Hello,
Wondering what the most common chisel sizes are in making small to medium sized furniture.
Just starting out and thinking it might save money to buy the most commonly used sizes individually rather than buy a set and end up with sizes I don’t need very often.
Replies
Its not just the size of the furniture you make but also the styles, joint types, decorative elements and so forth that determine which chisels you will need. Also, the style of working (mosty machine, mostly handwork or something in between).
For example, I like to make Greene & Greene, Cotswold A&C, Shaker and self-designed things with stringing, banding, self-made pulls or handles and so forth, a lot of it with hand tools. All of these require a variety of chisels, acquired gradually as a piece demands them.
This means you end up with a lot of chisels!
I have bench chisels in 1/16", 3mm, 4mm, 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 3/4", 1", 32mm and 40mm. I have four cranked chisels 1/4" to 1". There's two long paring chisels of 1/2" and 3/4". Various skew chisels for things like dovetails or other hard-to-reach parts. Various small carving chisels to make decorative carved edge patterns.
And so forth.
If you think you'll continue and expanding your woodworking interests and associated techniques, buy a bench chisel set straight away, with the usual widths of 1/4" to, say, 1.5". Buy things like cranked and skew chisels as you come to need them. Ditto carving or other specialist chisels.
You can start with just one or two chisels - but buying an initial set will save you money compared to buying one at a time - if you end up using all in the set eventually.
Some folk buy second hand chisels and refurbish them. You learn a lot about chisel mechanics and designs doing that but risk getting useless dross until you learn to differentiate the good from the bad.
Lataxe
'If you think you'll continue and expanding your woodworking interests and associated techniques, buy a bench chisel set straight away, with the usual widths of 1/4" to, say, 1.5"'
Thanks, that definitely applies to me. Just starting out and made a few things but love it as a hobby/potential earner on the side eventually.
Will look around at some sets :)
If you want a set of chisels to start off buy a basic set of a good brand which will help you get started and save some money. A basic set will have an assortment of common sizes to start off. Two Cherries, Hirsch make good chisels and sell them in sets. Now is sale time before Christmas so you can look for a discount price from places like Rockler and Woodcraft etc. The other thing to focus on is to learn what sharp is and how to achieve a sharp tool. Even new chisels need to be honed and sharpened. So you will need both chisels, sharpening stones and a sharpening jig. Take a look at Norton combination water stones to start with and there is a jig which holds your tool to a consistent angle for around $20 which works fine. Good luck and have fun. Take a look at these: https://twocherriesusa.com/product/set-of-four-chisels/ They are metric but translate to imperial sizes 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1 inch. A good starter set. Here is another set https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/hirschbeveledgechiselsetoffour.aspx or https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/narex-richter-bevel-edge-chisel-set.aspx
Thanks so much for giving me some suggestions for good quality sets.
Really appreciate the advice on brands and places to buy them. Will check them all out now.
Also looking at these:
https://www.classichandtools.com/henry-taylor-bevel-edge-chisels-set-of-5/p1833
I have heard of that brand but have no experience with them. For myself, I prefer a chisel with a flat surface on the end of the handle. The flat end makes a good place for a mallet or hammer strike if needed say cutting dovetails etc. and also more comfortable if the chisel needs a push with the palm of your hand. That is just my opinion. Consider the ergonomics of the chisel also.
Thanks, I wasn't even aware of that as something to consider. Much appreciated 👍
I also prefer a flat-ish chisel top and a round mallet, as opposed to the other way around.
I don't know if I would get two cherries if you plan on learning to hand cut dovetails. They are a decent mid quality chisel but have large lands(flat areas) on the side that can make it difficult to clean out the corners of dovetails. I would recommend for about the same money you look at the Narex Richter series. They are a much better chisel and give my much more expensive Veritas' VM-11s a run for their money. If you do get the two cherries get them unpolished. While the polishing makes them shiny and pretty it rounds over things that should not be rounded over and is all about marketing not function. If you look at Narex make sure they are Richter because Narex has several lesser lines that aren't as good.
My own experience with Henry Taylor tools is mixed. My carving tools excepting one, are spectacular and of hard steel. They take a great edge. I have bought their cranked neck chisels with mixed reviews, one was unusable as the steel was not hard enough. It wouldn't take an edge, let alone keep an edge. I tried their 1" bevel edge chisel and, again, could not get an edge on it. I'm going back a decade or so, so I hope they've improved the quality.
