Chisel count

[David Carroll]

It's not a contest, but like diamonds for women, the guy who dies with the most chisels wins!

I don't have that many, certainly less than 100 or so. I'd love to say I use them all, I don't. I likely use about 12 of them regularly.

Now, if we count carving tools, then I begin to like my chances...

DC

[George Yetka]

I am not large in the chisel department. I have a very nice set of 6 bench chisels, I have a garbage set of 5 I can use to mix paint or break nails, and good skew left and right. I look longingly at the veritas flushing chisel set as well as their mortising chisel set but ill likely not jump on either anytime soon.

[Derek Cohen]

I have a few sets. Here is one maker, Kiyohisa, and two sets of chisels.

Top row - slicks/paring chisels ...



Bottom row - bench chisels/Oire nomi ...



And Koyamaichi dovetail chisels ...



Regards from Perth

Derek

[Reed Gray]

I think I have at least one for every possible situation I will ever need. I am guessing 30 plus. I do think I have more chisels than I do hand planes...... Not positive though.

robo hippy

[Jim Koepke]

I do think I have more chisels than I do hand planes...... Not positive though.

If molding planes are included in the count, my planes might outnumber my chisels.

jtk

[Tom M King]

I can't think of a useful purpose in counting, but I do only have one toolbox of timber framing chisels.

[Jim Koepke]

I can't think of a useful purpose in counting, but I do only have one toolbox of timber framing chisels.

Agreed, after about 50 planes I stopped bothering to count. Then I met a guy who had a ton of molding planes to sell at a price that couldn't be refused.

jtk

[Cameron Wood]

The count is going up- made on offer & getting these:

s-l1600.jpg

In the '80s, I got a set of ten (shop), and a more modest set of 8 (site work). Then over more recent years various used including another set of ten (splurge) and some push chisels. They're all sharp. I use them all, but of course would be fine with fewer. It's handy to have multiples of the same size to not have to stop to sharpen.

IMG_4289.jpgIMG_4288.jpgIMG_4287.jpg

There is an abundance of used chisels available in Japan, since carpentry joinery and hand work is done less now. I like that the worn ones have a demonstrated quality since if they were not good, they would not have been sharpened for so long, and I like being able to give further life to tools that were used professionally for many years.

IMG_3841.jpg

[Edward Weber]

Disclaimer:
I buy old chisels and rehab them for use, not looks.
There are a few sets of varying quality but for the most part, I stick to a few older brands, from around the turn of the 19th-20th century. This is the bulk of them and no, I did not count them.
I have lots of handles to turn this winter, once I dial in the shape a bit more. There are some that did not make it in the photos.
IMG_0696.jpgIMG_0697.jpgIMG_0698.jpgIMG_0699.jpgIMG_0703.jpgIMG_0704.jpg

[George Yetka]

IMG_3841.jpg

These are about to become 3/8 chisels.

[Tom M King]

Here's the one I bought this week. I plan to upgrade my small fishtail chisel from one with a blue plastic handle to one with a wooden handle.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115822273609

[steven c newman]

Is this too many Mortise Chisels?
Cheap Mortise Chisels, side view .JPG
Only goes up to 12mm...

[Jim Koepke]

I have lots of handles to turn this winter, once I dial in the shape a bit more.

Edward, noticing some of your unhandled socket chisels have suffered some mushrooming, most likely from the efforts of previous users, it seemed this might be of help > https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop...t?item=09A0366

After purchasing this set and finding the pair very useful with my track anvil, it occurred to me the forming pin might be ground to a cone for use in repairing chisel sockets that have been mushroomed.

Now all you need is a piece of track or a heavy piece of metal on which you can mount it.

One suggestion, if you drill a 13/32" hole to mount it, leave a way to poke a rod up underneath it to knock it out when it doesn't want to come out after use.

jtk

[Edward Weber]

Edward, noticing some of your unhandled socket chisels have suffered some mushrooming, most likely from the efforts of previous users, it seemed this might be of help > https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop...t?item=09A0366

After purchasing this set and finding the pair very useful with my track anvil, it occurred to me the forming pin might be ground to a cone for use in repairing chisel sockets that have been mushroomed.

Now all you need is a piece of track or a heavy piece of metal on which you can mount it.

One suggestion, if you drill a 13/32" hole to mount it, leave a way to poke a rod up underneath it to knock it out when it doesn't want to come out after use.

jtk

Thanks for the suggestion Jim, I've been looking at getting one of these for my small anvil.
https://www.centaurforge.com/7_8-Cen...tinfo/CENTCONE
There was either a lack of respect, lack of knowledge or both, somewhere along their long history.
Many of these were definitely used without a handle for an uncertain period of time.

I hate to see the old chisels become scrap metal because someone abused them, which is one reason I like to fix them back up into working tools again.

[Richard Coers]

Trying to manage the urge to buy some.

I count 48 chisels, not counting some gouges, etc.

Two Stanley carpenter chisels, 4 or 5 various beater/glue scrapers, one western large one,

the rest are Japanese.

By count I have 67 chisels,
IMG_2863.jpg