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Thread: Chisels and sharpening stone and...

  1. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevin Vasko View Post
    Wjat are the differences in yours and these? Narex (Made in Czech Republic) Premium 8 pc set 6 (1/4"), 8 (5/16"), 10 (3/8") 12 (1/2"), 16 (5/8") 20 (11/16") , 26 (1" 1/16"), 32 (1 1/4") mm Chisels w/ Hornbeam Handles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L726IO2..._AKkazbCPJH80D
    The chisels from Lee Valley are in true inch sizes.

    If I was going to buy individual chisels which sizes should I get? Also I don't see that LV has the "premium" version of the Narex chisels. From my understanding they are better due to the smaller size. Any other place to buy individual chisels?
    Smaller doesn't make them better chisels. They may be better in some situations.

    As to which sizes it depends on your work. For most work a 4 chisel set, 1/4", 1/2", 3/4" & 1" would fulfill most needs. Add a 3/8" and not many jobs will be left undone.

    Of course with a lot of different work comes a lot of different needs. Larger joinery is easier with larger chisels. Making garden furniture is different than making drawers and cabinets for the kitchen.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  2. #17
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    I'd look at the Japanese chisel sets from the Japan Woodworker. Same with water stones. Here are some of the chisels I regularly use.

    "Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."

  3. #18
    One thing to think about here.

    The Dewalt chisel is made by Stanley and is actually pretty good steel. They are typically EN31 which is the British version of 52100... A good steel with right at 1% carbon. You may be disappointed when your fancy chisels dont really hold an edge any better... Nothing like the miscellaneous mush Harbor Freight uses...

    The advantage of "better" chisels is longer blades, thinner blades, better handles, and no heavy steel bar running inside. You will probably have to pay upwards of $25/chisel to get better steel.

    After rolling down rat holes like this... Start with sharpening gear. I would personally either go with sand paper/scary sharp or diamond stones. Make sure you can get your Dewalt chisel super sharp and use it.... Then consider making the move up to "better" chisels like Ashley Iles, Veritas, Stanley Sweetheart, Lie Nielsen, Pfeil, and Two Cherries... But buy individual chisels in the sizes you need instead of a full set.

  4. #19
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    I've never done business with this firm but they do seem to have a lot of info on the Narex chisels. I presently have and use a set of Freud chisels and a set of Marples Blue chips from the mid 80s that have served me well over the years.
    Recently I purchased 2 sets (4 ea.) of blue chips at the swap meet for 15$ (only the 1'' was used) and the 20$ set were never used.
    Rick
    Sorry i forgot to post the link!!!
    https://www.infinitytools.com/hand-t...-tools-chisels
    Last edited by Rick Malakoff; 04-26-2017 at 8:02 PM.

  5. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Pat Barry View Post
    My Narex 7 piece set has dark handles and are bench chisels not mortise chisels. I got mine from LV http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/pag...07&cat=1,41504
    Something weird has happened to one of the OP's links. It took me to mortise chisels yesterday, but somewhere else today. Sorry about the confusion.

  6. #21
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    I started by buying antique Stanley chisels. You might want to shop on line and see if you can pick up some old 750's. They will spoil you.

    I have some Narex mortise chisels. They are OK, but not inspiring.

    My favorite chisels are Lie Nielsen chisels.

  7. #22
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    Be sure to also get the mallet made by "Hide and Drink: Malerio". Looks like a promising set!!!

  8. #23
    I'd like to speak up in defense of the usefulness of having at least one wide chisel, as wide as you can find. When truing up a shoulder, paring off a peg flush with a surface, adjusting a fitting surface- that sort of thing- having the chisel wider than the workpiece helps me maintain registration.

    Plus they look really cool in the chisel drawer....

  9. #24
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    I use the Narex chisels. I got a few of them from the Lee Valley website a few months back. They are decent overall for the price. I will say however, that they were an absolute nightmare to flatten. It took me way more effort than I was expecting to get them into a state that I was happy with. Some of them were better than others, but all required a healthy dose of elbow grease to get the backs flat.

  10. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by John C Cox View Post
    One thing to think about here.

    The Dewalt chisel is made by Stanley and is actually pretty good steel. They are typically EN31 which is the British version of 52100... A good steel with right at 1% carbon. You may be disappointed when your fancy chisels dont really hold an edge any better... Nothing like the miscellaneous mush Harbor Freight uses...