For M&T, dovetails, and other common tasks, a 1/4" and 1/2" get used more than anything else, by far. For a variety of tasks a chisel with a longer blade, but not paring chisel length, is the most frequently used. Anything in the 1" to 1-1/2" length is great.
You can do tons of work with those 3 chisels. Sets are really not necessary.
Thanks, that's helpful to know.
At the moment it would just be those kind of common joints/tasks I would be doing.
Ah, decisions!
The wider the chisel, the less likely I am to use it with a mallet. If I'm dovetailing, I could possibly use a 1" or wider for clearing waste. But it's a lot of resistance, pounding that with a mallet. A 1/2" chisel does the same job, better, and actually faster.
I’d start out with a good quality 1/2” and then spend the rest of your time and money on setting up your sharpening system.
I make from small to large using traditional joinery. I use often a 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 1". I rarely use my 3/4" and 1/8". My 1" could be replaced by the 3/4".
If I had to narrow down to just two I'd want a large and a small one. I'd pick my 3/8" (works better than 1/2" for cleaning out waste for dovetails) and my 1". If I had to pick one, I'd go with my 3/8".
Thanks, that's really helpful to know.
From a restorer with 40 years of data: My 1" chisels are shorter than all of the others, by a lot! I didn't have anything larger. I've just bought 2", 1-½", and 1-¼" chisels, Ashley Iles. Love them! Of course, you can't have too many chisels, but if I could only buy two, I'd get a 1 ¼" and a ½". Three, and I'd add the ¼". After that it becomes an addiction!
I tried a 2" chisel and didn't care for it; will likely sell it. I've considered trying both a 1-1/2 and 1-1/2" just to see if I like them but am afraid I would end up not using them. A good problem I suppose. I have some hand tools I've bought to try them out and not cared for them. Then again, I've got a few that sat for years unused and then came along a project where it was really handy. Not tight for money or space so I have kept these tools.
I use a medium sized one for most things, a big one for paring and a small one where there is a need to get into small spaces.
If you forced me to limit myself to specific sizes, the chisels I use the most are 1/4, 3/4 and 1" bench chisels. I also use a 1/2 and 1/4" mortise chisel but would not miss them too much. I don't use a 1/2" much - it's right sometimes but if I can use a 3/4, that's my go-to.
I have a bunch of old chisels hung on the wall on magnets - I grab the closest appropriate size one and use it then put it back if still sharp otherwise it gets hung next to the Tormek until I feel like sharpening.
What I use the most: 1, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4.
What I use the least: 3/8, 5/8
What I find very handy: 1/8, 2"
Thanks for including what you use least, that's helpful to know too!
With respect to the OP and others, "small to medium furniture" is not descriptive enough to provide any answer worth giving.
Type of joinery/style of furniture would be helpful. Proffered wood and budget would also be good to know.
Get a set and decide for yourself what you need, as time and projects pass over your bench.
Good comments from many people about the most common sizes, like 1/4 and 1/2. Whatever you pick, I'll also put in a plug for a 1/8 or 1/16 chisel that can come in quite handy for cleaning out corners in dovetails and mortises.
I started out with a set of the blue Marples/Record chisels a few decades ago, and been using them ever since. Maybe not the coolest looking or finest quality steel, but perfectly fine for my hobby work. I've picked up a few other better brands cheap at estate sales.
Consider what your most likely uses are to be, and you can make a good guess as to what sizes are needed most, But I think a set will cover the unforeseen uses.
While on the garage/ estate sale trail grab 2 extra 1/4" chisels and grind them left & right handed at 45 degrees. They are awesome for cleaning up inside dovetails.
I did the same thing with set from HD, Work great.
I got the Narex Richter 5 piece set and added the 1.5". I use them all,just depends on project. They are great chisels but I had to spend quite some time flattening the backs. If I had to do it over I'd have bought a higher quality set (higher quality meaning the manufacturer did the flattening & polishing).
Width is only one feature of a quality chisel, length of the blade, handle type and sidecut are also worth looking after. For the 1/4 inch chisel that would be used in cleaning up mortises, a sturdy square sided chisel is my choice. For the 1/2 inch, my go to chisel, a long flat blade to reach far from the edge to trim wooden plugs or to pair tenons with a good grip. For the wider chisels, especially the 1,5 - 2 inches, a heafty handle with a ferrule at the top to resist pounding with the big mallet (Thor’s Hammer) .
