What do you use for Small dovetails? (and Lee Valley detail chisels)

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I read the following thread:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?201021-PM-V11-in-1-8-quot-Would-you-get-one

And the following things jumped out at me:


Am I the only one holding back from jumping into the PM-V11 world because there's no 1/8"?


I want these in PM-V11 as well. The sizes 1/8", 3/16" and 1/4" are the ones I use most frequently for dovetail tails.


I want a 1/8" for chopping out small dovetails. Today I use a LN 1/8" chisel for that.


I have every 1/16" from 1/8" to 1/2" then every 1/8" to 1".


For my string inlay I actually use a 1/32"chisel from Blue Spruce, which I love.


Admittedly my needs are for special uses, but I use a 3/16 chisel regularly, in fact more than a 1/4" or 3/8". One of my friends who does a lot of string inlay uses a 1/8" chisel on almost every project and uses a 1/16" chisel even more. It all comes down to what types of work you do.

Let me start by saying that I am waiting for the promised smaller PM-V11 chisels, I already have the rest of the set.... I have a Stanley Sweet Heart 1/8" that works well.

When I make small dovetails, I pull out that Stanley chisel, as well as my the Lee Valley detail chisels

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=46035&cat=1,41504

Side note: I did not know that Blue Spruce made a 1/32" chisel until I read it here.

What do you use for cutting small dovetails? Does anyone els use the Lee Valley detail chisels? What else do you do with the smaller detail chisels?

[David Weaver]

A 1/8th chisel, any type is fine. If there ever was something you could make on your own, a chisel like that is it. You're never going to go deep depth with it and you're never going to hit it that hard.

[Mike Henderson]

David's correct that for many applications, any type of steel will make a good 1/8" (or smaller) chisel. I'm waiting for the LV PM-V11 1/8" chisel because I sometime make dovetails with small pins and need a small chisel, like a 1/8", to clean out between the tails. For that application, I am hitting the 1/8" chisel to chop through the wood and I found that the LV PM-V11 chisels held an edge longer than other types of steel.

It's not one of those required tools, however. I've been making them with my LN A2 1/8" and it works fine. It's just a question of how long the edge holds up and how often I have to go back to the stones. In the larger sizes of chisels, I found that the PM-V11 chisels held up longer.

And just a comment on a separate subject, the smallest chisel I have is a 2mm Hirsch. That's slightly wider than a 1/16".

Mike

[Andrew Pitonyak]

One thing that I particularly like about the "detail chisels" is that they have some that are thin and wide. Not always the most useful chisel, but if you have a bump that you want to take out while cutting in from the end, it works well. I will admit that this is less of a need as my technique improves -- and I have improved a lot since I last made a small set of dovetails.

[Chris Griggs]

I've been thinking about getting these in the 1/16 and 1/8.

http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/TBBC/item/IL-100-30.XX/Round_Back_Dovetail_Chisels_by_Ashley_Iles

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Interesting.... a name that I know and like.... and they have both 1/16 and 1/8.

[Ron Brese]

Czeck Edge Dovetail chisels are made specifically for dovetails and the shorter lengths helps keep everything within the same line of sight, which is especially helpful if you're using a mallet.

http://czeckedge.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=16&products_id=46

Ron

[Sean D Evans]

I have a 1/8" and 1/4" LV detail chisels. I use them for paring cuts on dovetails (which they are fine for) and very little else. If I had a good 1/8" bench chisel then I wouldn't miss either of the LV chisels if they vanished from my toolbox.
I did grind down a blue plastic handled Irwin chisel to 1/8". It works but is ugly.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Czeck Edge Dovetail chisels are made specifically for dovetails and the shorter lengths helps keep everything within the same line of sight, which is especially helpful if you're using a mallet.

Interesting set... Based on some other chisels that I like, I expect that I would enjoy those very much. Did they ever have anything narrower than 1/2"?

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I have a 1/8" and 1/4" LV detail chisels. I use them for paring cuts on dovetails (which they are fine for) and very little else. If I had a good 1/8" bench chisel then I wouldn't miss either of the LV chisels if they vanished from my toolbox.
I did grind down a blue plastic handled Irwin chisel to 1/8". It works but is ugly.

I considered grinding down my own, but fear that it would probably make your ugly chisel look like beautiful princess.... and mine would probably have no temper left in it :-)

For really small dovetails, I think that I would still miss the detail set because of the really thin chisel.

[david charlesworth]

A reground jigsaw blade makes a good small chisel. I wanted to inlay a small equilateral triangle, so ground the edges to just under 60 degrees. The bulk was wound with tape and it could be tapped with a hammer.

Best wishes,
David