Moderately-priced chisels in 1/16" sizes???

[James Carmichael]

I've found life to be way easier when my chisel precisely matches the width of the cut I want to make. Does anyone make a bench chisel set these days (besides L/N or other similary-priced products) in 1/16" sizes?

Thanks!

[Jim Koepke]

I've found life to be way easier when my chisel precisely matches the width of the cut I want to make. Does anyone make a bench chisel set these days (besides L/N or other similary-priced products) in 1/16" sizes?

Thanks!

I am not sure many chisels were made in 1/16" increments except by accident. I do have some in 5/16" and have seen 9/16" but not many of the other sizes.

What you may want to do is look at metric sized chisels.

I have found that chisels that are the same size as a dado or grove they can chip out an edge or bind on the sides. My solution is to use a 5/8" chisel in a 3/4" dado.

jim

[Andrew Pitonyak]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=30283

Notice a mention of the Ray Isles chisels. I opted for these for a specific project that I have not yet started... Purchased my set from toolsforworkingwood. Read their comments on sides perfectly parallel

http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/indextool.mvc?prodid=MS-MORT.XX

[Neil Zenuk]

I just bought myself a 1/16" Veritas Detail Chisel made by Canadian Paul Beebe. It was $39CAD. http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=46035&cat=1,41504 Works brilliantly, my only complaint is the finish of the handle. Feels a little slick in the hand so I took the finish/tiny machine marks off the handle and used 1 coat danish oil. But I do that with every wood handled tool I get. I also have a 1/2" skew chisel set from the same maker they are well made out of O1, and the backs lapped out very quickly.

[Andrew Gibson]

I just bought myself a 1/16" Veritas Detail Chisel made by Canadian Paul Beebe. It was $39CAD. http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=46035&cat=1,41504 Works brilliantly, my only complaint is the finish of the handle. Feels a little slick in the hand so I took the finish/tiny machine marks off the handle and used 1 coat danish oil. But I do that with every wood handled tool I get. I also have a 1/2" skew chisel set from the same maker they are well made out of O1, and the backs lapped out very quickly.


I have a hard enough time sharpening my 1/8" chisel, I cant imagine sharpening a 1/16" chisel. It would be almost impossible to flatten and polish the back.

[James Carmichael]

I am not sure many chisels were made in 1/16" increments except by accident. I do have some in 5/16" and have seen 9/16" but not many of the other sizes.

What you may want to do is look at metric sized chisels.

I have found that chisels that are the same size as a dado or grove they can chip out an edge or bind on the sides. My solution is to use a 5/8" chisel in a 3/4" dado.

jim

I dunno about accident, but yes, there's not a bunch. I do notice a lot of English mortise chisels turn up on Ebay in 1/16" sizes (sometimes down to 1/32", as the supposedly 3/16" Ward pigsticker I bought last year is actually 5/32").

The need is due to making Greene and Greene-style pieces with the non-functional ebony plugs and splines. I've found the quickest, cleanest way to make the holes for the inlays is to chop them like a mortise. I could pick up some more old pigstickers, but a mortise chisel is overkill, as they only need to go about 1/4" deep. I find the sides much crisper and cleaner if struck out with a chisel of the right size.

[Neil Zenuk]

Just made a notch in a scrap wood piece the shape of the top and slightly shallower, placed it over the chisel on top of the stone and pulled the chisel toward me. Only used a 4000x, 8000x stone. I have a Veritas MKII, and a generic vise type honing guide, but freehand is the only option.

[David Weaver]

Kumagoro makes a 1.5mm chisel. I have one. I didn't know that I had another one from a better maker, so now I have two.

It is an exceptionally delicate chisel, but you're probably not doing rough work with one, nor work deep in.

It should be about $25 (just looked online at highland, and it's a couple of bucks more than that, but close). What do you need it for, and how tough does it need to be (and I don't think any of them are really going to be tough)?

[Dave Beauchesne]

Kumagoro makes a 1.5mm chisel. I have one. I didn't know that I had another one from a better maker, so now I have two.

It is an exceptionally delicate chisel, but you're probably not doing rough work with one, nor work deep in.

It should be about $25 (just looked online at highland, and it's a couple of bucks more than that, but close). What do you need it for, and how tough does it need to be (and I don't think any of them are really going to be tough)?

Greetings:

I too have a 1.5 mm Japanese chisel from LV - very handy, but - - - - I pried a bit while using it and took a good chip out of the bevel - wasn't able to clamp it in my MKII, so I freehanded it and did a pretty good job getting the bevel back and subsequent micro-bevel - handy size - would not be without it !

Dave Beauchesne

[Jim Koepke]

I dunno about accident, but yes, there's not a bunch. I do notice a lot of English mortise chisels turn up on Ebay in 1/16" sizes (sometimes down to 1/32", as the supposedly 3/16" Ward pigsticker I bought last year is actually 5/32").

