Do I "Need" a 1/8" Chisel??

[Daniel Rode]

Holy cow, that's tiny. Was it made from a sewing needle and a toothpick for a handle?

Do you do small work? I have made some of mine 1/64".

[Jeff Heath]

I have an 1/8" chisel (actually, I have 2), and even a 1/10" mortising chisel from Lie Nielsen. 1/8" is too wide, believe it or not, for plane mouth openings, which I make every day, all day.

Depends on your work. It would be terrific to have when you need it, as long as you're not investing a lot of money. They're great for getting into tight corners and such for cleanup.

I was going to grind one of mine to the 1/10" size, but I just didn't have the heart to potentially wreck a great (greenlee) chisel, even though it cost me like $10. So, I dropped $75 to Lie Nielsen.....I know it's going to a great cause with a great American toolmaker.

[David Weaver]

I've come across a variety of chisels. I use one ( or several - whichever of the glom is closest by ) slightly narrower than 1/8 for planes fairly often. I don't too often use chisels of that type outside of planes, but I have chisels down to a 16th and have occasionally used those.

The one I use the most was about $7 at a flea market in Fayetteville, PA - it is a very long socket chisel, thick in height like a mortise chisel. The reason I say that is that if you don't need one right now, there's no great reason you have to specifically buy a chisel to match a set.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Andy

If you cannot envisage using a 1/8" chisel, then skip it.

The time to buy a tool is when you (a) need it then, or (b) have a plan to use it later for something specific.

Otherwise it is tool collecting. Nothing wrong with that, except this is a choice and not a necessity.

I do use a 1/8" frequently. Most of the dovetails I make require a 1/8" dovetail chisel (not a flat sided 1/8"). I use a 1/8" mortice chisel for morticing drawer handles. I even have a 1/16" chisel, which gets used. As I mentioned above, if you are not thinking along these lines, then you are not going to find a use for one.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Anthony Moumar]

I have the veritas detail chisel set which includes a 1/8" and 1/16". I don't use them heaps but every now and then I need them and they're nice to have. I have them set up with a 20deg bevel so they cut like a hot knife though butter.

[Gary Muto]

I have the veritas detail chisel set which includes a 1/8" and 1/16". I don't use them heaps but every now and then I need them and they're nice to have. I have them set up with a 20deg bevel so they cut like a hot knife though butter.

I have that set too. I use at least one of them on every project. They are easy to control and sharpen and comfortable to use.

[lowell holmes]

I have the set also. They are not used often, but when they are needed it's nice to have them.

[Brian Holcombe]

I have one that's 25 degrees, so I basically use it as a paring chisel. I use it more often than I thought I would.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I have the veritas detail chisel set which includes a 1/8" and 1/16". I don't use them heaps but every now and then I need them and they're nice to have. I have them set up with a 20deg bevel so they cut like a hot knife though butter.

I want to jump onto this bandwagon. I LOVE my detail chisel set from Lee Valley. I purchased them when I wanted to cut some relatively small dovetails. I purchased a 1/8" sweetheart at the same time. It really gets into the corners and I use it sometimes even with larger dovetails.