[OP]
Member
I'm looking for a chisel set, as I was borrowing my dads but I figured it was time to get my own. I believe it was a Stanley #60 set, which I was really quite happy with, but is there something better? I don't use them a ton but I do like having a nice sharp chisel available for those certain projects. I open to all suggestions.
Only one life will soon be past
Only whats done for Christ will last
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I use the narex bevel edge chisel set from LeeV. or other places... Works fine for me... I don't doubt the expensive chisels are "better", but I can't justify them for now...
I did try to buy a stanley 750 from ebay. It looks awesome. But it was supposed to be 1", and it isn't... it is about 1/32 shy of an inch, and it took me a lot of honing to get it square, it had a convex edge when it got here... So I will probably not go down that road again...
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Lots of options. I have a set of plastic handled ones from Stanley that do fine for what I ask of them. There are certainly much nicer (and more expensive) options.
A lady over in the classifieds is selling her husband's shop. She has a set of Freud chisels in there that look very nice. I don't know anything about that brand though.
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I have some old Stanley 60's that are good chisels. I don't know if they are still available. I might try one of the chisels at Lowes that resemble the 60's and see how the metallurgy stacks up.
They sure resemble the 60's.
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Ditto.Originally Posted by Nick Stokes
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"Live like no one else, so later, you can LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE!"
- Dave Ramsey
Narex are really nice chisels. the handles I don't like. one day, when I have a lath, I'll buy a new set of Narex and make some nice handles for them.
There was a relatively recent post "Butt Chisel Recommendation" posted by Kent Adams that offers some basic information on choosing chisels. There is a great deal to learn about chisel types and how different people use them.
Many people start out with some set of chisels which is bought because the new woodworker is not exactly sure what work they may end up doing. Some of these chisels inevitably end up getting very little use. A little different idea that I have heard mentioned over the years is the idea of buying just a couple chisels for the specific work at hand and proceeding in that manner. Bench chisels are generally sort of all purpose chisels that may or may not be the "best" for specific work. There are chisels designed more to be used with hand pressure, and at the other end of the spectrum Japanese chisels, with iron hoops, designed to be struck with special steel hammers. Ultimately each individual finds what is more comfortable for the specific work they pursue. Buying a smaller quantity of specifically designed chisels for specific work may help a new user figure out which tools work best for the individual work they do. Later on the more experienced user may want an entire set of chisels of a type/style he knows he is comfortable with. Others have a few of several different types of chisels, each bought because of it's ability to do a specific job exceptionally well. In my experience chisels can be quite personal, different strokes for different folks if you will. Knowing this on the front end might suggest trying several different types of chisel before making a major purchase.
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I would totally agree that for a beginner, buying a set is not a wise idea, unless you buy an "inexpensive" set like the narex...
I wanted to cut dovetails one day, so I knew I needed chisels... I bought the 4 piece bench set from Narex... Of that Set, I use the 1/4 and 1/2 on every single thing it seems... I also just the 1" quite a bit as it is my widest chisel...
I used the 3/4 on building my workbench because I needed a 3/4 mortise...
But other sizes I haven't found the need for yet... I know know that I would like to buy a wide butt chisel for installing a hinge (my first attempt at this was bloody terrible... litterally)...
This ended kind of long, but I am just trying to dissuade you from purchasing a large set of 7 chisels or whatever, if I had done so they would often times be unused, and I would have been better off purchasing a "Nice quality" 1/2 or whatever...
Contributor
Better is somewhat relative to experience and preference. At this point, having only used one set, you may be best served buying a handful of commonly used sizes as the gentlemen above me have also recommended.
I originally used Lie Nielsen, then went onto Koyamaichi, now I use Kikuhiromaru, Tasai and soon Konobu, my preference of this group leaning most heavily toward Kikuhiromaru as I've yet to try the Konobu. I no longer have any Lie Nielsen chisels, but I do still retain my Koyamaichi and still enjoy using them. I went through a period of climbing the ladder, so to speak, and now sort of appreciate all of the rungs.
So, my post is not a recommendation of brands/makers to chose, but simply to do some testing and as your woodworking advances your preference will as well (most likely). The preferences of the board are all over the place including Japanese, Western, and vintage, and the many many sub sets of those groups.
I still do not buy full sets for most of my users, I have one full set of chisels and will probably have another before I'm done acquiring chisels, but most of the odd-types are fine just in common sizes. For instance I have mortise chisels in 6mm and 12mm, dovetail chisels in 1.5, 3mm, 6mm and 12mm, paring chisels in large sizes, ect.
Last edited by Brian Holcombe; 10-09-2015 at 12:35 PM.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
Contributor
Howdy Jesse,
Some of my chisels are Stanley #60s and they are good chisels. Mostly though my preference is for socket chisels. It is easy to make handles for them. Due to an old injury, many handle styles are not comfortable for me to use all day. Making my own has helped alleviate that problem. One of my first chisels was a 1/2" Stanley #60 found for $1 at a flea market. It was used for mortises and dovetails until I was able to buy some new chisels.
There is a lot to consider with your question.
How are your finances? That can have a lot to do when considering a purchase of tools. My situation has mostly been having more time than money. Besides there is a certain joy to be found in hunting, finding and restoring old tools. Some have no desire to spend time searching for or fettling old tools. Some also find shop time to be a precious commodity.
One person mentioned a bad experience with buying a chisel on ebay and abandoning that path. I have bought some great tools via ebay and have also found a few duds. For me finding a chisel slightly undersize or oversize isn't a deal killer. Actually it works for me to have a few chisels slightly undersize, YMMV.
How much use will your chisels encounter? If you do a lot of work with chisels you may want to invest in a set that will serve you, your children and your grandchildren.
Do you want a full set or do you only need a few sizes? Some folks are like me and have multiple sets for multiple uses. Some folks have good reasons for only wanting two or three chisels.
There have been some recent posts about butt chisels and paring chisels with recommendations for Narex, Buck Brothers and Aldi. The first two are available on line, the other is a store brand that, to my knowledge, isn't available here in the Pacific Northwest.
A most important consideration is what kind of work will your chisels see and how much will they be used?
There are many options available. Knowing more about your work and other considerations will help to narrow down those options.
Remember that just about everyone loves to spend other folks money.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Member
In 60s and 70s, the Stanley yellow and black #60 were near the top of the Stanley line. So if you can find them at garage sales, they are worth picking up. Make sure they say Stanley ,as they are much copied, I have some American made Buck Bro. and a flea market find Japanese made Fuller. After using chisels, I found I liked the thin bladed, wood handled, Swedish and English from the 50s.
Any chisel will work, most of them well, if you can sharpen them.
Contributor
Woodcraft has a 4 piece Irwin Marples bench chisel set on sale for $25 this month. I've heard generally good things about them, though I don't know about this specific iteration / model. I plan to check them out my next visit to the store. Seems like they'd be a good starter set for someone to gain some experience.
Maybe someone who knows the different Irwin Marples models will comment on the quality of this set....
Contributor
Jesse,
I happen to have a Narex 4-piece set that I want to get rid of... I found them a couple of weeks ago while digging thru a drawer full of stuff. To be honest, I had forgotten I had them and bought the 10 piece set which I am still working on getting properly sharpened. These are an early set, marked in metric widths (I think they came out with the metric ones before the fractional sizes were available). Shoot me a pm if your interested... They've never been sharpened.
Mike
Member
I have heard many positive comments about Berg and Eskilstuna(sp?) Swedish chisels. The old Dutch master cabinet maker used to use them. Perhaps because he was European. The ones I have,which are probably from the 50's are too soft to suit me though. Their edges are easily marred on only moderately hard woods like mahogany. I have a lot of chisels,but seem to always use the 1960's Marples that I bought new. I would not recommend new ones,though.
[OP]
Member
I'm not wanting to spend an arm and a leg on them but I don't want to buy trash either. I'm really only looking for a couple of the basic sizes( 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1, and maybe 1 1/2". Are the new Stanley Sweetheart chisels any good, or are you paying a lot for name? Or what about these http://www.grizzly.com/products/Chisel-Set/T22302 ? I'd like something I can use a mallet on when I need to get serious.
Only one life will soon be past
Only whats done for Christ will last
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