Butt Chisel Recommendation

[Kent Adams]

I'm really trying hard to get into using hand tools, but its a bit frustrating as the skill required is a magnitude higher than power tools, not to mention the patience.

I bought a 1" Robert Sorby butt chisel and I wasn't too impressed. The brass ring around the strike area immediately fell off after pulling out the chisel the first time. It didn't seem sharp straight out of the package. Maybe this is normal. I'm using the chisel to make a mortise for a hinge. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good sharp chisel straight from the factory and a preferred hand sharpening method/stone for a first timer to learn on? Price is not a consideration for me so please recommend as you see fit. I'd like something well made, high quality steel and easy to sharpen. Thanks in advance.

BTW, I'm looking at these but want other's recommendations as well:

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

[Matthew N. Masail]

Hi Kent,

No chisel except maybe Lee Valley and or Lie Nielsen will come sharp enough for use, because there is little benefit for this. you'll need to sharpen soon enough and people also prefer to set-up the chisels the way they like them.

if I were buying butt chisels I'd get these https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/TBBC/item/IL-100-20.XX

also get 1 or two decent but cheap chisels off e-bay so you can practice your sharpening.

for sharpening equipment, I's suggest a shapton 1000 grit + Naniwa Snow-White 8000 grit + Atoma 400 diamond plate to keep them flat. glue the shapton to a piece of tempered glass and you'll have a fantastic setup. also throw in a 500 and 1000 dual stone diamond plates, the small ones are about 12$ and are great for many tools and the 500 grinds steel very well. don't buy too much it will just confuse you! you could always add more stones in the future.

check out this channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCswplWFmxpdxvepK7zDpcow for really good sharpening pointers.

edit: the sharpening stuff can be had at "tools from japan . com:

[Mike Cherry]

Matthew gave some great advice. I would just mention that in my experience, the chisels that you are looking at require very little(if any) flattening required to get to work. Essentially they are ready to polish as soon as you get them. LN chisels sometimes require slightly more prep. I have a 2" butt chisel from Lee Valley with pmv-11 steel and it is very nice and I use it quite often.
The chisels that Matthew linked to, the Ashley Iles, have been on my radar as well. I might buy just one chisel to try out. The better I get at sharpening, the more I find myself leaning towards O1 steels. Those chisels are all O1. Food for thought. Good luck!

[Kent Adams]

Matthew, thanks for the advice and links. I think I'll buy one of those chisels you linked to as well as the stones. It appears like they have my size in stock. I'm going to throw in the Veritas one as well for comparison.

[glenn bradley]

I've been very happy with the Lee Valley PM-V11 butt chisels (http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=70931&cat=1,41504)but, rarely strike them; usually just a tapping effort. If I am doing hinge mortises that required a kind of hogging-out where I need to mallet them home I have some Lee Valley "regular" butt chisels (http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=30029&cat=1,41504) for that.

[Kent Adams]

I've been very happy with the Lee Valley PM-V11 butt chisels (http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=70931&cat=1,41504)but, rarely strike them; usually just a tapping effort. If I am doing hinge mortises that required a kind of hogging-out where I need to mallet them home I have some Lee Valley "regular" butt chisels (http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=30029&cat=1,41504) for that.

Glenn, would you say the V11's are a cross between a striking chisel and a pairing chisel? Please excuse my ignorance on this. Maybe this is a useful bit of info, I'm using the chisel to mortise out small hinges on boxes. I have literally no learned technique, just learning to use along the way.

[bob blakeborough]

Glenn, would you say the V11's are a cross between a striking chisel and a pairing chisel? Please excuse my ignorance on this. Maybe this is a useful bit of info, I'm using the chisel to mortise out small hinges on boxes. I have literally no learned technique, just learning to use along the way.A butt chisels is absolutely made for striking. The LV PMV11 will take a serious beating on and beg for more! The thing is they are really sweet and beautiful tools and some people just can't bring themselves to beat on such a nice tool. I personally think a tool should be used for what it was made for or you might as well have gotten something you are comfortable using to its abilities...

[lowell holmes]

A butt chisels is absolutely made for striking. The LV PMV11 will take a serious beating on and beg for more! The thing is they are really sweet and beautiful tools and some people just can't bring themselves to beat on such a nice tool. I personally think a tool should be used for what it was made for or you might as well have gotten something you are comfortable using to its abilities...

