Is a $100 Chisel better than a $1 Chisel? | Hand Tool Shootout 

That is what I thought I said...Sometimes I not talk so good...

LMAO

You got lucky with the sweetheart, all the ones I bought had huge bellies and took hours to fix.

did you buy the kit or individuals? This was a solo chisel, I wonder if that has anything to with it or if I truly go lucky. Bellies in your chisels are a PAIN!

I bought them as individuals from lee valley. I am happy with them now but it was a lot of work considering the cost. In hindsight I would have rather shelled out a little more for a set of fewer Lie Nielsen chisels.

Rick McQuay

I screamed in my head when I saw that. I learned the hard way.

I started sweating so hard, especially with how dull the damn thing is

@@154Jamesp the first time i did it was a thew days ago and i just had to laugh it off thinking about my stupidity

Ty for advice sir.

Harbor freight is good enough to build a good bench and suit you while you hunt for old tools.

@@thewalnutwoodworker6136 Good enough, but that depends on how much your time is worth. If you have a high paying job, you're more likely to be bothered by having to resharpen multiple times a day when you can sharpen once a week. If you don't have much expendable income, you're going to use what you can afford. There are also chisels that are not so terrible, for less than top dollar

@@thewalnutwoodworker6136 you can roll an edge on a harbor freight chisel with a few modest mallet strikes

@@veganpotterthevegan If you have a strop on your bench you can keep them sharp with 10 seconds of work

@@thewalnutwoodworker6136 Sure, every other strike you don't roll. You can't strop away a rolled edge. I gave up with my cheap chisels and they're backups that I sharpen with a grinding wheel. The metal is trash and soft anyway so I'm not too worried about the temper. It makes almost no difference.

Hi future Rick here, all fair points. I think the big differentiator and a thing a lot of people overlook is, no edge is bulletproof and a good joiner will frequently share their tools. It is better to have a good balance of edge retention and sharpenability. While the LN steel retains a fine edge as does the PMV11, the A2 skates on my diamond stones. Which means it's a PIA to sharpen, which I do frequently. The ALDI chisels are some of the finest cheapo tools I have ever had my hands on but the Veritas is what I always find myself reaching for years later. This mostly due to geometry and ergonomics. The Line Nielsens are DAMN fine tools though

+DN Handcrafted thanks man! Going to be comparing east vs west soon.

I think that they were all 25 degrees and he wanted to see how hard they were to sharpen.

That's awesome! Thanks for checking back in. How are things going?

@@WoodWorkLIFE Really good all things considered. I spend most of my time in my shop anyhow so this whole social distancing thing doesn't affect me that much.

Thanks for the sub, look forward to seeing you around! I love your videos!

Wood.Work.LIFE. Thanks! I thought I had subbed before but guess I didn't, or might've been on my old account. Anyway, I'm about to post on the FV group about doing a meet up in St Louis next weekend around The Woodworking Show. Be great to meet you!

Awesome, I look forward to it.

Definitely worth a try if you have the opportunity. They go to a lot of the woodworking shows (Lee Valley that is) and bring almost everything with them. You should check it out next time they are in town.

Keep working at it, you will get there. Thanks for the kind words!

Happy, there is such a wide array out there now, that I hesitate to make any recommendation. Go with hand forged craftsmanship. If you can afford it, the blue steel laminate holds an edge very well. I have the middle grade (professional) ori-gami white steel laminate that I'm very happy with. I'm retentive about keeping the edge up to speed, and hone before and after each use. Good luck. Even Grizzly is selling japanese chisels now. I got mine from Traditional Woodworker, but they are no longer in business.

No problem Phillip, I have some white steel Japanese chisels coming. I am debating doing a follow up on this video. What do you think? In researching Japanese chisels I have learned so much about the historical and modern manufacturing process of the forging and smithing those amazing tools, I also didn't realize how much of the best Japanese steel isn't even coming from Japan anymore. Come to think of it, how could a smith afford the rent in Japan anymore...

narex richters are cheaper and i feel they have a better feel and stay sjarper longer.

