New chisel day . . .

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Got this a few days ago, and still need to put a final edge on it, although I've played with it a bit. The paring chisel thread a day or two ago made me think about it again. The price I payed isn't quite gloat-worthy, but I'm pleased considering I picked it up on the auction site. I've been picking up things from English sellers lately - the shipping isn't nearly as bad as I'd expect - I've payed more for shipping for things from the west coast, and there seems to be fewer bidders on the English items, so the overall price ends up being lower. I've got some in-cannel gouges coming soon from another English seller.

Stanley #4 for scale - it's a large piece of steel!

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Not quite as thin as my other paring chisels - but it's not quite a firmer either. Not a super delicate tool, but it's got that bit of flex I like in a paring-type chisel. (I'm not sure *why* exactly I like that, but it sees to help in placing the bevel where I need it if nothing else.
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Hard to see here, but seems like a tool steel / backing steel thing going on.
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For whatever reason, I've got a sweet-spot for these shamrock-logo Marples tools. No idea how old they are. Some of my others say cast steel, some of them just say Sheffield like this one.
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Nice boxwood handle on it, too.
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The length and size of it make it really nice in use - you can brace it against your shoulder, or just really get behind the blade - I think I get almost as much concentrated force behind the blade as I do with a mallet blow, and it's really controllable. There's a video I've seen (I think it was mentioned in Whelan's wooden plane book, and I then found it later online if I remember correctly, but I can't for the life of me find the darn thing now) of French plane-makers (or maybe it was video from the final years of the Marples factory? I remember the video being connected to a college somehow? Maybe I'm confusing two videos . .. ) driving a chisel mostly with shoulder pressure for cleaning throat mortises - having a tool of this size really makes that approach make sense. You can really get the force needed behind the tool while still maintaing precise control, although I'll probably use this tool for more delicate work.

[Jim Koepke]

Looks like a nice one.

What size is it?

It looks to be about 1-1/4". A few of mine are that size and used a lot. Only a few of them know the fall of a mallet.

Only a few items with the Marples mark are in my accumulation. Mostly some old center bits that barely fit in my braces.

jtk

[Chris Griggs]

Sweet chisel...that's look like it will be very very nice to use. Same question as Jim...how wide?

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Not quite handy to measure, (I'm not venturing far from the coffee pot just yet . . . ) but was sold to me as 32mm - so about an inch and a quarter. No idea how spot on that is to either measurement, but it's right about there. Good eye, Jim!

[Jim Koepke]

Not quite handy to measure, (I'm not venturing far from the coffee pot just yet . . . ) but was sold to me as 32mm - so about an inch and a quarter. No idea how spot on that is to either measurement, but it's right about there. Good eye, Jim!

Knowing the width of the #4 made it somewhat easy to guess the size.

From my old VW days, 32mm and 1-/4" are about the same. (actually 32mm=1.25984")

For much of my work, that is a handy size.

jtk

[Kees Heiden]

You probably mean this viseo from the two Swiss planemakers.
http://www.rts.ch/archives/tv/culture/suisse-au-fil-du-temps/3464421-les-outils-de-bois.html

[David Weaver]

Love the old tang chisels with forged bolsters. I've managed to come up with a few, but they aren't often cheap unless you find them somewhere off the beaten path.

[Stu Gillard]

There's quite a few of the Marples Shamrock tools floating around here in Australia due to our English heritage.
They are some of my preferred bench chisels. The 1/2" and 1" live on my bench. The 1" has the added benefit of not rolling off the bench :D.
My goto #4 smoother is a Shamrock as well. If you can get them cheaply, I'd recommend them.

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[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Yeah, my go-to bench chisels (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?167869-Old-marples-chisels) right now are shamrock Marples as well, though the handles while still boxwood are replacements. I've a quarter inch paring chisel that I really liked but it's developed a nasty habit of chipping away at the slightest glance in the middle.

I've never found any of these locally, and although I've found a handful of nice chisels locally, it's a bit too much work looking for them, and the most of what I stumble across seems pretty picked over. It seems like there's still good deals on the auction site, however, if you're willing to look overseas. I got this from England, but even with shipping payed half of what Jim Bode-driven prices seem to be on the same chisels.