Posted: 10/4/2012 4:44:45 AM EDT
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I'd like to get a nice set of chisels for wood working, and maybe a set for some more hard core use (stone, etc.) What can you guys tell me about what to look for? What brand? They don't have to be new. In fact, I love and prefer old tools, so long as they are in good working order.
Thanks folks. |
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How much do you want to spend?  Well, I'm willing to spend decent money. I guess $50-$150? Is that anywhere close to decent? It seems to be a good range for other hand tools. Per chisel? 
I don't know much about woodworking, but my father in law does. I remember him talking about a particular brand of Chinese chisels that were very cost effective, had excellent steel, but no handles. You had to make your own. I can't remember the brand for the life of me though. He said they were stunningly good at the price. |
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How much do you want to spend? Well, I'm willing to spend decent money. I guess $50-$150? Is that anywhere close to decent? It seems to be a good range for other hand tools. Per chisel?
I don't know much about woodworking, but my father in law does. I remember him talking about a particular brand of Chinese chisels that were very cost effective, had excellent steel, but no handles. You had to make your own. I can't remember the brand for the life of me though. He said they were stunningly good at the price. No, I can't afford those hand crafted chisels from those guys who do everything by hand. Just a good, solid set. I'm sure they are just like anything else...they come in "cheap," moderate, high, and boutique. boutique is out of the question. |
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I can't for the life of me remember the brand of my chisels. I mostly use the ones I made myself. The most important thing with woodworking chisels is you keep them sharp. So as long as you've got quality steel that shouldn't be a problem. The sets you can buy at Lowes or Home Depot would probably serve you well until you find exactly what you need, then spend the money on those |
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The new Stanley Sweethart ones are pretty nice. But you can do good work with a Marples or Craftman set sharpened properly.
http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-16-793-Sweetheart-Series-Socket/dp/B0051PCQ7Y/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349355806&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=stanley+chistles I highly recommend the Veritas sharpening guide. |
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Sounds like you are looking for carpenter chisels.
Woodworking chisels are going to cost you. My Shinwa chisels were around $50-$75 each 
However, if you want something a little nicer than you standard Stanley's you find in the big box stores, you can get a set of four Pfeil (made in Switzerland) for around $120. If that's a bit more than you want to spend WoodRiver (made for Woodcraft) would be my next recommendation. Set of 6 WoodRiver chisels is around $90. ETA, watch this 
Bah, imbed's not working for me http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4SSsbs-WRH0#! |
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Quoted: Beautiful. Sounds like you are looking for carpenter chisels. Woodworking chisels are going to cost you. My Shinwa chisels were around $50-$75 each http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g326/Covertness/Chisels.jpg However, if you want something a little nicer than you standard Stanley's you find in the big box stores, you can get a set of four Pfeil (made in Switzerland) for around $120. If that's a bit more than you want to spend WoodRiver (made for Woodcraft) would be my next recommendation. Set of 6 WoodRiver chisels is around $90. |
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Sounds like you are looking for carpenter chisels. Woodworking chisels are going to cost you. My Shinwa chisels were around $50-$75 each http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g326/Covertness/Chisels.jpg However, if you want something a little nicer than you standard Stanley's you find in the big box stores, you can get a set of four Pfeil (made in Switzerland) for around $120. If that's a bit more than you want to spend WoodRiver (made for Woodcraft) would be my next recommendation. Set of 6 WoodRiver chisels is around $90. ETA, watch this  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4SSsbs-WRH0#!Those Woodrivers look nice, and fit in my budget. I would love to have a set like yours, but that's something I'd probably have to do over time. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: How much do you want to spend? Well, I'm willing to spend decent money. I guess $50-$150? Is that anywhere close to decent? It seems to be a good range for other hand tools. Per chisel? I don't know much about woodworking, but my father in law does. I remember him talking about a particular brand of Chinese chisels that were very cost effective, had excellent steel, but no handles. You had to make your own. I can't remember the brand for the life of me though. He said they were stunningly good at the price. No, I can't afford those hand crafted chisels from those guys who do everything by hand. Just a good, solid set. I'm sure they are just like anything else...they come in "cheap," moderate, high, and boutique. boutique is out of the question. Best value: http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=67707&cat=1,41504 The Narex are made of decent steel, have good geometry, and are generally well finished. The ergonomics aren't great, but if you aren't going to be using them for a hour at a time that's not a big deal. A step up from that: http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/TBBC/item/IL-100-20.XX/American_Pattern_Beveled_Edge_Chisels_by_Ashley_Iles Better steel, good geometry, better ergonomics. The best value for someone who plans to use them for the rest of their life and then pass them down to their kids: http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=bescset Excellent steel, excellent geometry, strong, excellent ergonomics, made in the USA. I settled on these after a long time and a lot of money expended, and will use them for the next 50+ years before my kids fight over them.  Any questions, feel free to ask. Lots of BS and confusion in the chisel world. |
A working rack of chisels: The Lie-Nielsen with the odd color handle is my test-bed for the new handles I'm making. That one is made of Tamboti (sandalwood). It smells awesome and seems to be holding up great. I also rehandled one of my old Stanley 720s that's hanging on the row behind that. I used Kingwood for it, and it seems to be holding up just as we'll. |
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How much do you want to spend? Well, I'm willing to spend decent money. I guess $50-$150? Is that anywhere close to decent? It seems to be a good range for other hand tools. Per chisel?