As will the Lie Nielsen chisels. You pay your money and take your choice.

I have tools from both vendors.

[Mike Henderson]

I bought a set of the Woodcraft butt chisels and have been satisfied with them - I think they go under the trade name WoodRiver. I rarely use them, just when a regular chisel won't fit into the space.

Mike

[Jim Koepke]

Kent,

If you are buying new, the Lee Valley chisels are a good investment, likely to keep you happy for years to come.

My butt chisels are a bit of a contrarian group. Mostly they were inexpensive finds on ebay, junk shops and antique stores. With a half dozen chisels there are about 6 different makers.

jtk

[Kent Adams]

Thanks for the recommendation Mike. Can you tell me what a regular chisel is?

[Dave Parkis]

Personally, I doubt you'll find any chisel 100% ready to go when its delivered. The LV are probably the best value, but the LN chisels are also very good. If money isn't an object, I suggest you look into the Blue Spruce chisels. They are exceptional. There are also some excellent Japanese chisels available from Stu at Tools from Japan. HTH.

[Bill Houghton]

Me, I'd look for Stanley No. 60 butt chisels - the yellow-handled ones - at yard sales. They're under-respected chisels, very good steel. Look for the older ones with the steel cap on top of the handle.

[Matt Radtke]

I recently picked up a set of Narex Butt chisels from eBay...well, I guess several months ago by now.

I found the lands to be ground better than the comparable WoodRiver line, which were also on my list. I want to say you can find them for $39.95 on eBay if you just search for "Narex Butt chisel."

[Tom M King]

The reason they are called "butt" chisels is because you need a short one to finish the bottom of the top mortise, and top of the bottom mortise on a door jamb for hinge butts. I don't have any other use for a butt chisel, so one no. 60 1-1/2" completely fulfills the need.

[lowell holmes]

The reason they are called "butt" chisels is because you need a short one to finish the bottom of the top mortise, and top of the bottom mortise on a door jamb for hinge butts. I don't have any other use for a butt chisel, so one no. 60 1-1/2" completely fulfills the need.

I have several Stanley 60's in my collection from the 70's. I like them if I'm not in the shop, but need a chisel. I find the metallurgy to be good. They sharpen well and edge retention is sometimes remarkable. With the metal cap on them, you can whack them good and they hold up.

[David Eisenhauer]

Your original question concerned which chisels to buy and Matt also described a sharpening system to go along with the chisel recommendation. Do not negate the value of the sharpening system as that is at least 50% of the "working with chisels" equation. I recommend going through Stu at "Tools From Japan" for your sharpening needs by letting him know what kind of steel is used for the chisels you select and what you have in mind. I use a Sigma Power II stone set with an Atoma flattener (from Stu), but Shapton/Sigma is almost a Ford/Chevy thing. There will be a slight learning curve on sharpening and there are some excellent instructional videos and books available for both sharpening and chisel use. Many folks have been disappointed after buying either a chisel set or a hand plane and finding out that it is not quite as simple as they perceived it to be. Neither sharpening or hand tool use is rocket science, but both disciplines have their own sets of "tricks of the trade" that assist in more easily and accurately accomplishing the task.

[glenn bradley]

Glenn, would you say the V11's are a cross between a striking chisel and a pairing chisel? Please excuse my ignorance on this. Maybe this is a useful bit of info, I'm using the chisel to mortise out small hinges on boxes. I have literally no learned technique, just learning to use along the way.

I do use them for paring a bit when cutting out the mortise. I also hit them with a mallet. I do not hog out mortise and tenons with them so no beating required ;-) If your chisels are sharp, a bit of tapping with a good weight mallet will cut small box hinges with ease.

I tend to mark them with a wheel gauge.

322432

Tap across the fibers.

322433

and sort of pare the waste out.

322431 . 322434

[Kent Adams]

Thanks Dave for the reinforcement on the sharpening. I think my first purchase is going to be the stones because I have a few chisels now I'll try to sharpen to get the hang of it before I purchase new chisels.

[Kent Adams]

Thanks Glenn for the follow up with the pictures of the Veritas. Is there a reason you chose the wider one? It looks to be the 1 1/2". I was thinking of starting off with the 1" one but if you recommend the wider one, perhaps I'll go with that one.

[Kent Adams]

Matthew, what do you think of this combination to start off with?

