Two cherries question.

[Michael Schwartz]

I currently have a set of Marples (blue chiped as I call them ) bench chisels, that I have been laboring away to flatten and polish the backs of.

Anyway I am planning on getting a set of Two Cherries, recommended by a wooworking school I will be attending.

My question is, Two cherries makes a big deal about how they finely they are polished, which just screams felt buffing wheel, and a back that is not truely flat.

If they are polished but not flat, I am going to have to flatten the out anyway, so if that is the Case I will probably buy the unpolished version for allot less.

My other question, they cost about 2x as much as the Irwin/Marples, but are they significantly better than a well sharpened and prepared Marples.

If they aren't signifigantly better I might consider something of a bit more quality. I am not quite up to buying any LN'S right now, as I would rather spend the extra money on some dovetail and pairing chisels.

[Christof Hartge]

Hello Michael,

I cannot comment how Two Cherries compare to Marples. I#m just content with my Two Cherries.

But to your first question: If you can get them unpolished, get them. This is because "polished" means also laquered. It is not easy to get this stuff off, you do not want.

As to flatness: I found mine reasonably flat.

Christof.

[Steve Wargo]

I don't think the polished chisels are necessary. You will end up flattening them and sharpening and honing them anyways. And IMHO the Two Cherries are every bit as good as the LNs are. You are not settling in any way. The edge retention on the Two Cherries are outstanding. I've got over a dozen of them and have been using them for years. They are excellent. The handles are a little less comfortable than other chisels, but from a tool steel stand point they are exceptional. Also I think it is a wise idea to invest in a few specialty chisels.

[Mike Henderson]

In my experience, the Two Cherries are a bit harder steel than the Marples. I found that the edge of the Marples would deform fairly easily and the Two Cherries would hold an edge a bit longer. But if you sharpen the Marples to a greater angle, you can get pretty good edge retention.

You won't find tremendous differences between different brands of "quality" chisels. They're all made from good steel and the heat treating is generally well done. Some are heat treated to be harder and some people prefer a harder steel for better edge retention. Sometimes people prefer a certain brand of chisels because of the way it feels in the hand.

It's not hard to flatten the back of a polished chisel but there's no reason not to go with the non-polished ones, especially if they're a bit less expensive.

Note that the Hirsch chisels from LV are the same as the Two Cherries and a bit less expensive if you have time to mail order.

Mike

[Michael Schwartz]

I just put in an order from LV the other day for a bunch of other stuff I will defiantly check out the Hirsch chisels. I honestly don't care about brand name or looks, only the preformance of the tool.

When I got my Irwin/Marples about 6 months ago I flattened them out pretty well, up to about 800 grit or so. I rushed it from there up, and right now I am spending some time finishing them up nicely.

I just finished one and sharpened it with a 25 degree primary bevel, and a 30 degree secondary bevel. It cuts beautifully, cuts through pine aginst the grain like a hot knife through butter, and cuts cherry and walnut nicely. Not bad for a 10 dollar chisel

I think the Marples are a bit soft though, I think they are below Rc60. I belive the Two cherries are Rc 60-62.

I am thinking of getting some Japanese dovetail and pairing chisels, they seem to be well suited to these tasks because of the light if any mallet use.

By the time one could spend 300 dollars on LN bench chisels, one could have a set of 2 cherries and quite a few specialty chissles.

Course starts at the end of October so I have quite a bit of time to get stuff together, although I am not waiting untill then to make some chips

[glenn bradley]

Great stuff on chisels: http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworki....aspx?id=28802

[Graham Skinner]

Hi Micheal.

I read somewhere that two cherrys and Hirsch are the same chisels, and are made back to back in the same factory, and the only difference being the stickers on the handles
I have a Hirsch mortice chisel from LV (the one with the big yellow handle) and it looks identical to the two cherrys mortice chisel, "IMO" I believe that both hirsch and two cherrys souce their chisels from the same factory, as many tool makers do!.

regards...Graham Skinner...


By the way Have a look at this thread that I started Japanese chisel makers ???? some of the Guys have given some good advice about buying bargain japanese chisels on e-bay

[Ian Smith]

You can buy the unpolished Two Cherries chisels at Craftsman Studio. I have never tried Two Cherries chisels so I can't comment on their quality etc. I've also never bought anything from Craftsman Studio (they won't ship to Australia) so I can't comment on them either.

The backs of the un-polished ones should theoretically be a whole lot easier to flatten.

[Jim Nardi]

I have the Hirsch chisels from LV. They was a lot of work to get the backs flat. I also had to grind about a 1/8" off the factory to get a edge that didn't chip easily. The lacquer came off with thinner and a green scrub pad easily I just soaked them for a few hours.

[Mike Henderson]

I have the Hirsch chisels from LV. They was a lot of work to get the backs flat. I also had to grind about a 1/8" off the factory to get a edge that didn't chip easily. The lacquer came off with thinner and a green scrub pad easily I just soaked them for a few hours.

I have quite a few Hirsch chisels and a few Two Cherries. I cannot tell the difference between them. I have never experienced an over tempered edge on any of the Hirsch or Two Cherries chisels.

I have experienced an over tempered (over hardened) edge on some Henry Taylor carving tools that I bought from LV but once you sharpen them a few times, the over hardened part is gone and the rest of the steel is fine. One of my most used carving tools is a Henry Taylor gouge.

The symptom of an over hardened edge is that the edge fractures when you use it and when you try to sharpen it. In fact, any pressure on the edge will cause the edge to fracture. You can see the fractures because the edge is no longer "smooth" - the edge will be rough, showing where the metal fractured off. You just have to keep sharpening until the edge no longer fractures under use or pressure.

But I never encountered that with Hirsch or Two Cherries chisels.

Mike

PS - I've bought things from Craftsman Studio and have always found them to be an excellent supplier.