Question on Japanese Chisels brand

[Jim Tobias]

I have ventured over to the Neanderthal forum for some advice. I recently bought a little lumber and a few old tools from a retired woodworker.
I picked up these Japanese chisels but have no knowledge of brands of cheap/good/great Japanese chisels. Can anyone identify this brand and tell me if they are a decent quality of Japanese chisels??

Thanks,
Jim

270182270183

[Jack Curtis]

Probably fine, but the best thing to do is sharpen and test. If you like the results, you've got a keeper.

[Stuart Tierney]

Koyama Kinzoku.

Economical and good. Not 'great' or world beating, but they make a lot of stuff and it's generally considered to be decent value for money.


Caveat; I know them, I have an account with them and I sell quite a lot of their tools. I wouldn't do that if they weren't at least worth the effort.


Sharpen it up, go make something with it. It'll serve you well.

Stu.

(Waiting for some packing supplies to arrive...)

[Aaron Walters]

Sorry, I don't mean to hi-jack the thread. But, Stu what would you recommend as a great but reasonably priced japanese chisel. Thanks

[Stuart Tierney]

Sorry, I don't mean to hi-jack the thread. But, Stu what would you recommend as a great but reasonably priced japanese chisel. Thanks

I can't tell you that here, in public. The rules as they are here would be broken, or at least seriously mangled if I did mention names.

That's it really. My hands are tied. Sorry.

Stu.

[David Weaver]

Aaron speaking from experience: koyamaichi in white steel. If those are too expensive, let me know. They are very much worth the price.

[Jim Tobias]

Thanks to all for the feedback and advice. I suppose I will try to sharpen them up and see how they work.

Jim

[Chuck Darney]

Sorry, I don't mean to hi-jack the thread. But, Stu what would you recommend as a great but reasonably priced japanese chisel. Thanks

I have some Ouchi chisels that I'm very happy with. I have nothing to compare them to but they get VERY sharp and stay that way through a lot of wood.

[Andrew Bell]

are there any definitive resources for identifying japanese chisel / makers stamps?

I picked some up recently and have been trying to find their heritage to no avail.

[Stuart Tierney]

are there any definitive resources for identifying japanese chisel / makers stamps?

I picked some up recently and have been trying to find their heritage to no avail.

Not really. There are, but they're mostly in Japanese and not always reliable. You might try Daiku Dojo (google it) as they have some pictures that might help and in a language you can read.

Or, post a picture and someone should be able to identify them. If not, a decent picture on the business end can offer a lot of information.

Stu.

[David Weaver]

Just take them to a forum and post a picture. You'll run across several japanese speakers each time you do it and get a good description.

[David Wadstrup]

I've also become curious about Japanese chisels lately. What high end makers should I consider looking at? In other words, what maker do you think is the best? Your desert island, last a lifetime, if I could do it all over again, that's what credit cards are for set of chisels?

Thanks!

[David Weaver]

Tasai. Just get them from somewhere other than Japan Woodworker or you'll pay a lot extra for them.

Tomohito IIda has them: http://japantool-iida.com/chisel_bench/index.html

I don't think Stu lists them (toolsfromjapan.com), but I'm pretty sure he can get them. He would probably be the least expensive.

The best of the "expensive" chisels hold their edges for a very long time and are also compliant to sharpening (i.e., sharpen easily).

There are other good chisels out there, but of the working makers, akio tasai probably gets the most references for "holds an edge incredibly well and sharpens surprisingly easily"

Presume these aren't your first japanese chisels? If they are, I would get a couple of dummy $50 chisels to set the hoops on rather than $200-$300 each chisels from tasai so that you don't butcher the original handles on some very nice wares.

There is no guarantee that capability and quality are directly related to price with japanese chisels, so don't gawk at a $2000 set of chisels of a maker you've never heard of and nobody has ever mentioned and expect with 100% certainty that they will be wonderful. they may just be decorated chisels that work no better than a set costing 1/3rd of that amount.

[Jack Curtis]

Tasai are great and people I trust have said Imai are also (but the Fuji from Hida aren't Imai's top effort, just very good). If I were starting out today, I'd probably go with Koyamaichi white paper except for some special ultra thin Tasai paring chisels; and even those could be Koyamaichi if I could find some thickness specs.

Also, unless you have lots of money to spare, know that mokume/damascus steel adds nothing to chisel performance. The one exception to this are chisels with very thin shanks that the blacksmith had to use twisted mokume for added strength.

[Andrew Bell]

Thanks David, I'll post pics

[Frank Drew]

I have some Ouchi chisels that I'm very happy with. I have nothing to compare them to but they get VERY sharp and stay that way through a lot of wood.

Chuck,

That's also been my experience with these chisels.