Shapton 5000 Grit Wine
Shapton 8000 Grit Melon
Shapton 1000 Grit

These stones all together are pretty expensive, but I'd rather buy once and cry so to speak.

[Warren Mickley]

In 1978 I found myself working in a joiner shop at a historic site with an older man. As we waited for visitors to arrive I looked over the tools to see what we had to work with. The other man later told me when I put down a plane on its side he couldn't wait to see if I would do the same with the next plane. He said he didn't care how I put the plane down, but it was a sign that I was particular.

He told me he had never gotten a chisel sharp enough to shave with (no forum or U tube in those days) and I said I could certainly do that for him. Then I had a moment of panic; I could easily do that with my chisels and my stones at home, but could I do so with the chisels and stones available? I found a fine grained 19th century chisel and a Norton medium India (or maybe silicon carbide) and soft Arkansas combination stone and a clean strop. In a short time I had him shaving his arm.

Such a stone costs $50 or less and will indeed get your chisel sharp enough to shave with.

[Kent Adams]

Great story Warren as well as a good lesson.

[Frederick Skelly]

In 1978 I found myself working in a joiner shop at a historic site with an older man. As we waited for visitors to arrive I looked over the tools to see what we had to work with. The other man later told me when I put down a plane on its side he couldn't wait to see if I would do the same with the next plane. He said he didn't care how I put the plane down, but it was a sign that I was particular.

He told me he had never gotten a chisel sharp enough to shave with (no forum or U tube in those days) and I said I could certainly do that for him. Then I had a moment of panic; I could easily do that with my chisels and my stones at home, but could I do so with the chisels and stones available? I found a fine grained 19th century chisel and a Norton medium India (or maybe silicon carbide) and soft Arkansas combination stone and a clean strop. In a short time I had him shaving his arm.

Such a stone costs $50 or less and will indeed get your chisel sharp enough to shave with.

Great story and good information for me Warren. Thank you!
Fred

[Stew Denton]

Kent,

There are a bunch of guys who have posted already who have forgotten more about chisels than I will ever know. That said, no one has answered your question about paring chisels vs firmer chisels (the kind you can use with a mallet.) That said, there is a 3rd kind of chisel, that you also hit with a mallet, which are used to cut mortises and designed to take very serious beatings, but you were asking about paring chisels and firmer chisels.

I currently have no paring chisels in good shape, I have some but haven't made good handles for them yet, but instead try to sharpen my firmer chisels like a paring chisel if I need one. I have quite a few cheaper firmer chisels, so this isn't a problem.

Paring chisels typically have fairly long thin blades, and are sharpened to a lower angle than are firmer chisels. I think that a lot of folks talk about 20 degrees being common, but also know it depends a little on the wood you are working. This lower angle helps when you are paring away wood by hand, which is the typical application. It also seems like the handles you see on some of the traditional paring chisels are slimmer than some of the firmer chisels. Paring chisels should never be struck with a mallet, perhaps lightly with the heal of your hand, but never with a mallet. They are used in hand to pare away wood.

Firmer chisels usually have shorter blades than do paring chisels, and are designed to take a lot harder service. Often the blades are thicker, and the angle that the blade is sharpened to are greater than paring chisels. I have seen values for the sharpening angle from about 25 degrees to maybe 35 degrees. The higher angles hold an edge longer, and are more commonly used on harder woods, with the shallower angles being more typical on softer woods. A typical angle is 30 degrees.

Firmer chisels sometimes either have metal bands around the butt end of the handle, a metal cap on the butt end, or have leather washer like rings on the butt end. These are to protect the handle from the striking action of the mallet. Carpenters chisels, such as the Stanley 60s mentioned above are often butt chisels, which are normally firmer chisels, and have short blades. That type of chisel, butt firmer chisels, is what I used for cutting mortises for hinges back when I carpentered. Back then I had almost no money, so my chisels were not the high dollar variety. Actually they weren't even really firmer chisels, but that is what I used them for. They were inexpensive Stanley chisels, but the steel was pretty good, and if you had them really sharp they did a great job.

For what it's worth, if you have firmer chisels with wooden handles, never strike one with a metal hammer, use a wooden mallet. The metal hammer chews up the wooden handles too quickly.