I don't know much about woodworking, but my father in law does. I remember him talking about a particular brand of Chinese chisels that were very cost effective, had excellent steel, but no handles. You had to make your own. I can't remember the brand for the life of me though. He said they were stunningly good at the price. No, I can't afford those hand crafted chisels from those guys who do everything by hand. Just a good, solid set. I'm sure they are just like anything else...they come in "cheap," moderate, high, and boutique. boutique is out of the question. Best value: http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=67707&cat=1,41504 The Narex are made of decent steel, have good geometry, and are generally well finished. The ergonomics aren't great, but if you aren't going to be using them for a hour at a time that's not a big deal. A step up from that: http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/TBBC/item/IL-100-20.XX/American_Pattern_Beveled_Edge_Chisels_by_Ashley_Iles Better steel, good geometry, better ergonomics. The best value for someone who plans to use them for the rest of their life and then pass them down to their kids: http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=bescset Excellent steel, excellent geometry, strong, excellent ergonomics, made in the USA. I settled on these after a long time and a lot of money expended, and will use them for the next 50+ years before my kids fight over them. Any questions, feel free to ask. Lots of BS and confusion in the chisel world. Maybe I should save for that lie-nielsen 5 piece w/roll set. They look excellent, and I enjoy buying "lifetime" tools. |
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http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com/
I've ordered from these guys several times. Their prices are not the best but they have a nice selection and good stuff. If you do some research, you can get some deals at the flea markets, sometimes. |
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Quoted: Quoted: I have a set of chisels from two cherries made in Germany they are very nice. This website is good. Www.toolsforworkingwood.com They look awesome too. They have a 4 piece unpolished boxed set for $125. I may go this route. Never been a fan of TC stuff. Nothing wrong with them necessarily, just not the best handling chisel. |
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Thirty year carpenter/cabinet guy here. Being in Canada, I always bought my chisels and planes at Lee Valley like someone mentioned above. They have a good selection of medium/high end stuff.
I always preferred the shorter mortise chisels as they are easier to control than the longer standard length. Spend the time to learn how to sharpen them properly and they will last two life times. |
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You can often find good quality chisels at antique shops or flea markets on the cheap. They may need new handles and look rough, but if you have the ability to form a new edge and sharpen properly, it doesn't matter. High quality steel cleans up very well. The sizes, shapes, and lengths that you like/need will depend on the type of work that you do. Cabinetmaking, carpentry, carving, etc. Some of it is also personal preference. I usually look for maker marked steel from traditional regions - Sheffield, England. Solingen, Germany. Anything Japanese. If it's old and imported, it's likely decent quality. There are definitely some big names that bring more money, but there were a lot of small, regional, now defunct makers, that made good stuff. |
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Quoted: Lee Valley for the absolute win. It's a fine company with the coolest catalogs you'll ever see in your wood working life. The thing about them is they give you lots of options. And the folks who own the company are just first-class, for a bunch of Canadians. My Lee Valley tools are among the most precise and useful in my shop. Thirty year carpenter/cabinet guy here. Being in Canada, I always bought my chisels and planes at Lee Valley like someone mentioned above. They have a good selection of medium/high end stuff. I always preferred the shorter mortise chisels as they are easier to control than the longer standard length. Spend the time to learn how to sharpen them properly and they will last two life times. http://leevalley.com/ |
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Thirty year carpenter/cabinet guy here. Being in Canada, I always bought my chisels and planes at Lee Valley like someone mentioned above. They have a good selection of medium/high end stuff. I always preferred the shorter mortise chisels as they are easier to control than the longer standard length. Spend the time to learn how to sharpen them properly and they will last two life times. This. Even a budget chisel will work ok if you keep it sharp but the good ones work a lot longer between sharpenings. If you don't have good sharpening stuff then you ought to add that to your budget. |