Why not just curve the bevel of a cheapo chisel and have at it?

I would be happy to, I was trying to be exhaustive with my comparison (Shy of Swedish and Japanese steel)...@robcosman if you want to send me one for the companion article I am working on for this video, I would be happy to include it...

I've had them in the past and wasn't a hug fan, but I'll have to check them out again.

Thanks Tom! Lots of good choices out there. Which way are you leaning?

not sure yet, just looked up ALDI chisels on amazon and not finding anything a lot of the other ones you mentioned. I just watched an old William Walker Co. video last night where he talked about his Stanley sweetheart chisels a little. I think it was his snowed in video. I also have played with the idea of making some from scratch, could make a good video. :-)

Great video

Will do, I regret my technique on camera looking back at it. Thanks for the well wished. I am much more careful generally.

@@WoodWorkLIFE "more careful generally." Really? The only trouble with, "I usually am careful." is that sometimes you're not. It only takes a minute or so to get and use a couple of clamps versus a lifetime of regret as alluded to by Tioga Fretworks. I am a carver and had a couple of close shaves myself for the same reason; namely not thinking ahead. I enjoyed your review regarless of how unscientific it was. It is my opinion that the quality/grade of steel is of greater importance than price. Of course, the better quality usually means a higher price. Although cheaper chisels will do the job, more often then not, they need more effort and time to maintain a good edge which can be very discouraging to the novice. I prefer a higher quality steel because they usually hold an edge better, needing only a touch-up now and then. Also, once tuned to your liking, they need much less frequent full-service sharpening. Lower-end chisels provide an advantage, though. Their relatively soft steel may require more frequent attention, but learning how to sharpen well with a cheaper and softer unit will benefit you with a whole bunch of sharpening experience BEFORE you graduate to better quality blade. Used chisels from yard sales are a good place to start as well.

@@michaelheurkens4538 what I meant is I am more careful when I am not trying to get shots of using the chisels vs. Actually using the chisels. This was a long time ago and I am much more aware of demonstrating proper technique rather than getting interesting footage. I personally think there is a balance between edge retention and ease of sharpening. It is a fine line but you'll know when you've crossed it as your chisel skates on a diamond plate. I think heat treated A2 and pmv-11 might be too hard sometimes. To me I am going to sharpen or at least hone my chisel every third dovetail and before any pairing task anyway. So I would rather have something that is easier to make razor sharp, than something that will stay kinda sharp longer.

@@WoodWorkLIFE Understood. Thanks for your advice on the steel harness/edge life vs ease of sharpening.

bingo, just wanted to share my experience.

+Talesdemileto I lived DF for 5 years. Great to hear from you! I hope to see you around!

+Sean C they are not from Paul Sellers they are from ALDI, Liie the grocery store. They are usually on sale around father's day when they have all the tools out.

Thanks Brother! Welcome to the WWL family!

Those are just B roll shots, the assessment was over weeks of use. Sadly my production quality skills were not where they are today with this video. While I agree with you on the "hand hammer" technique, it is still a practice that many carpenters and furniture makers use. Maybe the Narex should have won that category since it gives you immediate feedback "this will cause nerve damage..."

beyond a certain point I agree, but low grade steel and a poorly machined bevel and side landings are hard to overcome.

I am a far better engineer than I am a woodworker. Chisels are very easy to modify. As I am sure you already know, keep them cool and you can take a lot of metal off without compromising the tempering.

I get that if it were a cheap antique, but if I bought something off the shelf and had to do the level of modification some people do...that is like going to a restaurant and paying to cook your own dinner. But if you could get an old cheap high quality steel chisel you could modify, I suppose you could make anything

Nothing is perfect 'Out of the box'. I realised thirty years ago, 'Anything made by man, can be made better'. This is based on the fact that almost everything made is made by people that want to make money. Time is money so to speak. I do accept the principal of the law of diminishing returns. I modify my wood chisels, cold steel chisels, drill bits, etc, to the task I intend using them for.

