cheap wood chisel's?

[Deuce Lee]

All,

Newbie on chisels. Just trying to figure out if the peachtree deal (http://www.ptreeusa.com/edirect_030813.htm) is worth it's money value wise vs other everyday deals (http://www.amazon.com/Neiko-9-Piece-Carving-Vanadium-Aluminum/dp/B003X5KF04/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1363258369&sr=8-3&keywords=chisel+set) on amazon. The peachtree is $28 shipped. The Neiko for example has 2x the number of chisels and $50 shipped.

Want to know if there's a better deal elsewhere or if I even need to jump on the peachtree deal. Or if I don't to rush anything since the amazon deal is just as good, and I can wait until I really need it and buy whatever's there at the time. I'm expecting to need it later this spring.

thanks,
Deuce

[Rich Engelhardt]

Newbie on chisels.
Harbor Freight,,,,,,
$4.99 on sale for a 4 chisel set.

Getting a set of chisels is less than half the battle.

Getting a sharp working edge on the chisels is more than half of the battle.

A $5 set of chisel shaped metal objects will allow you to hone your sharpening skills ;).

An added plus is - they aren't half bad chisels - but - w/the rough finish they have they need a whole lot of work to get them useable..
Which is sort of the point to begin with - learn the mysterious art of honing a chisle...
I have a couple of sets I use as "beaters" for onsite work.

[david brum]

Agree with Rich. Along with the chisels, you need a sharpening strategy in order to make them useable. For starters, you might want to also look at a honing jig and a flat surface such as a thick piece of glass for sandpaper sharpening.

That said, according to a chisel test from Fine Woodworking, the best deal on chisels are the Narex from the Czech Republic. They have really good steel and they're pretty cheap. Lee Valley (http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=67707&cat=1,41504) has them and they're currently running a free shipping deal. The Peachtree chisels sort of look like Narex, buy you'd have to ask them. I wouldn't expect Neiko or any Chinese chisels to give long term satisfaction. They are generally using a softer steel, designed more for carpentry work.

Rich's ideas isn't a bad one either. You can get Harbor Freight chisels and learn on them. The steel won't be worse than any other inexpensive chisels. After you've perfected your sharpening technique, you can upgrade to nicer ones. Then you've got some beater chisels for tasks you wouldn't do with your nice chisels.

[Ole Anderson]

My sharpening system consists of a granite block (overkill, I know) with strips of 180, 400 and 600 psa strips of sandpaper with one of those roller jigs to hold the chisel. My full set is the Sheffield Marples from a friend who knows nothing about woodworking and likely picked them up at Sam's Club. They work fine for my limited use of chisels. Frankly my go-to chisel is a utility steel shank Stanley in the 3/4" size. Seems to hold an edge much longer than I think it should.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Rich's advice to learn honing is a great starter. Properly sharpened, any old piece of steel will function as a chisel theoretically. Why not start on something a little better though, and find a few "antique" ones on ebay that strike your fancy, and learn with them. Generally speaking, the good old brands will have better steel than the new cheapies. Whitherby, Swann, Barton, Berg (not usually cheap), Stanley and the like used to make great chisels.

[Chris Barnett]

I bought a damaged piece of marble tile from Lowes (corner broken, only $1...they should have given it away but...) to which I attach sandpaper. It is lightweight but if broken, no big loss. Thinking about stopping by the folks who cut and polish marble for counters and getting a thick piece so I can get some exercise hefting onto my workbench ;). Only problem I see with cheap chisels is that they probably will not keep an edge, if you can actually get an edge on the soft steel to keep. If you can find some old chisels at a flea market [not discarded junk that was thrown away] , seems chance would be better at finding suitable steel.

[Joe Angrisani]

That said, according to a chisel test from Fine Woodworking, the best deal on chisels are the Narex from the Czech Republic. They have really good steel and they're pretty cheap. Lee Valley (http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=67707&cat=1,41504)has them and they're currently running a free shipping deal.....

+1 on the Narex chisels. I bought a set from Lee Valley when the bevel edge version came out. Been quite happy with them.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Check out the new Stanley FatMax series. I don't know how many come in those sets you mentioned, but the Stanleys are around 10 buck per, give or take, depending where you shop. I got some for less than 10 bucks on clearance at *mart locally. They come with a full tang all the way through the handle, so you can use them as a beater set. I was pleasantly surprised at the edge it took. Not saying they are the greatest by any means, but for a "good" beater set, check them out.

