas from somewhere where the stones are top quality and come flat like Dan's whetstone. I wish I had done that when I started out.
    Last edited by Matthew N. Masail; 09-03-2014 at 7:20 AM.

  9. #9
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    I have owned high end chisels, and beaters.

    Most of the modern steel, even in cheap Chinese imports
    (I've tested this at my local clearance store, Big Lots)
    gets really sharp.

    Better steel has better edge retention, but that comes at a cost when it comes time to sharpen.

    If you're buying the modern powder steel chisels, getting them sharp takes proper tools.
    If you're using vintage middlin quality chisels (I like the Marples brand, pre-Irwin)
    they're easy to get sharp, by hand with commonly available media.

    If you're buying new, I strongly recommend the Narex steel.
    I don't like the hooped handles, but the steel is excellent.

    The Ashley Isles chisels are also excellent, but slightly more expensive.

    If you can find the "Faithful" brand plastic handle chisel
    from China, it's nearly the same formulation as my vintage
    Marples chisels.

    The only modern chisel I would avoid is the Stanley Sweetheart reissue.
    One of or own had one fail after a few uses.

    Premium prices should get perfect products.

  10. #10
    I recommend getting the Narex chisels and holding off on dovetail chisels. You might get away with just two or three. As you gain experience, you can look at other chisels and have some basis for judgement. Maybe you can try out someone else's chisels, find out what sharpening media you like. Then gradually buy a few different chisels one at a time and find your preferences.

    I am a professional woodworker and have been using chisels seriously for 45 years. It was a nice thing that two chisels I started with had wonderful steel, and I agree with Ken that it would be best to start out with quality. However I personally feel that the LN and LV chisels are kind of trashy. Both companies are trying to make a good product, but they don't seem to know very much about chisels. Same with the Blue Spruce.

    Welcome to the forum, Jeremiah. I don't think you will get a consensus about what is the best chisel, but you can get some feel for why certain people prefer certain chisels. Be cautious. Lots of guys have bought multiple sets, each time thinking they were buying the best.

  11. #11
    Now that I have multiple sets of chisels....I would recommend buying the LN chisels and two of the smaller size Narex chisels to grind into skews for doing half blinds. As others said LN isn't the only maker of high quality chisels, but with the 10% off that would swing the pendulum to them for me.

    I don't think you really have to have dovetail specific chisels. Heck you don't even need the skew chisels I recommend, but it makes life a little easier and for the cost, I felt it was a worthwhile investment.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Josh Rudolph View Post
    Now that I have multiple sets of chisels....I would recommend buying the LN chisels and two of the smaller size Narex chisels to grind into skews for doing half blinds. As others said LN isn't the only maker of high quality chisels, but with the 10% off that would swing the pendulum to them for me.

    I don't think you really have to have dovetail specific chisels. Heck you don't even need the skew chisels I recommend, but it makes life a little easier and for the cost, I felt it was a worthwhile investment.
    Narex make skew chisel sets quite inexpensive.

  13. #13
    It seems at first like it matters what chisels you get, but it really doesn't. Buy whatever you'd like to have and you'll be fine.

  14. #14
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    You can use bench chisels for dovetailing.

    I have LN and blue spruce chisels, and they but work nicely IMO. Given the opportunity to chose again I'd probably go with Japanese chisels, I like the fact that the backs are hallow ground on them making them much easier to flatten and work the back.

    I use a lot of japanese tools for gardening/bonsai, they really put an incredible effort into forged steel tools.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  15. #15
    What I like about the Japanese chisels is the super high quality workmanship, the forging, the lamination, the white steel etc. That's a kind of craftmanship you don't find in the western world chisels anymore. My Koyamaichis weren't even that expensive and they are very good indeed.

    But I totally agree that you don't really need that kind of art. Narex is plenty good enough and a lot cheaper.

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