Thus, you can see from the characteristics of the two types of chisels that they are essentially self exclusive groups. You can kind of have a compromise by using a firmer chisel sharpened at 25 or so and use it for both. There is no free lunch, however, because the edge won't hold nearly as well as if sharpened at a higher angle, and it won't pare quite as well as on sharpened at a shallower angle. However, a high degree of sharpness will compensate for a multitude of sins.

Stew

[Matthew N. Masail]

Matthew, what do you think of this combination to start off with?


Shapton 5000 Grit Wine
Shapton 8000 Grit Melon
Shapton 1000 Grit


These stones all together are pretty expensive, but I'd rather buy once and cry so to speak.




Hi Kent,


Many folks have been happy with a shapton line up, you could do that. if you do make sure to get the 12000 instead of the 8000.
the 8000 is not very much finer than the 5000.


with that said I am not a fan of the higher grit shaptons, they load and stick. the 1000 is the stand out in the range that I really like. it is one of the very best 1000 grit stones.


the Naniwa snow-white is a strong cutter, it can take over the 1k shapton no problem as long as your sharpening approach is reasonable. it's fine and polishes nicely and will get you as sharp as you'd ever need + some, to top it off it has a great feel to it. no doubt a king among 8K stones.


I understand if you prefer to keep stones from a single line up, I'm a little OCD like that too. in that case I'd ditch the shaptons all together and just replace the 1k shapton with a 800 grit Chosera (the snow white is like the chosera's), it's every bit as good as the shapton, very different feel but just as fast and very consistent. but it's more expensive.


As for oil stones.... I love them. but for a beginner if you went with oil stones, you'd need to set up something else up to flatten blade backs because oil stone won't do it, and it will challenge your sharpening skills right from the start. I'd be happy to recommend oil stones as I'm sure other here will be, but I don't think it's the right way to start. you would also be limited when it come to steel types. the PMV-11, A2 and some of the really hard Japanese steels are a PITA on oil stones. I have a Japanese marking gauge with blue steel cutters, the natural oil stones won't even scratch the surface AT ALL, it's funny.


For chisels, I'd really just recommend getting a chisel or two and start working. within a couple of practice hours you will have answered many of your questions in the best way possible.

edit: this set-up is not a "starting off" solution. if you want I could suggest much lower cost options. the stones recommend are for life.

[glenn bradley]

Thanks Glenn for the follow up with the pictures of the Veritas. Is there a reason you chose the wider one? It looks to be the 1 1/2". I was thinking of starting off with the 1" one but if you recommend the wider one, perhaps I'll go with that one.

I have a set less the recently announced 3/8". The value versus size will vary with your use. I find I reach for a 3/8" more than others so if the 3/8" had been available when I got these I would have gotten it. I am using the wide one in the pics because it was good for the paring step with the long piece of hardware I was setting. A wide chisel gives you more registration surface but, if there is not room to set that wide a tool down the benefit is cancelled out. For most small box work I use 3/8" to 1/2" thick material so I reach for a 3/8". Again, this will vary with what you do and how you do it but, if I could only have one, it would be a 3/8" due to the greater versatility of the narrower tool ;-)

[Mike Holbrook]

Hi Kent,

You mentioned at the start that price was not your major consideration. In chisel purchases you might be very surprised how much you can spend for traditional Japanese chisels made by some of the top had forged makers. NO one has mentioned Japanese chisels yet so I will toss them into the ring. Traditional Japanese chisels come in a dizzying array of different types, not to mention varieties. Tools From Japan, Tools for Working Wood and Lee Valley offer good Japanese chisels.I am going to over simplify and say the Japanese offer three main types of chisels: bench chisels, mortise chisels and paring chisels just to give us a place to start. The mortise chisels are typically build to be struck with a special metal hammer, equipped with hardwood handles with metal rings around the ends. The mortise chisels are designed for removing large chunks of wood deep into wood, like mortises. The bench chisels are typically built to be more of a general purpose tool not perfect for making mortises but usable. The bench chisel may be used to pare with too, which is why the blades typically have a lighter/different build. Japanese "bench" chisels can actually be bought in multiple different designs ranging between better at being struck hard with a metal hammer and paring. The Japanese also make long handled chisels with more delicate blades and without rings which are typically used for paring.

Someone else can come right behind me and claim that nothing I have written is actually accurate and have a justifiable argument. However, with limited time and in the interest of brevity I thought I would take a stab at an introduction to Japanese chisels. Suffice it to say that the variety and complexity of traditional Japanese chisels reflects their much longer traditional history. I bring this up because the OP might want to check out some of the Japanese offerings on the front end. I wish I had done a little research into the Japanese chisels before making my first chisel purchases as there is a whole different world of Japanese chisels to learn about.

There is another maker in the US, Barr Tools, that makes very good hand made chisels that some posters swear by. Barr sort of specializes in timber framing chisels but also makes a nice range of carpentry/woodworking chisels/ Barr hand forges chisels like they do in Japan, but the steel is typically just one steel instead of a hard and soft steel forged together.

I am not here to push the OP to more expensive tools, I would just like him to be aware of some of the major ways chisels can be made and the great depth of tools out there before he starts investing his money instead of him discovering it all after making purchases without that knowledge. I like Japanese chisels but Lee Valley's latest offerings may be the best "compromise" all purpose chisel design for someone who wants a single type of chisel or just a good place to start. There are also lots of old chisels that can be great, although in my experience you may very well end up kissing a few frogs in the process.

[Jim Koepke]

As for oil stones.... I love them. but for a beginner if you went with oil stones, you'd need to set up something else up to flatten blade backs because oil stone won't do it, and it will challenge your sharpening skills right from the start. I'd be happy to recommend oil stones as I'm sure other here will be, but I don't think it's the right way to start.

Oilstones didn't work for me until after learning how to sharpen on water stones. For many years my sharpening efforts were frustrating. Water stones actually worked. For a few years after that my oilstones did not get used. Then one day it was too cold in the shop to sharpen with water stones so the oilstones were given another chance. Amazingly the oilstones benefited from my education with water stones.

Now both are used in my shop even on warm days.

jtk

[Matthew N. Masail]

Oilstones didn't work for me until after learning how to sharpen on water stones. For many years my sharpening efforts were frustrating. Water stones actually worked. For a few years after that my oilstones did not get used. Then one day it was too cold in the shop to sharpen with water stones so the oilstones were given another chance. Amazingly the oilstones benefited from my education with water stones.

Now both are used in my shop even on warm days.

jtk

Yeah, exactly the same here. unless someone had direct one on one mentoring, water stones are me recommendation. I also like having both so no problem getting oil stones later on.

[Matthew N. Masail]

Hi Kent,

You mentioned at the start that price was not your major consideration. In chisel purchases you might be very surprised how much you can spend for traditional Japanese chisels made by some of the top had forged makers. NO one has mentioned Japanese chisels yet so I will toss them into the ring. Traditional Japanese chisels come in a dizzying array of different types, not to mention varieties. Tools From Japan, Tools for Working Wood and Lee Valley offer good Japanese chisels.I am going to over simplify and say the Japanese offer three main types of chisels: bench chisels, mortise chisels and paring chisels just to give us a place to start. The mortise chisels are typically build to be struck with a special metal hammer, equipped with hardwood handles with metal rings around the ends. The mortise chisels are designed for removing large chunks of wood deep into wood, like mortises. The bench chisels are typically built to be more of a general purpose tool not perfect for making mortises but usable. The bench chisel may be used to pare with too, which is why the blades typically have a lighter/different build. Japanese "bench" chisels can actually be bought in multiple different designs ranging between better at being struck hard with a metal hammer and paring. The Japanese also make long handled chisels with more delicate blades and without rings which are typically used for paring.

Someone else can come right behind me and claim that nothing I have written is actually accurate and have a justifiable argument. However, with limited time and in the interest of brevity I thought I would take a stab at an introduction to Japanese chisels. Suffice it to say that the variety and complexity of traditional Japanese chisels reflects their much longer traditional history. I bring this up because the OP might want to check out some of the Japanese offerings on the front end. I wish I had done a little research into the Japanese chisels before making my first chisel purchases as there is a whole different world of Japanese chisels to learn about.

There is another maker in the US, Barr Tools, that makes very good hand made chisels that some posters swear by. Barr sort of specializes in timber framing chisels but also makes a nice range of carpentry/woodworking chisels/ Barr hand forges chisels like they do in Japan, but the steel is typically just one steel instead of a hard and soft steel forged together.