Sound logic, and I agree, most products are made with the intention to make money and not to meet the needs of every individual. But yes, if a tool needs to be made modified to perform a task, you better believe I have at it.

Thank you for the thoughtful comment, Edge retention is sort of a double edge sword. If the chisel retains and edge better it also going to be a bugger to sharpen. I was trying to test edge retention with cutting the mortise, but unfortunately after that test none of them were "sharp." Not an exhaustive, or scientific opinion, but I can tell you from my own personal use, the Veritas and the Lie Nielsen chisels hold and edge through a whole project (sharp enough to shave), just needing honing a few times for fine work. The Narex, Stanley, and ALDI chisels are probably in the same league edge retention wise. The Irwin and the HF are at the bottom edge retention wise, they both roll an edge very easily, but the HF chisels are a joy to sharpen, they put on such a sharp edge so fast.

Wood.Work.LIFE. I was looking for edge retention comparison. The longer the better. I have no problem with sharpening taking a long time. I use a worksharp set to its most acute angle. It takes a couple of seconds before use. I bought a set of Sorby bevel edged with box wood handles decades ago. They are very comfortable. If I were starting up I would like sharp bevel edges for cutting dovetail joints, hard steel and boxwood handles.

The softer the steel the easier they are to sharpen and the quicker they are to lose an edge. When I was doing my own research on steels and chisels, I heard the O1 steels take a finer edge but need to be sharpened more often. The A2 steel is much harder, doesn't take quite as fine an edge but holds it longer. Those are the two main tool steels. Then there are the Chromium manganese steel that most chisels are made of. I think with most of them, if you simply strop them regularly, you will rarely have to sharpen them. It's easier to maintain an edge than create one. I think you're paying for the fit and finish on the higher end chisels more than anything else. Look up Blue Spruce Toolworks if you really want sticker shock. They're over $100 a chisel. But out of the box they're flat and the handles are excellent. But are they worth the price tag? I bought a set of their dovetail chisels because they were ground specifically to get into tight areas. I don't regret buying them but I do think there are other cheaper options that would work just as well.

Doing the job is key.

+Jon Woodworker good on you Jon. Agreed. The new 750s are pretty good, I have never used an old 750 but I have heard good things. My biggest problem with some modern steel is it is too hard. It needs to be the right balance of hardness. I like something in the middle, retains a decent edge but doesn't take forever to sharpen.

The harbor freight had the "nub" & these are all "bench chisels" which to me means general purpose so I tested them across use cases, but I agree it I'm posting ble to nail every egonomic with one handle design. I WISH I knew how to forge and could chose my own tool steel and heat treat for a bench chisel then design the perfect handle, probably something like is in "the perfect grip screwdriver"...oh man know I want to make this thing.

That is kind of the point of these shootouts, really just to show how much you CAN get done with the everyman tool, and show you why you might want to spend the extra on the ultimate of any given tool. I find the hardness to be a challenge between sharpen-ability and edge retention. I personally prefer a nice middle ground.

+Jeff Forbes I compared 3/4 to 3/4. A bad one spoils the bunch. Means poor QC so can't really count on any of them being flat.

That thing shocked me how nice it was. I have always loved Stanley's stuff.

Haha thats all I was thinking when I was watching

But what if there's a fire, your gonna be trapped inside the building

Ha ha. I just made a similar comment on another of his videos where he freehanded a biscuit jointer. Scary!

He's obviously not cut himself bad enough yet...

I was just coming to say that! LOL

The Narex are fine. You will like them. This isn't saying what is bad, it is just saying what is different. Once you prepare them, they should serve you very well.

+Robert Erickson the clip you were referring to is after quite a bit of flattening. I was referring to out of the box. They are hit or miss I have bought 4 sets and the chisels range from unusable needing to be hammered out to basically flat. They are good chisels, but for $1 each the manufacturing process I obviously inconsistent.

Fair point, I caught that after my edit. The flattening portion was halfway through the flattening. When all was said and done, the Irwin Marples took the longest to get sharp. You can do almost anything with the ALDI chisel, but it has wide bevel edges, it is also quite easy to sharpen. The Stanley was the overall best value, but the Veritas was the only true bevel edge chisel.

+Matt Pethybridge thanks for the feedback Matt. The Stanley, Aldi, and Harbor Freight chisels are phenomenal value. The Veritas is in a league of its own.

I was really hoping someone would write this comment. Best all around value is the aldi's but the higher priced were the preferred? Didn't make much sense.

Plus he uses his chisels for pairing. I’ve never gotten advanced enough to do any pairing, but my cheaper ‘carpenter grade’ Stanleys have pared a lot of wood and helped me feed myself and my kids... I used to be embarrassed about some of my low-buck tools and yankee-frugal methods. I got over that like twenty-five years ago thanks to Mike Dunbar. Yes, the Windsor Chair Guru. I’d bet he never measured the angle on his wood chisels, either LOL. He did have good tools because he bought and used the best for the job - and the best tools were often far less costly than the expensive ones. Well that’s enough- I’ve got to go learn me some about that there wood pairing.

I would also say its hard to compare quality on any hand tool until you have used it for 20 years, at that point a lot can change. If I invested 94$ in a hand tool I would expect it to last me a lifetime and then some.

I give them as gifts anytime I can find a set

They're fine, it doesn't seem like you get a whole lot for the price difference compared to the practically free HF and ALDI chisels.

Chris Parker I

Keep an eye on the ads, but usually around fathers day. I will make an announcement on Twitter and FB so follow me @WoodWorkLIFE and @thewoodworklife

Thanks.

A vintage set of USA made craftsman chisels from the 1950s and 60s. They were made by Western Forge and are good quality for construction work. I still use a set that I bought new in 1965.

umm this video proved that was not the case. hardness does not equate edge retention. in fact the harder something is the more prone to shatter, because they are more brittle. this is why "harder" materials are used for impact resistance through their mass. anvils, hammers, rollers etc. the edge loses much of its impact resistance because it's a small fine edge, taking more of the brittle characteristics. there are expectations but it's not going to be steel here.

This video "proved" something?

Hardness , in this case, to the correct level is a balance between soft and hard, giving you the best edge retention but not to hard to be brittle! If the steel is to soft it will not keep an edge as long as a blade that is correctly hardened. The steels ability to be hardened to the correct level is a function of the steels quality and formulation giving it the ability to be hardened to the level desired to give the best balance. I have used many different chisels over the last 50 years of woodworking and the extreme at both ends of the spectrum of price are in my experience not as desirable. One for the lack of quality steel and the other because of the price. The Narex has been the best of the bunch that I have used on quality and price, Stanley if you can find an older set is good too, but the newer stuff is not even close to the old quality. There is more to it than just edge life, there is also life of the tool, I have literally used up half inch and Three quarter inch chisels that were of low quality steel, but the better quality not only requires less sharpening, but you grind away less steel when sharpening each time as less was required to be removed to achieve a new edge. As far as flattening the backs, Yes it is great if they are ready to go. I however don't find the extra price a good reason here as well. You generally only have to flatten the back of your blades once in their lifetime, so it is not a big deal to have to do that one time!I agree that there is really no reason to spend $55 a chisel like a set of Lie-Nielsens but $12 or $13 per chisel for Narex works out to be fare to me! Everyone has their own idea of what is reasonable by way of price and quality. What is a good fit for me is not necessarily the same for another. I will not say anything bad about someone that needs to be frugal, god knows I have been there for more years than I would like as I am sure many have been. So buy a set of cheep tools if you need to, you may find that they are all you need especially if it turns out that you don't do as much woodworking as you thought you were going to. later if you find that your really hooked on the sport, then spend a little more for higher quality tools what ever you like, after all it is your money and your pride in the tools you have, and it really doesn't matter what I or anyone else thinks about the price.

@@mikesmicroshop4385 love this comment mate. Couldn't have put it better, I completely agree with everything you're saying. Although I really don't need them, but I want some Lie Nielsen chisels lol.

