Two Cherries Chisels??

[Jerry Olexa]

A few weeks ago, I posted my new found interest in chisels and asked your advice re: uses, etc I planned to poss invest in a set of Blue Marples as my "starter" set but found an apportunity to buy a set of 6 Two Cherries chisels new for about $100. How do these rate AND is this a decent value? Or am I better to start slowly @ a lower entry level? Most of my WW stuff now is power tools.. Thanks..

[Jim Becker]

ToolsForWorkingWood.com has the 6 pc set with plastic handles (metric) or with wood handles for $128. A 4 pc set with wood handles is $89. So it sounds to me like $100 for a 6 pc set is a good deal, Jerry. They are nice chisels, too.

[Dan Clark]

A few weeks ago, I posted my new found interest in chisels and asked your advice re: uses, etc I planned to poss invest in a set of Blue Marples as my "starter" set but found an apportunity to buy a set of 6 Two Cherries chisels new for about $100. How do these rate AND is this a decent value? Or am I better to start slowly @ a lower entry level? Most of my WW stuff now is power tools.. Thanks..

Jerry,

Make sure that you get the polished ones. FYI, Holbren sells a six-piece, POLISHED set for $112 after 10% discount. (Type "woodnet10" in the coupon code box.)

Dan.

[Steve Schoene]

The polished isn't always such a good thing for chisels. You want a shiny back--but you want to get there flat on a stone or equivalent, not with the rounded edge of the tumbler, or the buffing wheel.

[Dan Clark]

The polished isn't always such a good thing for chisels. You want a shiny back--but you want to get there flat on a stone or equivalent, not with the rounded edge of the tumbler, or the buffing wheel.

Check out this review of the unpolised "special" ones: http://www.sawdustandshavings.com/ha...els_review.asp

[Mark Singer]

Jerry,
The Two Cherries are very good...I have several andthey hold an edge well. This is a lighter , thiner chisel ....very nice for doves or detail work. Not or heavy mortising! It works well for paring....comfortable and well balanced. Everytime I cut dovetails on drawers my little 1/16" Two Cherries is on my bench.....it really has become a favorite.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Check out this review of the unpolised "special" ones: http://www.sawdustandshavings.com/ha...els_review.asp

I read that review and it runs counter to my experience. Chisels are polished on wheels and this tends to put a radius on the back which can take a lot of time to flatten. I have had less trouble flattening unpolished chisels.

The Two Cherries are nice chisels, but they are metric and are harder to use with most American made hand tools because they are a slightly different size. The 6mm really isn't 1/4 so if you are cleaning up a 1/4" dado, the 6mm doesn't fit exactly and its a little more time consuming.

[Mike Henderson]

An alternative to the Two Cherries is the Hirsch (actually the same chisels) which you can get at Lee Valley - 6 piece set for $105.

Mike

[Steven Wilson]

Two Cherries are fine chisels. I have a bunch of their bench chisels and carving tools and they work well once you get them tuned up. Good chisel for the price.

[Jerry Olexa]

Thanks guys for your input...The ones I can get are polished which I understand gives you a flatter back. How do you rate these versus the LN or A/I's (altho there is a considerable $ difference)? Thanks.

[Andrew Homan]

Thanks guys for your input...The ones I can get are polished which I understand gives you a flatter back. How do you rate these versus the LN or A/I's (altho there is a considerable $ difference)? Thanks.

Jerry,
I do not recommend getting the polished ones!

David Charlesworth has written about this issue and concluded that the polished ones actually required more work to flatten. They dub the sides of the chisels when they polish them, rendering the backs convex. It's a huge amount of work if you consider flattening to be necessary. The manufacturer has been questioned about this practice and apparently responded that it's because Americans expect the high level of polish!

If you want chisels with little work for preparation, I suggest Ashley Iles. I have some 2 Cherries chisels and recently got an AI, which I find that I prefer for a variety of reasons.

Anyhow, I suggest that you really give this polished/unpolished issue some thought before going through with the purchase.
-Andy

[Adriaan Schepel]

I would second that response about the problems of polished Two Cherries with convex backs. This has been discussed ad nauseum in some other forums, and the overwhelming consensus was that the unpolished Hirsch chisels were the way to go.

Cheers,
Adriaan

[Steve Wargo]

I have a set of about 14 two cherries chisels. I have 10 different sizes, and the 4 duplicate sizes are sharpened at a shallower angle for finer detail work. All of my chisels are polished, and they were pretty flat when I received them. I've had them all for at least 5 years so maybe this is an issue that has come up recently. I imagine that if you purchased a set and were unhappy with them that you would be able to get another set sent to you. IMHO... These chisels are every bit as good, if not better, than any other set of chisels being mass produced today for under $250, and that includes the LN's. My only complaint about them is the handles. They are simply not as comfortable, to me, as the chisels with turned handles. But the edge retention is outstanding, and the balance is excellent.

[Andrew Homan]

But the edge retention is outstanding, and the balance is excellent.

There is no doubt they are made of very good steel. However, the issue of the convex backs due to polishing (not terribly convex in the middle, but rather, dubbed along the side edge, which means that if you want REALLY flat, you need to do a LOT of work) has been noted by many, and the manufacturer does not perceive it to be a problem. It is not an exception, but has become the rule with these chisels. The availability of the unpolished ones is due to the request of those who figured out what the polishing was doing. I think it depends on how picky people are about the flatness issue -- for some, the only important part is just behind the blade. Others take rotary tools to the middle of the part to purposefully make it concave, kind of like a Japanese chisel. Others don't mind the extra work and appreciate the quality of these chisels.

I felt that it was necessary to say something because
- at least one post above made it sound like the unpolished ones are the ones with the convex back issue, which is not true, and
-the OP seemed to indicate that he wanted flatter backs.

Then there is the lacquer. Not a big deal to remove, but so unnecessary.

As far as AI are concerned, I have one that I recently got from Joel and have used quite a bit on a recent project, one with a shorter handle. It's very comfortable, required minimal preparation, and is a pleasure to use. I also have the unpolished set of 4 Two Cherries chisels. They are nice, but as noted above, the handles are not to everyone's liking, and I find them ugly and uncomfortable. Eventually, I'll get more AI chisels when Joel gets them back into stock -- there seems to have been quite a run on them before the holidays!
-Andy