[John W Johnson]

+1 on the Narex chisels. I bought a set from Lee Valley when the bevel edge version came out. Been quite happy with them.

Those are excellent chisels for the money, they take an edge well and hold it okay. I've got nicer chisels now that I use for dovetailing, but those Narex still get a lot of work. I bought a couple of extras in the 10mm size and re-ground them on an angle to use as skew chisels. I have one that I use to help dig nail fragments out of the reclaimed timber we use. And due to the cost if I chip a tip, it doesn't hurt my feelings. Highland Hardware also sells them, and I have seen others rebranded that look identical.

[Joe Angrisani]

.....but those Narex still get a lot of work. I bought a couple of extras in the 10mm size....

Just want to clarify that the set I got from Lee Valley (they call them Narex Classic Bevel Edge Chisels) are true fractional size. The 1/4" is 0.25" and the 1/2" is 0.5" within a thousandth or two. All fractional sizes in my set are that close to true fractions. I know some places sell them metric, but mine (and Lee V's) are not.

With the current free shipping special, the 4-piece 1/4", 1/2", 3/4", 1" set is going to be hard to beat at $42.50. Maybe add a 3/8" for $10.90.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=67707&cat=1,41504

[Pinwu Xu]

Agree with Rich. Along with the chisels, you need a sharpening strategy in order to make them useable. For starters, you might want to also look at a honing jig and a flat surface such as a thick piece of glass for sandpaper sharpening.

That said, according to a chisel test from Fine Woodworking, the best deal on chisels are the Narex from the Czech Republic. They have really good steel and they're pretty cheap. Lee Valley (http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=67707&cat=1,41504) has them and they're currently running a free shipping deal. The Peachtree chisels sort of look like Narex, buy you'd have to ask them. I wouldn't expect Neiko or any Chinese chisels to give long term satisfaction. They are generally using a softer steel, designed more for carpentry work.

Rich's ideas isn't a bad one either. You can get Harbor Freight chisels and learn on them. The steel won't be worse than any other inexpensive chisels. After you've perfected your sharpening technique, you can upgrade to nicer ones. Then you've got some beater chisels for tasks you wouldn't do with your nice chisels.

Bought a set of the HF chisels several years ago, thought that for $.50 a chisel, I could try. Better not, as the HF ones are so soft (at least mines are). the $.50 could be used to get chisels from garage sale or flea mkt. My toughest (sharpest, and stays sharp longer) is a chisel bought at gs, handle painted red, for $1.

So forget HF chisel here, go with Narex, both Lee Valley and Highland have it.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Better not, as the HF ones are so soft (at least mines are). the $.50 could be used to get chisels from garage sale or flea mktOTOH - if the idea is to get the knack of sharpening down, soft steel - that's easily honed - is a good thing.

[Paul Wunder]

Another Vote for Narex Rated best value by Fine Woodworking magazine at about $6 each

[John W Johnson]

Just want to clarify that the set I got from Lee Valley (they call them Narex Classic Bevel Edge Chisels) are true fractional size. The 1/4" is 0.25" and the 1/2" is 0.5" within a thousandth or two. All fractional sizes in my set are that close to true fractions. I know some places sell them metric, but mine (and Lee V's) are not.

With the current free shipping special, the 4-piece 1/4", 1/2", 3/4", 1" set is going to be hard to beat at $42.50. Maybe add a 3/8" for $10.90.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=67707&cat=1,41504


Good to know, I've had mine for a long time, and might have gotten the first set from Highland Hdwe. I just know they are really good chisels for the price. After I made the post I looked in my tool box last night and I have about ten Narex total, some with brown handles but mostly blonde. I guess my first set was unfinished and came from HH, and the odd pieces came stained from LV. My 'nail digger' chisel is only maybe 1/4" shorter than its brothers. No telling how many times I've had to regrind that chisel after chipping the edge. It's dug a lot of nails and wire out of pine boards.

[Don Jarvie]

Go with the Narex. For the money they are a good deal until you want to get a better set. I have the Marples blue before they were sold to Irvin and are adequate. While they work well they don't hold the edge long especially in hardwoods so I'm looking to get Lie Nielsons.

Once you start using them more you will realize why they are cheap.

[Deuce Lee]

thanks for the input guys...i'll look into those narex's...

[Dave Cav]

And another vote for the Narex. I have both the mortisers and a set of the true inch bevel edge. Excellent every day general purpose chisels. I still use my vintage sockets for paring, though.