    The advantage of "better" chisels is longer blades, thinner blades, better handles, and no heavy steel bar running inside. You will probably have to pay upwards of $25/chisel to get better steel.

    After rolling down rat holes like this... Start with sharpening gear. I would personally either go with sand paper/scary sharp or diamond stones. Make sure you can get your Dewalt chisel super sharp and use it.... Then consider making the move up to "better" chisels like Ashley Iles, Veritas, Stanley Sweetheart, Lie Nielsen, Pfeil, and Two Cherries... But buy individual chisels in the sizes you need instead of a full set.

    Thanks for the info.

    I feel I'm treading water here flip flopping back and forth.

    So this is what I have come up with.

    Sharpening:

    https://www.amazon.com/DMT-D6EF-Dia-.../dp/B000GD3V3E
    and
    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000PVXRJ0..._ZkHazb3N619JN

    Chisels:

    Stanley 16-791 Sweetheart 750 Series Socket Chisel Set, Brown, 4 - Piece https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004TK0IG8..._MlHazbXRPYNVR

    Included the 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and 1", add the 3/8" in separate.


    That or the Narex set of 4 and the 5/8 from LV.

    For some reason the Narex set looks more "robust" as the hornbeam handle on the sweetheart seems fragile...but after looking around more everyone says the sweetheart chisels are better than the narex. They seem to be identical to the ones on LV as on amazon for 30% less.

  11. #26
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    For some reason the Narex set looks more "robust" as the hornbeam handle on the sweetheart seems fragile...but after looking around more everyone says the sweetheart chisels are better than the narex. They seem to be identical to the ones on LV as on amazon for 30% less.
    Both the LN and the current Stanley chisels are modeled on the Stanley 750 chisels from the past. That is why they look alike.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  12. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    Both the LN and the current Stanley chisels are modeled on the Stanley 750 chisels from the past. That is why they look alike.

    jtk

    So I guess these are better chisels than the Narex and would be the better option given the slight price increase?

  13. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevin Vasko View Post
    Thanks for the info.

    I feel I'm treading water here flip flopping back and forth.

    So this is what I have come up with.
    As far as sharpening goes, I don't own any diamond stones, so others who do may correct me, but my impression is that the "fine/extrafine" descriptions in diamonds are really in a different category (i.e. Coarser) than the similar description in waterstones, oilstones, or ceramics. I think you may end up finding they really don't get you where you want to be in terms of a finished edge. Again, I am sure others will weigh in who own those stones. I may be incorrect.

    As far as the chisels go, I recently bought a set of new chisels. I looked at the Stanleys you have linked and almost bought them. However, for another $10 per chisel you can get the Ashley Iles Mark II chisels, which is what I ended up going with. I have been extremely pleased with them.

  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kevin Vasko View Post
    So I guess these are better chisels than the Narex and would be the better option given the slight price increase?
    Without having used them my qualification to pass judgement is nil.

    As far as other things are concerned, my preference is for socket chisels since it is easier to replace a handle if the original isn't to my liking. To me, the Stanley handles do look more comfortable than the Narex.

    Some of my chisels do have handles similar to the Stanley/Lie-Nielsen handles without me feeling a need of them being replaced.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  15. #30
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    Without commenting on the steel in either the Narex or the Stanleys, I know the Stanley handle would be much more comfortable and easier to use than the Narex FOR MY HAND. The Stanley handles may look more fragile to you, but these tools are not used like tire irons. As per sharpening stones, if money is tight, I have heard it said that your bigger bang for the buck is to spend the money on the finer stones because you spend more time using those and you can always use sandpaper for the coarser grinds needed. I am not going to try to send you to any particular brand of anything because I don't know what your budget is and I don't know what your level of commitment may be down the road. FOR MY PURPOSES, it seems to work better for me to buy better quality, a little at a time if the money needs to be accounted for, rather than a bigger load of lesser quality stuff. If you were able to go to some body's shop nearby and actually handle a chisel or two and see someone sharpening a chisel or plane iron on their preferred stones (and maybe the ones they used to use before swapping to the current favorite), it would be well worth the effort. Where are you located?
    David

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