The need is due to making Greene and Greene-style pieces with the non-functional ebony plugs and splines. I've found the quickest, cleanest way to make the holes for the inlays is to chop them like a mortise. I could pick up some more old pigstickers, but a mortise chisel is overkill, as they only need to go about 1/4" deep. I find the sides much crisper and cleaner if struck out with a chisel of the right size.

Have you looked at the Lie-Nielsen inlay tools?

The straight inlay tools is made like a three tooth saw blade. They do have blades available up to .062" (1/16").

Another possibility is to find inexpensive chisels and grind them to the size you want. Maybe an old set of plow blades from a Stanley 45 could be made into the custom sizes you want.

jim

[James Carmichael]

I have a hard enough time sharpening my 1/8" chisel, I cant imagine sharpening a 1/16" chisel. It would be almost impossible to flatten and polish the back.

Guys: I'm not talking about a 1/16" chisel, but a set in 1/16"-size increments, like 3/16", 5/16", 7/16", etc. Primarily the first two.

It's possible to find old English mortising chisels in those sizes, but like I said, that's overkill. Another option is Lie-Nielsen, but $55 apiece is a bit more than I want to spend. Was hoping a galoot out here knew of some obscure brand in Imperial sizes.

It's possible to chop/pair a 3/16" hole with a 1/8" chisel, but it's just not as crisp as if done with the exact size.

[Griph0n Brown]

Designed by Daryl Peart for greene and greene plugs, by our favourite Lee Valley.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=65380&cat=51&ap=1

[greg Forster]

Make your work fit your tools (to a degree) 1/16" increments for chisels , plow plane irons, etc. is not historical, except in the small sizes.

[Harlan Barnhart]

Another possibility is to find inexpensive chisels and grind them to the size you want.

jim
I've done this. It's not hard. Just cool it often.

[James Carmichael]

Designed by Daryl Peart for greene and greene plugs, by our favourite Lee Valley.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=65380&cat=51&ap=1

Too cool! The G&G authority himself.

[Joe Cunningham]

Why not just make the peg functional?

Maybe I just never grokked G&G. Seems like a whole lot of work for joinery fakery when the actual pegging would take about the same amount of time.

I like their aesthetic, don't get me wrong, but this slavish devotion to their methods seems silly unless you are doing museum reproductions.

[Derek Cohen]

I have a 1/16" Iyoroi dovetail chisel ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/Alittlefunwithdovetails_html_1879af0a.jpg

... used to make this box ..

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/Alittlefunwithdovetails_html_m69cb061a.jpg

... which housed this plane ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/Alittlefunwithdovetails_html_4027f212.jpg

I also have a 1/16" oval bolstered mortice chisel that is not a modification of something larger. It is vintage and just can;t recall the name at this moment. The point is that that are out there.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[James Taglienti]

Joe:
agreed. I think G&G is bogus too. But i also think it's hideous. 90% is just over the top and nauseating. Stuff that only cabinetmakers can like, cause we recognize the joints. I like about 3 of their pieces. anyway...

Why don't you just buy some older vintage chisels and grind them to the sizes you need? I routinely find socket chisels slightly over/undersized, it would only be a matter of removing 1/16 at most, perhaps a lot less.

[Robert Rozaieski]

Guys: I'm not talking about a 1/16" chisel, but a set in 1/16"-size increments, like 3/16", 5/16", 7/16", etc. Primarily the first two.

James,
I'm not aware of any modern makers that are making bench chisels in 16th increments, though I agree with you that someone should. During the pre-industrial period of woodworking, plow plane irons, mortise chisels, firmer chisels all came in 16th inch increments up to about 10/16", at which point they switched to 1/8" increments. Unfortunately, most vintage chisels we find today were made after this period so 1/8" increments are more common.

If you don't plan to do a lot of heavy chopping with them, you might check out straight carving chisels from someone like Ashles Iles (http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=toolshop&Product_Code=IL-1.XX&Category_Code=TXQ1-2) or Henry Taylor (http://www.henrytaylortools.co.uk/downloads/htt_brochure.pdf). Their straight carving chisels come in 1/16" increments up to a point. They are ground double bevel standard, which might be fine for the work you are doing. If not, you might be able to order some ground single bevel if you ask, or, they are fine enough that regrinding to a single bevel shouldn't be all that much work.

I'm not sure there is another option available if you want to stay with true imperial sizing. You could just keep an eye out for older chisels in the size you need. They do pop up every now and again in 3/16" and 5/16" on ebay, but I find waiting for the right chisel there like watching grass grow. I would much rather find one when I need it, so if it were me, I'd probably try one of the carving chisels mentioned above.

[greg Forster]

Slightly off topic, but still...while looking at the chisels I have to see if they were graduated in 1/8s or 1/16s I noticed an early 2' folding rule I had bought and "put-up" for safe-keeping. On the one side, the numbers are marked out to 1/8" increments, on the other side the first ten inches are marked out to 1/16" and 1/8" from there on.