+John Murphy couldn't have set it better myself. The tool doesn't make the man.

Agreed!

Brian Minghella I was the first person to thumbs up your opinions, but I recognize that they are opinions. I got taught how to cut dovetails from Frank Klauz and he likes to blue marples as well. So now we got a World recognized cabinet maker, as well as a small-timer like me who both like the same tools.Then again I'm professional cabinet maker. I got over 100 kitchens under my belt and I tend to go with what works. This isn't my Play Time. This is how I put food on my family's table so I don't tend to mess around with things that take a long time and still don't get the job done. with all that being said if you like spending money on chisel go for it. Still no professional that I knows places their inability or ability to do a job on there tools.

Brian Minghella anyway I hope I didn't offend you. I just like big chisels because they fit better in my big hands

Brownstone Custom Cabinetry . There is this thing called Benchmarks . I got taught the old fashioned way and one of the first things I got taught is this .The most valuable tools you own are your hands ,so look after them . Dont use blunt tools or cheap tools. You will more likely have an accident with them and do permanent damage to your hands. Having been at the bench so long I have seen many accidents .I have seen fingers ripped off hands by fools who did not listen when I told them how to do things . I have taken guys to hospital because they refused to listen to sound advice passed down from generation to generation. TO MANY people take up this trade for glamour and ego and refuse to listen to common sense . I have used those blue handled marples chisels and I have a set of the boxwood handled version . I dont like those to much either but I use them for rough work. Its not just about the edge holding and sharpness of the same . Cheap chisels edges literally fold over when you look under the microscope at them ! Thats bad . Now I could never dictate to the apprentices what chisels they should get but if they bought cheap ones it was a good sign they were not committed and passionate about the work. Bad Chisels encourage bad habits and bad habits lead to inferior work . If you dont know that then your working timber different to me . Kitchen makers these days ( I make kitchens too now and then ) are generally not doing what I call traditional cabinetry but rather a hybrid version thats quicker so they can compete with the panel product crap most people cough up for . They dont mortice and tenon their frames , they screw/dowel/domino them and use any number of cheat fixings to knock it over quick. I dont do that. All my work is free standing custom made with no short cuts . I trained under my grandfather , a shipwright ,back in the day when those guys did fit out for the best of the best . I inherited a few of his chisels but most were taken by my uncle . Cast steel chisels by Ward (excellent quality if you can find them) and other famous makers such as Sorby (still around ) Marples aint what it used to be though. Okay for weekend warriors but I think their steel is crap to be honest. Its not just the steel though because its got to be hardened and tempered with great skill . many of those forged cast steel hinges were hardened through stretching and pounding the steel to get the right qualities . You can tell the difference straight away when you use them . I used to watch the smart asses struggling to cut clean dovetails with their cheap chisels. The edge shits itself as soon as they start to chop out the pins , so they start hitting harder and chewing it up. Then they get pissed and start saying things like 'that will do' . Couple of months down the track having done a crap job you put them on something else and they get smart assed and fuck that up too. Eventually they leave because we had to fix one of their screw ups and they start out on their own blowing their trumpet about training 'with the best'. I see it all the time . They undercut the good craftsman by cutting corners and the customer ,not knowing any better goes with the cheaper quote and sends a good man to the wall while the hack with the cheap chisels carves out a customer base with lies and inferior work. Thats why I dont take apprentices anymore.

