Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 19

Thread: Commodity grade Japanese chisels.

  1. #1

    Commodity grade Japanese chisels.

    Woodcraft has some cheap chisels for sale in their latest sale flier. I can't seem to direct link into their web page, but the item number is 161018. On sale the price is $130. The ad copy is the usual boilerplate:



    These professional-grade chisels are made by Fugikawa and feature a thin layer of white steel laminated to a softer steel main body. Handles are Japanese Red Oak topped with a black steel hoop. This six-piece set includes sizes 6mm, 9mm, 12mm, 18mm, 24mm and 30mm width and 225mm length. Chisels are supplied in a wood box.




    I have plenty of chisels. I don't "need" these or any other new chisels. That said I have a bit of idle curiosity about Japanese chisels. I'm a bottom feeder... I prefer to buy such things second hand, barter for them, anything but full retail for any item not currently mission critical. "On sale" often doesn't mean much, price wide.

    So for those of you familiar enough with Japanese chisels to have a clue, is this a screaming good deal, an ok price for some ok chisels or Scammy marketing for some completely crap tourist grade junk?

    And otherwise, anyone here have a few decent Japanese chisels you'd be interested to barter for?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Ramona, CA by way of Phliadelphia
    Posts
    270
    Bridger, try this link...But not on sale here???

    https://www.japanwoodworker.com/prod...chisel-set-6pc
    Last edited by Rick Malakoff; 10-30-2017 at 9:10 PM.

  3. #3
    Bridger,

    Come by, I expect I have what you are looking for.

    ken

  4. #4
    Just musing here .... Man, I'd like to try Japanese chisels, but learning to tap out the backs just scares the bejesus out of me. If I understand it right, you only need to do it occasionally. But fouling that up looks like a great way to wreck a nice tool. So maybe I ought to buy a set of commodity chisels like these and learn. Dunno.

    Fred

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Rick Malakoff View Post
    Bridger, try this link...But not on sale here???

    https://www.japanwoodworker.com/prod...chisel-set-6pc
    I think those are the same ones Woodcraft is selling, and at the same price. It's good to know there's another reputable vendor carrying them - thanks Rick!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Poughkeepsie, NY
    Posts
    207
    Quote Originally Posted by Frederick Skelly View Post
    I think those are the same ones Woodcraft is selling, and at the same price. It's good to know there's another reputable vendor carrying them - thanks Rick!
    Woodcraft owns Japan Woodworker, and there is an overlap in their inventories.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by John Schtrumpf View Post
    Woodcraft owns Japan Woodworker, and there is an overlap in their inventories.
    DOH! Didn't remember that.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    So Cal
    Posts
    3,737
    You can use them just like any other Chisel Fred. I've not tapped out any of the Japaneese chisels I own.Still plenty of steel for to use all the way to the grave.
    Aj

  9. #9
    Hey Fred,
    Chisels are rarely tapped out. That operation is reserved for plane blades which are held in a plane body. Chisels are sharpened the same way as western chisels except that hollow grinding is frowned upon.

    John

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Stone Mountain, GA
    Posts
    751
    They don't seem to be tourist grade, but they are probably the lowest 'economy' line of user tools by that maker. They are white steel #2, which is a very good steel in my experience. Easy to sharpen (I manage it with oil stones) yet holds a very keen edge longer than anything else I have. With luck, the low cost will show up in fit and finish and not in the steel quality, and this seems to be the case usually. So be prepared to do a decent amount of prep work- flattening the backs, and creating an appropriate bevel angle, etc. There is no tapping out to consider on chisels, except perhaps on very wide ones if the edge has been sharpened back into the hollow.

    Woodcraft's sale price is pretty good, but Tools from Japan also sells them (or something very similar, from the same maker) in the same ballpark. So not a mind-blowingly good once-in-a-lifetime deal, but not bad.

    I'd suggest buying one or two instead of the set. Get a size that you do a lot of chopping with, and see how you like it. Aside from the steel, japanese chisels have a different feel in use. You may like it, or not. If you do, then you can decide if you want to go upscale on your future purchases.

  11. #11
    If you want to try Japanese chisels, those look like a good set to try. Years ago, I bought an "average" set of Japanese chisels and was satisfied with the steel. I didn't like the handles and re-handled them but the steel was fine. I grind them to a 25 degree primary bevel on a WorkSharp and then put a micro bevel at about 30 to 35 degrees on them. Basically, I treat them pretty much the same way I treat my western chisels.

    The hard steel holds an edge well.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  12. #12
    It's probably the old Japan Woodworker's "house brand" white steel chisels.
    Those were the very first good chisels that I'd ever gotten, and served me well.

    My feeling is that Woodcraft occasionally gets rid of their superior old stock stuff to pick up more Chinese tools (probably more profit).
    Sometimes, you can score a pretty good deal.

    Of course, nowadays, I'd more likely buy from Stu or Stan.
    Stu has great taste in steel, and relationships with smiths to get great tools relatively inexpensively.
    Stan has superlative taste in steel, and can get you stuff you won't outgrow ever.

    --edit--

    Those are not the old Japan Woodworker chisels to my knowledge (maybe they just stuck a new sticker on them?).
    I can't tell from the pictures if they're good or not.

    Maybe someone more knowledgeable can chime in?

    As for getting good cheap chisels, you may want to try a few of Stu's "user grade" chisels.
    Last edited by Matt Lau; 10-31-2017 at 1:39 PM. Reason: I was wrong

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Marina del Rey, Ca
    Posts
    1,934
    Quote Originally Posted by bridger berdel View Post
    ...I have plenty of chisels. I don't "need" these or any other new chisels...
    You don't need to buy an entire set of chisels you don't need, just to try them. But I really like my Japanese chisels.
    "Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Dublin, CA
    Posts
    4,119
    Quote Originally Posted by andy bessette View Post
    You don't need to buy an entire set of chisels you don't need, just to try them. But I really like my Japanese chisels.
    What if you really "need" to try an entire set of new chisels? :-)

    Seriously, the principal difference between this thread and the Aldi one[s] seems to be the price tag on the "irresistible bargain".

  15. #15
    Thanks for the inputs guys!
    Fred

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •