Lets talk chisel sizes

[Derrell W Sloan]

I'm in the process of looking for some new chisels. Most chisels are offered in sets that usually range from 4 - 10 chisels. Now I can't see myself ever wanting a set of 10 chisels, but it got me thinking. What would be the minimum number of chisels you think you could get by with and what sizes would they be? If you were forced to I'm sure you could make due with just one, but that wouldn't be very practical. But could you happily get by with say 3? Lets assume these would be bench chisels used for working on furniture type projects, not building log cabins or anything like that. So lets hear it. What's the minimum number and sizes of chisels you could be content with?

[Greg R Bradley]

One more than you have at the time.

[Steve Meliza]

Greg has the correct answer.

What you need depends a lot on what you plan to use your chisels for and what type of joinery you use. Do you pare down a fat tenon with a 1.5" chisel or whip out the router plane? Do you cut off pegs using a flush cut saw or pare them off with a chisel? Does the glue squeeze out get cleaned up with a chisel or plane? Do you saw your tenon cheeks or split them off with chisel? Buy what you need as you need them.

[Derrell W Sloan]

I know the answer will probably be different for everyone. My question really has nothing to do with me. What I'm interested in is what others consider the minimum number and size that they (not me) could be content with for the work they (not me) do.

[paul cottingham]

I use a 1/4", 1/2", and 1" the most. I have a 1.5" chisel that I have ground to use as a paring chisel. Do I like having my other chisels? You bet. Could I live without them? Probably.
Just to be clear, I make craftsman style tables, and other such furniture for the most part.

[glenn bradley]

Just to add to the melee, I use 1/8", 1/4", 3/8" and 3/4" the most. I don't have anything wider than 1" but, do have a few of some sizes in differing formats; butt, paring, bench, dovetail. As much as I am attracted to shiny objects all in a row, I could survive without ever having a "complete" set of chisels from any one maker. The qualities I am after in a paring chisel have little to do with the one I am smacking with a mallet ;-)

[Mike Henderson]

I tend to use narrower chisels a lot more than wider chisels. So I could probably do with 1/8", 3/8", 1/2", and 5/8".

But unless you want to resharpen your one set a lot, it helps to have two sets, one for chopping and one for paring.

I'd be embarrassed to tell you how many chisels I have and how little use some of them get. I went on a kick of "collecting" old chisels but mostly I use modern chisels because of the better steel.

Mike

[Jamie Lynch]

I'm relatively new to hybrid work methods. I find myself using my 1/8", 1/4", 1/2 and 1" the most(so every size I have except 3/8" and 3/4"). I think I'd like to try out a wider chisel for paring tenons, but I'm able to get by with what I have.

[Jim Matthews]

I'm always using the 3/4" bench chisel.

When I've got something smaller (like between dovetails - if I've cut thin pins) I use a float after a coping saw.
I find that narrow chisels don't "register" well on a knife line and tend to twist if driven with a mallet.

I have two larger width paring chisels, one just under 1" and one around 1 1/2" that I go to for free hand paring.
I think the balance of a chisel is important, and that's dictated by what you're clearing away.

For me, it's either dadoes (almost always 3/4" wide) or cleaning up dovetails.
For carvers, or people that do more freehand work - more chisels might be necessary.

I think the balance (fore and aft, like a tennis racket) is overlooked in selecting chisels.

For instance, I like a paring chisel to be "head heavy" and want to tip down toward the workpiece.
For chopping, I like a chisel to be "neutral" without tendency to tip toward me or away.

[Lloyd Robins]

Just to add a couple of chisels to the small set idea. A wider chisel for a first class cut (see Chris Schwarz http://www.leevalley.com/en/newsletters/Woodworking/1/5/article1-3.htm ). I have a 1-1/4 inch for that, and I really like my fishtail chisel for cleaning up.

[Shawn Pixley]

I started with a set of six. Of that set, I really only use 4 (the smallest like Mike). I have acquired a few more (1/16". Skew chisels and fishtail chisels) each gets used for a particular task or two. My advice, start at 3-4 and get more when you have identified a need to yourself. Only you can define what your need given the way you work.

[Scott Stafford]

One more than you have at the time.

Snappy reply! Sadly, it sometimes appears to be the truth.

Scott in Montana

[Sean Hughto]

I would feel I did not have enough without all of the following. In order of frequency of use: 3/8; 1/2; 1/4; 5/8; 3/4; 1

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Using lots of vintage chisels ('cause that's what I ended up with) one thing I find surprisingly helpful is to have two chisels that are close - I don't how many of my chisels are exact sizes (except for my modern mortise chisels) but I've got two chisels, one almost 3/8" and one a just over 3/8, as an example. Particularly helpful if, unlike the plan, your tail sockets don't all end up the size you planned.

I probably do way too much of my work with a 40mm chisel. It's kind of my go to for everything where it fits.

My last project, I used a 1/4" mortise chisel (or whatever matched the plow plane iron I had), my 40mm chisel for trimming and some rough shaping. A maybe 3/8" chisel for the majority of the dovetails, with a 1/4" chisel for cleaning the corners. That's usually what I end up using the most, depending on the size of the dovetails. I don't make anything nearly as complex as some folks here, though. As I pick up more chisels, I find I really like being able to just grab another one if I feel the need, of course.

[Derek Cohen]

What I'm interested in is what others consider the minimum number and size that they (not me) could be content with for the work they (not me) do.

Let's see .. for dovetail tails I absolutely need a 1/8" and 1/4" for tails (and also use a 1/16", 3/16", 3/8"). For pins I could get away with just a 1/2" (but probably also need a 3/4" - the size I use most commonly - and, possibly, a 1").

If I was working in very hardwood, then these need to be a bench chisel that can be used with a hammer or mallet.

So, I could get away with a 1/8", 1/4" and 1/2" in a bench chisel - if taking you literally that was all I could have. However, I prefer not to force a chisel through wood if I have the option, and also benefit from wider chisels for cleaner long baseline, or dados (chiseling across the groove), or wasting rebates and cleaning up tenon cheeks. My preference is a Japanese paring chisel, and I have 1/4" through to 1 1/2". I could probably just get away with a 3/4" and 1 1/4" in these.

1/4" mortice chisel (however I also frequently use a 1/8" and 5/16").

Minimum number: 6 chisels.

Thankfully this is just theoretical! :)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Brian Ashton]

like everyone else, start off with a basic set and add as you build experience and learn about how you work. 36 years ago I started out by buying cheap but vary durable Stanley chisels. So the first set assembled was a 1/2, 1, and 1 1/2 inch, and added a 1/4 later when I started chopping mortices. At present I have 36 that range from 1/8 up to 1 1/2. They include the original 1/2, 1, 1 1/2 stanleys I first bought (the 1/4 died a premature death by getting snapped off in a mortice).

A basic range that I could easily get by with are 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and 1. The 1/4 will fill the shoes of a 3/8 and the 1/2 fill in where a 5/8 would be more suited... It's nice to have a 1/8 and a 1 1/2 but I could easily taylor my work to avoid needing the 1/8 and the 1 would not be quite as good as the 1 1/2 in certain situations but would be adequate. In 10 years you'd most likely have triple the number you started out with...

[Roy Lindberry]

I'm in the process of looking for some new chisels. Most chisels are offered in sets that usually range from 4 - 10 chisels. Now I can't see myself ever wanting a set of 10 chisels, but it got me thinking. What would be the minimum number of chisels you think you could get by with and what sizes would they be? If you were forced to I'm sure you could make due with just one, but that wouldn't be very practical. But could you happily get by with say 3? Lets assume these would be bench chisels used for working on furniture type projects, not building log cabins or anything like that. So lets hear it. What's the minimum number and sizes of chisels you could be content with?

I would say I use 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 the most, followed by a 1".

[Jim Koepke]

I know the answer will probably be different for everyone. My question really has nothing to do with me. What I'm interested in is what others consider the minimum number and size that they (not me) could be content with for the work they (not me) do.

My question is why limit oneself with the minimum.

If one wanted to limit the kind or size of work they are planning to do then maybe keeping the tools limited would be a good way to go.

My accumulation of chisels has about 10 in the 1/2" size, my most represented size. There are two flat/square sided chisels, two other flat sided chisels that were made into skew chisels, a mortise chisel and and 5 bevel edged with different degrees of side bevels and edge bevel angles. Most of my sizes have duplicates or other chisels of the same size set up for a different use. Some sizes are woefully underrepresented.

My 1/8" chisel doesn't get as much use as my 1-1/4" chisels.

If someone was planning on only doing London style dovetails, they may only need two chisels.

For my chisels there are basically 5 sets:

Paring chisels with thin blades and a shallow bevel angle.

Bevel edged chisels with heavier sides and longer blades.

Butt chisels are my short bevel edged chisels.

Firmer chisels or flat/square sided chisels.

And mortise chisels.

Then there are a few odd ball chisels that do not really fit in the above groupings.

jtk

[Andrew Pitonyak]

The answer is so strongly skewed towards what you will do with them.

When I do small dovetails, I like this set of 5, amazing (Veritas detail Chisels):

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

Normal size dovetails to even a bit larger ones, here is a more standard set of 5 (Veritas Bench Chisels):

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=69847&cat=1,41504

I expect that you could pretty easily get by with the standard set of 5 listed above, especially if you added an 1/8" chisel, say from this Stanley Sweetheart set

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=67689&cat=1,41504

I occasionally use a chisel larger than 1", but I am not cutting mortises or similar. I will admit to having three mortise chisels, however, nothing larger than 1/2".

[Joe Mioux]

Five or six

[Jim Matthews]

I have acquired a few more (1/16". ) each gets used for a particular task or two. My advice, start at 3-4 and get more when you have identified a need to yourself. Only you can define what your need given the way you work.

Good advice, lest you end up with a drawer full that are never used, but you "Can't bear to part with".

I don't work so fine as this - what is the 1/16th chisel for? How do you get a predictable edge on something so small?
I'm merely curious, here.

[Shawn Pixley]

Good advice, lest you end up with a drawer full that are never used, but you "Can't bear to part with".

I don't work so fine as this - what is the 1/16th chisel for? How do you get a predictable edge on something so small?
I'm merely curious, here.

The 1/16" chisel was purchased to help clean out 1/16" saw cuts that were a reveal in some project. Now, I use it to clean up miter feathers or get in small places - clean up a small stopped dado, a small inlay cavity, or a small groove to house a small tongue.

Sharpening is a bit of a trick. I use a jig to get reproducability on the stones. It is easy to rock it to one side if only using hands to guide / sharpen.

[Ryan Baker]

3/8 and 5/8 (or 3/4) cover most all of my needs. Occasionally I need something larger (like 1.25") and something smaller -- 3/16 would be great if I had one (1/8 is too small and 1/4 is often too big). I've never been a big fan of the standard sets of four or five chisels on the quarter inches.

[Curt Putnam]

Minimum number ~ 60 ( have a problem)
Minimum size = 1/16"

[Jim Koepke]

Minimum number ~ 60 ( have a problem)
Minimum size = 1/16"

Does that include the cranked necks? If so, that is a bit on the low side... :cool:


jtk

[Adam Cherubini]

I have a few hundred chisels in my shop but I regularly use somewhere around 20 chisels. For cabinetry I think I could get away with:
firmers in 1/16th increments from 1/8th to 5/8".
wide firmer/parers 7/8", plus one larger size. I really like having something over 1" to pare.
Mortisers- I mostly use 1/4" and 5/16, tho I used 3/16 on my last case project. If I could have only one, I'd choose 5/16".
I probably wouldnt be happy with less than 10 or 12 chisels.

I think chisels are misunderstood and under utilized tools. I enjoy using chisels. For me, they are fun to use. And good chisels are more fun to use than poor chisels.

[Jim Matthews]

I have a few hundred chisels in my shop...

This illustrates the principle of gravitational attraction.
Ferrous bodies exert a strong pull on others of the same era.

I believe that has something to do with the magnetic field generated by the spinning core of the Earth.
Rust seems to amplify the effect.

One must be careful not to have too many, lest a cravat become a required accessory for proper dress. :rolleyes:

****

It's one of my great joys to have Big Dogs like yourself come play in the Creek.
Any articles in the works?

[Mike Holbrook]

I ask a similar question in a thread over a year ago. It seemed the smaller chisels were more popular then too. 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 and quite a few for 1/8 and 3/16. There also seemed to be a contingent who liked a wide short "buttish" chisel for cleaning larger tenons, marking lines...1 1/2> 2".

[Derrell W Sloan]

Thanks everyone, I'm enjoying seeing all the responses. Adam, since you have so many chisels to choose from, which are your favorite?

[Roy Griggs]

Let's see, 1/8", 1/4", 3/8" & 1/2" mortice chisels.

3/16", 1/4", 3/4" BE socket (750's)but I'm keeping both sets I have!!

1/4", 3/4", & 1 1/2" sq. side paring chisels...harlequin set of old makers.

1/4", 3/8", & 1/2" true butt chisels (set of 4 Woodrivers, better chisels than I expected)

R & L 1/4" Skew chisels, I don't really use the bigger sizes.

Those are the ones I use regularly. I also keep a set of 1/4" thru 1 1/2" Stanley #60's that I consider carpenter chisels. A set of blue plastic handled Marples for rough work (I pound on these with a mallet rather than on my Kingwood handled 750's).

No, I don't have a problem with chisels...

[Mike Holbrook]

I am wondering how the imperial vs metric sizing plays into this? Although posters are listing imperial sizes for Japanese chisels I believe they come in metric. Some people seem to like between sizes, 3/16, 5/16 for instance, yet I do not find many of these sizes for sale. A 9mm is about .35" between 1/4" (.25") and 3/8 (.375"). So when posters refer to a 5/16" might they actually have a 9mm?

I can see where it might be handy to have metric size chisels that are slightly smaller or larger than imperial sizes. 9mm for instance seems like a good mortise size, if one wanted a little larger than 1/4....It seems like metric and imperial could actually compliment each other, as a slightly smaller or larger chisel might be handy. Yet I know many are "afraid" of the metric sizing and seem to feel it causes confusion.

[Jim Koepke]

A 5/16" would be closer to 8mm. 9mm is closer to 11/32". It may be from wood starting out at 4/4 being smoothed down to 15/16". In that case, 5/16" would be the natural third for a mortise and tenon joint.

Interesting in the world of wood where my 18mm chisel is also marked 3/4". In the world of automobiles, 3/4" and 19mm are interchangeable. The majority of automobile lug nut/bolts use that size wrench.

Besides the normal variance in manufacturing it would surprise me if a lot of the variance in chisel sizes wasn't due to previous owners lapping the sides.

One of my chisels is a Defiance. It originally looked like it still had saw marks on the sides. They have been mostly lapped out. It may have been an original Bailey Defiance chisel that is now worth less to collectors because it doesn't have the saw marks. Like I care... To me, the smoother sides are preferable.

jtk

[Mike Holbrook]

Jim I choose the 9mm size as it was an available size in a specific type of chisels Stu carries that does not offer a 8mm. I have also noticed the various differences in conversion of metric to imperial. I have seen both 9 & 100mm called 3/8", 12 & 13mm= 1/2"..... So I imagine it is safe to assume that posters here are using close approximations to standard, largely 1/4 or 1/8 increments, to keep things reasonably easy to follow? I realize that restoring chisels is also going to create the same sort of variation, especially if I am doing the restoring ;-)

[Chris Griggs]

But could you happily get by with say 3? Lets assume these would be bench chisels used for working on furniture type projects, not building log cabins or anything like that.

I think I could do pretty well with just 1/8 or 1/4, a 3/8, and a 3/4. I use my 1/4 and 3/8 an awful lot, probably more than any others. For most things where I want a somewhat wider chisel I like a 3/4" because its easier to push through the wood then a really really wide chisel. My 1" sees limited use and my 1/2" really only gets used when its about the right size for HBDT sockets. I do use a 1.5" stanley 750 an awful lot, but its more of a marking/layout tool to me than a chopping or paring tool....the wide 750 is very nice to have, its one of my favorite tools, but that said its be no means essential too me.

Yes, the more I think about it the more I think that a 3/4", a 3/8" and one smaller chisel (1/8, 3/16, 1/4 whatever) would do most of what I need without a lot of sacrifice. That's where I'd start.

