Quality Chisels?

any of those will be good. this is all a matter of personal preference.

the difference between the 2 steel materials is hardness- one will keep an edge longer, but is harder to sharpen, while the other is easier to sharpen but will keep the edge a bit shorter – both are good and the differences are minimal – so it goes back to personal preference.

either one will give you good performance. I think the deciding factor would be final-price and what feels best in your hand.

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

This is a hard choice, I know, without you being able to use each brand and type of chisel it will just be a choice you have to make by some other means. One possibility is to buy one chisel and see how you like it, maybe buy a different one and try that one and so on… All the chisels being of the same brand look good in a rack but their use is what counts, the feel, the performance by which only you can judge. My wife does woodworking also and we have different size hands and have very different favorite chisels. Good luck.

-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings

I bought a set of Narex chisels from Highland after reading http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/ToolGuide/ToolGuidePDF.aspx?id=31061. It is a good test of chisels done by Chris Gochnour. If you need the article I can email it. Send me a PM and I will be happy to forward. The Narex have been wonderful, hold and edge well, easy to hone and feel really good in my hands.

-- My job is to give my kids things to discuss with their therapist....medic20447@gmail.com

I just got this set and they are pretty nice, and a great price.

http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=147049&FamilyID=5823

-- It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.

I also carefully studied the report on chisels in FWW, and on my next pass thru Atlanta, I plan to stop at Highland Woodworking and pick up a set of Narex chisels. With that said, for quite a few years I’ve used a set of moderately priced Ace Hardware chisels. They are very durable and can be sharpened to “shave the hair off the back of your hand” sharpness. In fact, on my latest project, a hard curly maple Kentucky rifle stock, I have been shaving off a few thousands at a time on the end grain of the butt. This is pretty good performance.

What I really need at this time is a good set of Mortising chisels. These are really expensive.

-- "Heaven is North of the Bridge"

I have three of these chisel sets, the blue spruce, lie-nielsen, and the two cherries. .
i have relegated the two cherries set to softwoods, as they have a lower cutting bevel.
the blue spruce seem to be easiest to sharpen. but the handles are not made for much mallet work.
the lie-nielsens would be my choice if i had to choose one.. i have a set of fourteen lie-nielsens, smallest to one inch, plus 4 skews. i could probably do without the skews if i had a decent fishtail chisel, but i really use the rest of the set. and i have no complaints(which is why i bought them)

-- Junior -Quality is never an accident-it is the reward for the effort involved.

Didn’t we already have some picked out? I was quite happy with them. And a few lino blocks. Or wood. You know, for all the woodies here. I can stamp and print with either.

Anyway, retail therapy will only buy you so much happiness. But good luck.

-- crafty ladies love wood too!

I agree with Junior, I have the LN and love them, I only have two of the skews and they work great. Loved their bevel edge chisels that I also picked up their mortising chisels and I am just as satisfied. They are very sharp, durable and can cut right thru your hand with ease ;o(
They are very comfortable to hold and use, I don’t plan on getting any others.

-- "You get what you inspect, not what you expect"

I too am happy with my Marples and would buy them again, except for the fact that they went out of business. The Irwins are junk.

-- -JimmyC...Clayton,NC- "Just smile and wave boys, smile and wave"

I don’t have much to add since I am in the same boat. I am teetering between Ashley Iles and Pfeil at this point based on price and what I read in that FWW article. I know the Two Cherries are nice once you get them tuned, and the LN’s are nice; I have a couple LN mortise chisels and would recommend. Something else I’ve considered is to get a chisel at a time as needed from a couple different manufacturers until I find something I really like. At that point I may get a set, but maybe not… I am a terrible decision maker myself.

I’d be interested in what you decide.

Regards, JM

-- Jarrod, Taos, NM http://jzmurphree.wordpress.com/

Don’t look further….
Bevel Chisels: Two Cherries or Pfeil.
Mortise Chisels: Hirsch – Registered (www.leevalleytools.com)

-- Francisco Luna, San Francisco Bay Area.

http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/chisel_review.pdf

-- Francisco Luna, San Francisco Bay Area.

Personally, I love my new Japanese chisels and am starting to prefer Japanese hand tools altogether. They approach woodworking from a totally different perspective in a lot of ways. You might want to look into it.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com

I really like my metric sized Hirsch, which are actually less “finished” Two Cherries, for slightly less money (really! <g> ) I also have a set of Marples in my trim carpentry tool kit, and they work really well for the price. I keep the Hirsch set ground to a 20 degree face with a 3-5 degree microbevel, for super sharp paring, and the Marples @ 30 degrees for a more durable edge during installations. I cut the domed handles off the Marples, making them easier to strike.

HOWEVER! If at all possible, get a “real” imperial measured set if you work in inches. They’ll play better with machines. The metrics are “fine”, but on those occasions where you really need a matching size, the imperial sizes are gold.

The LN’s are super sweet, and you only buy a good set of bench chisels once in a lifetime…

-- - Please help keep Lumberjocks an enjoyable escape by refusing to participate in political discussions. Simply spit out the bait and ignore the thread...

I am happy with Marples

-- WOOD/DON (...one has the right to ones opinion but not the right to ones own facts...)