That's a good point - at least it is for some. To be frank, I've never found the shape or size of different bench chisel brand handles to be a problem as my hand-grip just changes to fit them all.
Some chisel types do benefit from a matching handle. I like flats on a mortise chisel to help keep it square, for example. But generally I don't mind a big fat Narex handle or the miniscule handle on a Blue Spruce DT chisel (although I did sell the latter as I found the whole chisel to be rather too small & flimsy, overall, for purpose).
The shape of the blade seems much more important. Bench chisels with very thin lands are good also for more precise jobs like cleaning out dovetails, as others have mentioned. A firmer chisel (with a rectangular section through the blade, so right angle corners from side to back/top) can be good for perfecting tenons at the shoulders. A cranked chisel gets into spaces that others can't. A long paring chisel gives a lot more control of the cutting edge. Etcetera.
The connection of the chisel blade to the handle can be an issue. I like tanged chisels with hoops at both ends of the handle if the chisels are going to get walloped with a mallet, as unhooped wooden chisel handles can split or crack whilst those connected with a only a socket can see the socket-join go slack as the cone of wood going into the metal socket gets compressed.
To get to do an extra bit of woodworking, it's possible to buy unhandled chisels (just the blade with a tang and/or socket) so you can make your own handles to suit. Someone has probably made their handles out of a form-following epoxy, inclusive of their finger shapes and even their fingerprints!
Then there's mortise chisel blade design ......
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There is a law of diminishing returns with chisels. Only the cheapest and nastiest will have truly poor steel. But a bottom-of-the-range Narex or a Blue handled Marples will work just as well as a Veritas or Lie-nielsen, even if the fit and finish of the inexpensive item is not so posh and the steel of the expensive item holds an edge for a bit longer.
The less expensive chisel may take more fettling of back and bevel, before you first use it, than it will with the expensive items. Still, If you spend 15 minutes fettling is that not a better bargain than spending $100+ rather than $25 per chisel? After all, you're giving yourself a free fettling lesson. :-)
Lataxe
Sets can offer some savings but not usually a big savings if you end up with chisels you don't use. Same goes for router bit ;-)
Lots of good responses here. As mentioned, the width is only one characteristic to consider. If I could only have one chisel for furniture making it would be a bench length, 3/8" wide chisel with narrow lands. I say this because this is probably my most reached for chisel.
There can be endless discussions of types of steel, length, bevel angles, handle shapes, etc. To answer your question; I would try something like an inexpensive set of Narex . . .
https://tinyurl.com/2s3dsfjh
. . . and add as required. Although I now have many more chisels I am still using a set of Marples that came from Costco nearly 20 years ago. Times, tools, and quality change so I would look for suggestions on current products. Believe me, this will not be the last chisels you buy ;-)
P.s. Many imperial labeled items today (1/2", 3/4", etc.) end up being metric equivalents so double check if this is important to you.
My first chisels were a cheap set from a big box store, real crap. I still have them but I never use them.
If you are in it for the long haul buy quality. I would recommend you look at the Lee Valley chisels made with their proprietary PMV-11 steel. They hold an edge longer so you sharpen less. Nice handles too.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/discover/woodworking/2020/september/the-pm-v11-story
Another option would be to consider used upper or high end chisels. Get a couple sizes and see what works. Josh at Hyperkitten.com usually has great quality chisels at a decent price. He does a good job describing the condition of his offerings as well. Also take a look at at listings by Patrick Leach at super tool.com. Again, my experience is his tools are also accurately described.
Info from others above on sharpening is dead on. All new and used chisels will require work and sharpening efforts. For new chisels, higher quality tools will almost always need less work to whip them into shape.
Sharpening skills are critical IMO. Best of luck!
One problem with used chisels is that most of them have been subjected to rusting in the course of their life. Even a fine rust will pit the bottom of the chisel and polishing it free of pitting will be a Herculean task (if not a Sisyphusean one!) All of my daily users were bought new, polished and kept free of rust. The used ones that I've inherited or got at garage sales are stowed away and never used.
Hey all,
Just looking at chisel sets now and some of the brands people kindly recommended (e.g. Narex and Hirsch/Two Cherries) are manufactured to metric sizes. I know that the sizings made in metric translate roughly to the common imperial sizes utilised.
I'm in the UK, and I don't know if it really matters whether your chisels are metric or imperial sizes, but wanted to ask people with more experience before I make an investment.