Brownstone Custom Cabinetry . No Bud ,you did not offend me and I have massive hands too . Up to a point I get what your saying and you know ,its your choice . The thing is for me I learned that power gripping your chisels to control them is what you do when they are not sharp Yeah ? We have all done it . But a really sharp Chisel you can hold it lightly with your finger tips and the sharp edge will go where you want it with sharp strikes from a metal hammer . Once you have to grip it ,its time to sharpen it. I sharpen my chisels with wet stones because its quick and you get the best edge man , just razor sharp . I like the control and accuracy you get when your edge is good . I like the sound of sharp cutting tools. My foreman used to give us hell when he heard us pushing a blunt plane. "I can hear it" he would shout. And you can you know ? Its like this . Making a living as a wood butcher is tough so you know ,why make it tougher using crap tools ? I am a heavily built guy too but I treat my hands like ladies. I dont use my fists to tap a chisel EVER . So bad for your wrists . I may look like a weight lifter but I dont throw my weight around the bench . I do it the Zen way . Relaxed focus, swift and sure because i am not fighting the timber . I work quickly because I make sharp tools a religion . I have built massive pipe organ carccasses that took weeks to dovetail together . All cut by hand with very sharp Jap chisels . You try cutting dovetails for days on end and you will soon appreciate the difference . The thrill of chopping smart and fast with a perfectly balanced jap chisel is just Wow. Its a thrill . Seriously. Its like when your planer blades are blunt and you have to push down on the bed to get the wood to register . Its bad , its sounds bad and you dont get as good a face. I dont like to see guys struggle with inferior tools when they could be getting high using good ones.

Legit thoughtful criticism dude. Thanks 🙏. I worked with the chisels off camera to actually get my impressions of the chisels. The on screen stuff was just b roll, and it was poorly clamped thinking I would get better shots (amateurish looking back at it). You’ve gotta start somewhere I suppose... I reprofiled the chisels to give them fair representation in similar species of wood and to take away any handicap a shitty steel with a high angle might have. Ease of sharpening is actually a legitimate point because unobtanium chisels may stay sharper for a little longer, but they would still not be suitable for hand joinery through more than a couple sets of dovetails. So you will need to resharpen the mid project. At a certain point a chisel can be too hard and skate on a sharpening plate. I personally like a balance of sharpenable and decent edge retention so I can periodically touch them up on a straup. My favorite on balance was really the ALDI chisel, but the veritas chisel was my favorite iteration of an unobtanium chisel. Thanks for the comment.

I understand and apologize if I sounded demeaning, that wasn't my intention. As for sharpen-ability, the right set of sharpening stones and proper technique will take care of any typical hardness for the myriad of steels available (even up to the 63-64 rock for some folded japanese chisels). There's a really nice channel that tests various sharpening stones and is very informative. As for cutting angles, again, angles would be determined by the manufacturer based off of various criteria and changing them all to the "same" angle isn't a fair way to test different chisels from different manufacturers simply because it might not be the optimum angle designated by the manufacturer (for example, the Lie-N's should have had a 30 degree angle on them). Thanks for making content though, I'm sure it takes up a lot of your time and it's appreciated. STILL DON'T HIT CHISELS WITH YOUR HAND! Make us a nice mallet to gawk at :)

On the mallet will do brother. On the angles totally agree, I think if I didn’t change them I get flamed by one set of people and if I did I get flamed by the other. IMHO any chisel should be able to handle any angle as some task require higher/lower angles than others if a chisel can’t handle one angle or another it’s no use to me. Some of the cheaper machine hardened chisels were almost untouchable with my diamond stones, which makes me think they were likely brittle. I would rather roll an edge than shatter an edge. I had never done the “hand hammer” technique until I saw Paul sellers do it. I have since dropped it.

I'm just an amateur, mostly adept at making wood chips, but it seems to me that the costs associated with those expensive chisels... well, they should show up absolutely perfect and come with a dude to sharpen it for you!

Doesn't it also depend on what you're doing with the chisels? For real basic stuff like cleaning up a hinge mortise, I have a cheap set of Craftsman chisels that someone gave me. But for removing waste in a dovetail, they don't do very well because of their shape. However, for a five dollar set of Aldi's chisels you can grind them to whatever shape you need. I would think the A2 tool steel would have to last longer than cheaper steel or they wouldn't use it. The real question is how much longer do they hold an edge and is it worth the money? But I do see your point. Even an expensive chisel will fail with abuse. And a cheap chisel will work well in the hands of someone with good technique.

to be honest i think you will find the cheap chisel makers get their steel from the same manufacturers as the expensive ones. like clothing you pay for the label.

cheap chisel makers never reveal their steel, process or hardness, either because their buyers don't care or the result would be embarrassing. Less expensive product concede that they will have less expensive material and labor. A fine chisel (expensive) will be cast perfect, very sharp, and maintain the sharpness even working on difficult material

I've used cheap ones, expensive ones and in the end just get the same result. Maybe a bit more sharpening with the cheapos. But, you get good at sharpening technique and its not an issue. I tossed one cheapo, because the metal was a little gummy, but not a huge loss ($2). Ouch!

