Replies

1. 
   BG | Mar 10, 2003 10:55pm | #1

   Abenker,

   I have been buying different brands of chisels to tryout and decide which are the best.  I'm just buying one or two of each brand to start.  I bought two Japanese chisels at Woodcraft and once sharpened are very good.  They get and stay sharp but the hardness  of the steel means you cannot pry with them. Highly recommended.  However, I find them a bit short for morticing and paring and prefer the Sorby for that.  The edge on the Sorby is easy to sharpen but does roll when hit hard..definite weakness.

   As far as the hollow in the backof the Japanese chisel, no problem that I am aware of..and feels nice in the hand.

   Next I want to try the Two Cherry or Hirsch..and then maybe a Swiss chisel.  My sense is buying chisels is like buying pots and pans...its best to have specific pupose tools than to have a set of something...but that is me.

2. 
   RW | Mar 11, 2003 01:45am | #2

   Opinions, we all got opinions. The old craftsman set I use only on concrete.

   Marples aren't too bad for the money. Actually, since they came down in price, they're not bad at all. I leave them in the truck and sharpen as needed, good for all around things.

   I have one Stanley Fat max 1 1/2" which stays in the framing bag. Perfect for all things two by four, and actually pretty decent steel, judging by wear. Kind of a cross size wise between regular chisels and slicks.

   Then I have the Crown tool registered mortising chisel set and they're ok at best, which bums the snot out of me since they cost so much. On softwoods, you're good all day long. On oak, they cut fine, but the tip seems to wear too fast. I used them this weekend on cocobolo and man, I was going over to the tormek every four whacks with the mallet. The edges just did a U turn.

   You can get a tool to redo that little recess in the back of japanese chisels, for a price. I'm not sure (honestly I really don't know) that there's a great reason for keeping it. The one time I used japanese chisels they were hard, sharp, cut great, and the tips just shattered if you used them for chopping (like a mortise) rather than just paring. A little too brittle on the Rockwell scale for my uses.

   " Shoot first and inquire afterwards, and if you make mistakes, I will protect you." Hermann Goering to the Prussian police, 1933.

1. 
   ian | Mar 11, 2003 12:38pm | #4

   ... the Crown tool registered mortising chisel set and they're ok at best ... on softwoods, you're good all day long. On oak, they cut fine, but the tip seems to wear too fast. I used them this weekend on cocobolo and man, I was going over to the tormek every four whacks with the mallet. The edges just did a U turn.

   Yeah, know what you mean.  The problem is the bevel angle, I've found about 25 deg works well in softwood but you need about 35 deg in the real hard hardwoods.  To overcome this I'm in the process of putting together two sets, one set up for softwood the other for hardwood. 

3. 
   jimhamster | Mar 11, 2003 07:01am | #3

   I have a few Japanese chisels.  My Iroyu (Sp?) 3/4" one is my favorite.  It stays sharp and cuts clean.  I've heard folks complain the hardness is such that they can be brittle but I use mine on hardwood all the time with no problems.  Obviously not all Japanese chisels are the same.  Try the Japan Woodworker and other speciality importers to see what they recommend for the type of work you're doing.

4. 
   ian | Mar 11, 2003 12:44pm | #5

   Aaron

   According to FWW's Planes and Chisels, you're supposed to tap the hollow out after repeated sharpenings have reduced the exposed cutting edge - traditionaly you use a hammer and anvil and take lots of care as it's easy to crack the hardened steel.  Japan Woodworker sells a special tool for doing it!

1. 
   ABenker | Mar 11, 2003 04:06pm | #6

   Thanks for all of your helpful replys.

   Aaron

5. 
   DonC | Mar 11, 2003 05:30pm | #7

   I like Ashley Isles because they come truely sharpened from the factory. They have a mirror polish on them and you just need to hone them to keep the edge. The only thing I don't like is the round handle. They tend to roll around. I solved this by keeping all my chisels in a plastic tray. It convienient to take the tray to the work. The trays are from the dollar stoe. They were intended to keep knives,forks, and spoons. I busted out some of the dividers to accomodate the shisel's length.

   Don

1. 
   Jeff | Mar 11, 2003 10:46pm | #8

   I've never seen Ashley Isles chisels.

   Where do you get them?

   Jeff