If I bought a metric set, such as Narex Richter, would it make much of a difference to if I bought an imperial set?
Hello Daniel,
I too am in the UK but my chisels include both metric and imperial sizes. Whilst the general width of the chisels you want to use is obviously relevant, I can't say that I've ever come across a situation where I need an exact size .... with the exception of very small sizes - from 1/16" (1.6mm) to 4mm, for example, If I've cut a 3mm groove and I want to scrape it or cut the end of a blind groove square, the chisel is best at 3mm rather than 1/8" (3.2mm). And vice-versa.
With wider surfaces to be chiselled, a chisel a bit smaller than the exact width of the work is usually sufficient. You can see how to move it side to side to cut all you need, which is harder to see with teeny-weeny chisels.
Much more important is the shape of the blade, particularly the size of the lands (chisel sides) the thickness of the blade, the blade being square or tapered and so forth.
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If you're in the UK, you could consider some chisels that are native to Blighty and high quality. Of those that are priced something like the Narex Richter, Ashley Iles may be top o' the heap - but there are good chisels from Robert Sorby, Henry Taylor and others of the Sheffield tradition.
The Classic Hand Tools website in the UK is quite good for comparing many chisel brands in terms of the UK prices for them all. They have chisels from the UK but also the USA, Canada, the Czech Republic and Japan. There's probably some in there from Germany, Austria and perhaps even Sweden. :-)
https://www.classichandtools.com/hand-tools/chisels/c146?redirect=1
Lataxe
Hey Lataxe,
Thanks very much for the comprehensive response.
Good to know that its not really important in practice.
Thanks very much for the brand and website recommendation. I had looked at a henry taylor chisel set (earlier post), but the top was quite rounded, and a it was mentioned that a flatter top would be better for hitting with the mallet.
I'll have a look at all the brands you suggest on that website.
Thanks again.
I have both metric and imperial. I’m not sure I even think about the choice when I grab one, I just pick the one closest to the size I want to slice at that moment.
If I were making hand cut dovetails (I now use a router jug) I would choose one the exact width of the base cut and layout from there. Wouldn’t matter if metric or not.
Philosophically it makes sense to go metric and stick it to the damn Yanks. Eventually they’ll come around.
"Philosophically it makes sense to go metric and stick it to the damn Yanks. Eventually they’ll come around."
No they won't. :-)
I confess to finding it a puzzle that the USA hangs on to the imperialist system given that they threw the rest of that system into a harbour with the tea. Do they secretly hanker for King Charles the Dafty to come and tell them what to do? :-)
In practice, though, it often matters little that we have to cope with WW stuff made or measured in both metric and imperial. It gets easier with practice to mentally convert the two - but it's also best to avoid too much of the measurement units altogether by setting just one or two critical measured dimensions at the start of making summick, subsequently measuring everything added to them using those original start-parts as story sticks. Needful lengths, widths and thicknesses are then auto-determined, with no need for either units.
Thanks, that's helpful to know. Sounds like its not really an issue then.
Mile, knot, foot, Fahrenheit , acre, BTU, yard, gallon, cup, Troy ounce, bushel, grain, horsepower, furlong, pound mass, pound force, quart, stone, thousandth of an inch, tablespoon, long ton, fathom, pint…
Comedian Nate Bargatze did one of the funniest SNL skits in a long time on the October 28, 2023 show. He played George Washington explaining the chosen system of measurement to his troops.
I’ve yet to find a complete clip of the skit but this link has much of it.
https://www.tiktok.com/@natebargatze/video/7295443512642850090?lang=en
It doesn't matter, they can both be made to work. But it was kind of ignorant statement to end his post, and that does matter.
That's a very weird and creepily strange post. Can you please explain? What was ignorant?
"Stick it to the damn Yanks" seemed like an unnecessarily rude comment on an otherwise pretty civil forum and didn't address the topic, although the first part of your reply did. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Not weird, not creepy.
Thanks Texas MAGA for straightening that out.
There are about 200 countries in the world, give or take (some say 194). There are 3 countries that are not officially metric. Liberia, Myanmar, and the US.
Here’s a serious question. Which country has been the primary trading partner since US day one. Hint - not in Europe, not in Central America, not in South America, not in Asia.
I’m guessing 99% of Americans can’t find Canada on a map of Canada.
Apology accepted phantomtrapper?
Hey !