I couldn't agree more. They are some of my favorite chisels.

+Paul Bostwick a bunch of good reasons, 1) put then all through a worst case sharpening scenario since they all had to be changed by about 2 degrees to learn what they are like to work with. 2) remove the first bit of steel as this portion is usually over hardened. 3) ensure a consistent bevel angle so it doesn't flavor observations of performance 4) 27 degrees is a versatile angle that is both very sharp and fairly resilient (holding an edge) this slightly favors the cheap chisels 5) why not? They all came round about 25 degrees since they are bench chisels. Pairing chisels would have come slightly shallower and mortise chisels slightly steeper.

Those make sense to me, I think. For 1) is "worst case sharpening scenario" having to remove a bunch of material to get to an edge? so "what they are like to work with" in that sense is what they are like to sharpen? (seems fair - but maybe i did not get it) 2) gotcha. 3) did seem the goal - I was buying that from the start) 4) that might best have been mentioned in the video (as well as why it favors the cheap chisels? I wonder why?) 5) the only reason not to (and i think your other points outweigh this) is to let the chisel perform as they come (as far as angle) only dressed up a bit to give them a fighting chance... Thanks for the fast response (and the very good video)

No problem. I didn't favor the cheap chisels on purpose, I like my chisels at 27 degrees, a rather steep angle for some, and it gives softer steel chisels a fighting chance at retaining an edge and makes a chisel with good steel good an edge for a long time. Thanks for the comment, always glad to engage in some good conversation.

I just finished doing the same. Very nice chisels. I have a set of 6 from 1" down. All were reasonably flat and time spent tuning them up to razor sharp was also reasonable. I don't need anything but these because the difference isn't worth it. I also really liked making my own handles. If I can figure out how to link a pic I will.

That seems to have been a common theme with Narex owners, the steel is hard to touch even with diamond stones too. I think it might be overly hardened.

The handle was weird, but I don't think the steel was that much nicer than a much cheaper chisel.

I buy them every time they are in stock, I give them away to nice people that follow me online from time to time for shiggles

Also, don't pare TOWARDS the hand holding the work. I highly recommend holdfasts. Just saying. Maybe everyone is not as accident prone as this old fart.

I agree, get some workholding on that bench! Not only safer but makes everything easier.

Phillip Yeager I sliced the tip of my thumb off with a chisel doing that once. needless to say I was squirming watching him pair with his hand right in front of it

Sorry for the bad lessons guys, It was mainly for framing the shots. I need to find a better way to hold work and not mess up the shots I want to get.

I recommend holdfasts (the ones by Gramercy are good an inexpensive) and rubber drawer liner. If you drill the holdfast holes right, you should be able to clamp a piece anywhere on your bench, and the drawer liner is extra insurance against the piece sliding. Or just put it near the edge of the bench and use a clamp to hold it down out of frame. But seriously... That bit with you cutting towards your hand almost got me to just close the video window.

Keep your dad's chisels, unless they are just old. If your dad was a woodworker it would be awesome to have the stories those chisels have seen. But ya, it would be tough to recover those chisels to a usable state. Thanks for the feedback, I am always trying to improve.

Wood.Work.LIFE. He was. Growing up I worked with him a lot. His old chisels are to rough now but I have great memories and stories. Thanks for the response.

Sounds like they deserve some final TLC and retirement in a shadow box in your shop :)

they may be old and look bad.. but a little work and they will carry on as good as gold.

1/2" probably? Any smaller would be hard to pair with. Anything wider would be hard to do useful joinery with.