My Favorite Chisels...you'd be surprised.
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Whenever I go to Woodcraft, I always enjoy looking at the nice selection of Pheil carving chisels,
the Crown rosewood handled chisels, the Lee Nielsen and Robert Sorby lathe and bench sets,
The SW Stanley 8 pc. chisel set with leather roll case looked cool too.
Even the Wood River chisel sets in a case looked nice and seemed like a good value.
Don't ask why but, I like em all.
.
.
I recently purchased Bailey's new wood handled 5 chisel set online for 69.00 and free shipping.
They looked decent so I thought I'd give them a try. How can you go wrong for that price? I like them.
.
.
And then there's my trusty set of Craftsman chisels. Yes, I said Craftsman.
My daily users.
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They have metal caps so you can hammer on them all you want. No need to search for a wood mallet.
They have rock hard plastic handles that won't splinter or break in the winter time.
They're long and ergonomic … yea, not that attractive,
but, a longer handle means, less chance of hitting the ol' thumb's ball sack … God, that hurts.
Won't roll off the bench, neither.
.
.
They're American made and hold a sharp edge as good as my expensive chisels.
Guaranteed for life and cheap enough you don't mind lending them out or abusing them.
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Note to wives and mothers: They make a great Christmas gift for a well deserving woodworker.
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The extra 1 1/4" chisel is perfect for remodeling and fits nicely in your nail bag.
The older Craftsman chisels had round handles that were clear and blue
.... Cave men used these.
They switched to black handles in the 90s. Really Dumb Idea but, they still have the lifetime guarantee.
I like to put a little saw dust in the chisel pocket to protect the apron from the sharp edge.
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.
.
.
You can sharpen it with a belt sander on the job, ooooh … I sure wouldn't do that with my crown chisels!
You can use it as a pry bar or use it in the rain and mud while building houses and decks.
This simple tool is an American work horse ….. You can't destroy it.
And, If you do, they'll give you another one. Hey, that works for me.
.
There are other affordable chisel sets out there. The box store Stanley's look OK, ... haven't used them yet.
Everyone seems to like Narex which look just like the Baileys. The blue handled Irwin's seem decent.
There's Lee Valley and Veritas chisel sets too. But, no matter the brand, they say it's all about the steel.
.
I also have a well used set of German steel Mifer's chisels for mortise work that you could shave with.
I don't display them - they're getting kinda beat up … and I don't loan them out.
.
.
I haven't used those pricey 750 SW Stanley's yet …. makes no sense. They do look cool in the fancy tool box.
But, these Craftsman chisels, you just can't beat them ….. well, actually you can.
I guess that's my point.
.
Funny how after all these years, wishing I had better chisels and now that I have some,
I never use them….. afraid I might scratch em. Ha! ..... wtf
And, here I am talking about my old cheap craftsman chisels like we were long lost friends.
.
Come to think of it, we did some of our best work together.
.
.
.
.
Whenever I go to Woodcraft, I always enjoy looking at the nice selection of Pheil carving chisels,
the Crown rosewood handled chisels, the Lee Nielsen and Robert Sorby lathe and bench sets,
The SW Stanley 8 pc. chisel set with leather roll case looked cool too.
Even the Wood River chisel sets in a case looked nice and seemed like a good value.
Don't ask why but, I like em all.
.
.
I recently purchased Bailey's new wood handled 5 chisel set online for 69.00 and free shipping.
They looked decent so I thought I'd give them a try. How can you go wrong for that price? I like them.
.
.
And then there's my trusty set of Craftsman chisels. Yes, I said Craftsman.
My daily users.
.
.
They have metal caps so you can hammer on them all you want. No need to search for a wood mallet.
They have rock hard plastic handles that won't splinter or break in the winter time.
They're long and ergonomic … yea, not that attractive,
but, a longer handle means, less chance of hitting the ol' thumb's ball sack … God, that hurts.
Won't roll off the bench, neither.
.
.
They're American made and hold a sharp edge as good as my expensive chisels.
Guaranteed for life and cheap enough you don't mind lending them out or abusing them.
.
Note to wives and mothers: They make a great Christmas gift for a well deserving woodworker.
.
The extra 1 1/4" chisel is perfect for remodeling and fits nicely in your nail bag.
The older Craftsman chisels had round handles that were clear and blue
.... Cave men used these.
They switched to black handles in the 90s. Really Dumb Idea but, they still have the lifetime guarantee.
I like to put a little saw dust in the chisel pocket to protect the apron from the sharp edge.
.
.
.
.
You can sharpen it with a belt sander on the job, ooooh … I sure wouldn't do that with my crown chisels!
You can use it as a pry bar or use it in the rain and mud while building houses and decks.
This simple tool is an American work horse ….. You can't destroy it.
And, If you do, they'll give you another one. Hey, that works for me.
.
There are other affordable chisel sets out there. The box store Stanley's look OK, ... haven't used them yet.
Everyone seems to like Narex which look just like the Baileys. The blue handled Irwin's seem decent.
There's Lee Valley and Veritas chisel sets too. But, no matter the brand, they say it's all about the steel.
.
I also have a well used set of German steel Mifer's chisels for mortise work that you could shave with.
I don't display them - they're getting kinda beat up … and I don't loan them out.
.
.
I haven't used those pricey 750 SW Stanley's yet …. makes no sense. They do look cool in the fancy tool box.
But, these Craftsman chisels, you just can't beat them ….. well, actually you can.
I guess that's my point.
.
Funny how after all these years, wishing I had better chisels and now that I have some,
I never use them….. afraid I might scratch em. Ha! ..... wtf
And, here I am talking about my old cheap craftsman chisels like we were long lost friends.
.
Come to think of it, we did some of our best work together.
.
.