[Jim Koepke]

I have seen both 9 & 100mm called 3/8", 12 & 13mm= 1/2"..... So I imagine it is safe to assume that posters here are using close approximations to standard

That is another one, 12mm vs 13mm. 1/2" is actually 12.7mm. In the world of wood, my recollection is my 12mm chisel is also marked 1/2".

In the world of automobiles, there is no way to get a 12mm wrench to fit on a 1/2" nut or bolt without the touch of a file or grinder. BTW, a 1/2" wrench will usually be tight on a 13mm bolt or nut.

Woodworking is less precise than machine work so the designations do not matter as much.

Where it can really be a bit strange is in the world of boring tools. Fortunately we do not see a lot of metric auger or other drill bits in the U.S.

Here is a chart I made up years ago:


Metric to Sae wrench sizes. 6.5mm is common in many wrench sets. A t next to the wrench size indicates this wrench will be tight on its equivilent size nut, i.e. a 14mm wrench is snug on a 9/16 nut.

Millimeters --- Inch
6 --- N/A
6.5 -- 1/4t
7 --- N/A
8 --- 5/16
9 --- 11/32t
10 --- N/A
11t -- 7/16
12 --- N/A
13 --- 1/2t
14t -- 9/16
15 --- 19/32 (not common)
16 --- 5/8
17 --- N/A
18 --- N/A
19 --- 3/4 (This is such a perfect match, it is used internationally for automobile wheel nuts)
20 --- N/A
21 --- N/A
22t -- 7/8
32 --- 1-1/4 If memory serves me well, this is the size of the hub nut on the rear axle of Volks Wagons before '68 or so.

N/A = No common size available.

That has 7 metric sizes throughout the range not covered by an SAE wrench set.
3/16 would be tight on a 5mm, neither size is included with most sets.
Three common SAE sizes, 3/8, 11/16 and 15/16 are not covered by the metric sizes.

There are also comprehensive charts available online. I have a few, some do not show fractions. Some show drill sizes. Such charts come in handy in the shop at times.

Also not noted in this is that the 5/X" seem to relate well across the size spectrum. A 5/32" will be 4mm (3.9688mm) and 5/64" will be 2mm (1.9844mm).

jtk

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

The only time I worry about the exact size of a tool is when I'm "slaving" them to each other - if I'm making a frame and panel door, I don't really care if my 1/4" mortise chisel is really a quarter inch, just that's it's an appropriate size for the stock I'm mortising, and that it's the same size as the plow iron I'm using to groove the rails and stiles. The quarter inch chisel I use for a lot of dovetails I'm sure isn't spot-on, but the size looks right where I'm using it.

Outside of matching tools to each other, the only time I could see being overly concerned about the size of my tools was if I was trimming a dado or something to fit another piece of wood - except I don't often thickness my wood to perfect dimensions, and the sheet goods or surfaced boards I use aren't really spot-on size anyway. For something like a dadoed shelf, I find it easier to make a slightly undersized female joint, and then rabbet the the mating piece with my fillester to fit. Although I have ground down an extra plow blade to better fit some ply I was using for door panels.

Am I missing an occasion where precise sizing of the tools and the metric/imperial difference really matters for hand-tool work? As long as my sizes match each other where needed, and complement each other as a set of sizes, I'm not finding a real reason to be overly stuffy about the difference between metric and imperial marked tools.

[Tony Wilkins]

Since Mr. Cherubini has thrown in his two cents, I pulled this article of his from the back of my memory. Seems to me to have at least a tangential reference for the question at hand: http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/arts-mysteries-blogs/whats-wrong-with-the-standard-set-of-chisels

[Derby Matthews]

I use a 2-1/2" slick a surprising amount of the time now. When I saw an article on middle eastern craftsmen doing fine work with just a few crude tools (the slick was one of them) it made me wonder how, so I tried it. What I found is the the extra mass of the chisel combined with the long handle (and very sharp edge) made short work of most paring jobs even in circumstances I would not have thought advisable at all. Still use my small chisels when needed but my carpal tunnels really like this "new method"