Replies

1. 
   Samson | Feb 01, 2007 07:56pm | #1

   I don't know anything about the CI Fall chisels.  But if I was looking for a nice set in the price range you've suggested, I'd be drawn to these:

   http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=toolshop&Product_Code=IL-100-20.XX&Category_Code=CLW

2. 
   JeffHeath | Feb 01, 2007 09:18pm | #2

   Tom

   I think you should take a good hard look at Two Cherries chisels.  They're made in Germany, are harder than most chisels, hold an edge extremely well, and are in your price range.  They are bevel edged chisels, and are an excellent all around set, beyond what I would call a starter set.  He'll never need to replace them.

   Available, among many other places, at http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com.

   Jeff

1. 
   Samson | Feb 01, 2007 09:24pm | #3

   Jeff's right the Two Cherries are great chisels (I have some of their carving tools) but I would mention one thing:  they are metric instead of imperial.  This distinction is not important all that often, but is sometimes like when you need a chisel to fit in groove made by a tool of an imperial dimension.  FWIW

1. 
   Lataxe | Feb 01, 2007 11:48pm | #4

   Samson & Jeff,

   There is one other small drawback to the Two Cherries: their side bevels are not very sharp and I find them insufficient to get right into to the acute angles of DT tail-bottoms when paring the end grain.  Do you have the same problem or has Hirch made their bevels more square only recently?

   I also wish I'd found somewhere selling the unlaquered and unpolished versions, as this process does mean that more initial flattening of the back and bevel is required, to get rid of both the laquer and the dubbing of the edge caused by the polishing process.

   Otherwise they are great bench chisels - they seem to get and hold a better edge than some blue-handled Marples I've had for a while and that are sharpened at the same bevel angle of 30 degrees.  In fact, I have some Two Cherries skews with 25 degree bevels and a 45 degree skew that, despite the pointiness, hold their edges extremely well, even at the vulnerable point. 

   The handles also feel very good to me - nicer feel than plastic, certainly; but also a good shape to grip.  And they don't roll on the bench.

   Of course, I am a metricised person so don't have to worry about 64ths of an inch and other weird numbers.  3, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16mm ? Purfek!  :-)

   Lataxe

3. 
   Tony Z | Feb 02, 2007 12:04am | #5

   Tom,

   For "kicks" I bought a 3/8" C. I. Fall chisel.  If I remember correctly, it was a Swedish make with an ugly handle.  I believe I ordered it from Traditional Woodworker.  Very low price, and the chisel performs very well.

   The chisel is a "tang" type, with enough wood for me to chuck it in my lathe, holding on the brass ferule right above the tang and turned a handle that looks like the Stanley 750 shape (did this after chopping the top part of the handle off).

   What I don't like about the chisel is that the side bevels end with a significant flat (hope I explained that clearly!).  If the sides came to a much sharper edge, this chisel would rate very highly with me because it does have very decent steel.  For bench or paring tasks it works well.  For cleaning the inside of dovetails, I reach for a chisel a bit more suited.

   Hope this helps!

   T.Z.