I am not here to push the OP to more expensive tools, I would just like him to be aware of some of the major ways chisels can be made and the great depth of tools out there before he starts investing his money instead of him discovering it all after making purchases without that knowledge. I like Japanese chisels but Lee Valley's latest offerings may be the best "compromise" all purpose chisel design for someone who wants a single type of chisel or just a good place to start. There are also lots of old chisels that can be great, although in my experience you may very well end up kissing a few frogs in the process.

I'd argue Japanese chisels are not the best for starting out. price and maintenance care needs mean they would not be my choice to start with.

[Mike Holbrook]

Jim,

You bring to the OP's attention a major point I think is very important for him to understand. I think of sharpening as "THE" major skill set for those working with hand tools. Most of the tools hand tool woodworkers use have this common need to be sharpened to be functional. Once sharpened they get dull again shortly thereafter. Not only that, very few tools arrive sharp enough to be functional. In addition there is the whole subject of the various bevels that may be required to maximize a tools efficiency. My struggles with acquiring a set of sharpening devices/methods that worked for me have singed many a SMC page.

I might suggest that our OP not make the same mistake I think many of us have made. We get so excited about having that razor sharp blade that we have a tendency to focus on the fine end of the sharpening tools & methods. We want to get to that ultra fine stone too fast not realizing that if the contour of the blade's edge and the bevel are not appropriate to the tool we may never get the functional tool we are eager for. If I had it to do over again I would start my education with a grinder and an abrasive that could remove steel fast. Speed in sharpening, at least in my book, is very important to the educational cycle early on. If the would be sharpener can't see the result of his or her efforts reasonably quickly it is very hard to know what one might or might not be doing "wrong".

Chisels are the tip of the sharpening iceberg, but the skills learned here carry over. Many chisels these days come with reasonably sharp blades, unlike many other hand tools. I don't think the majority of chisels are made with any sort of hollow or micro bevel but we know many experienced users end up using these types of bevels. Plus down the road there will be thick plane blades, axes, drawknives, saw blades, cambering.....I think it may be better to start out thinking big and work down instead of the other way around. So yes, what Jim said "in spades"!

[Mike Holbrook]

Matthew, again, my point in mentioning Japanese chisels is not to suggest those or any other tools as a starting place for a new user. Japanese and hand forged US chisels just seemed to me to be the types of chisels not previously mentioned. However some time early in his study of this type of tool use our OP will encounter Japanese/Asian woodworking methods and tools. Until the OP has some basic idea about the whole wider world of Japanese chisels I think much of what he reads and learns will be confusing. The terminology for US & English tools is even different. The Japanese do not typically make the same careful dovetails common in US/English woodworking which skews the terms. Firmer chisels, for instance, is not a term you will typically find in Japanese chisel terminology. The whole genre of Japanese screen making, on the other hand, is practically unheard of in the US.

I wish I had learned a little more about Japanese vs European vs US woodworking methods and tools at the start of my education in woodworking as I think it would have saved me money, time, frustration, redundancy down the road. In the US chisels are more often hit with a composite or wood hammers. The Japanese have this school of thought that prefers hitting chisels with specially designed metal hammers in varying weights. My objective is to broaden the OP's knowledge base, which seems to me a reasonable way to approach tool selection vs just saying buy X tool because it is best.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Kent, I love that chisel set.... Wander on up to Columbus Ohio and we can have a sharpening party! :D

You can sharpen on sand paper with a guide, and it is not too expensive to start.

[Matthew N. Masail]

I understand Mike, you want to share what was important to you, nothing more honest than that. However I think some thing will only truly be learn by experience, we can only try to guide others but in the end they will most likely choose and figure out by themselves. Which is why I think a simple good quality chisel set are the best way to start and most relevant to the OP.

[Kent Adams]

Thanks Matt, its always amazes me at the great free advice everyone gives here. I'll go with your recommendations.

[Kent Adams]

Hi Andrew, its a great looking set isn't it? I'm going to purchase just one of them to get my feet "wet". Will beer be served at the sharpening party? :D

[Kent Adams]

Hi Mike, I've been looking at the Japanese chisels as well, very nice and I will definitely consider them too. I took a look at the Barr Tools chisels as well. Those Barr chisels have a real grrrrrr.....Tim Tool Time look to them, I like it. I always like to support American made producers when I can and if not, Canadian is 2nd (no offense to anyone Canadian). Perhaps I should say North American :)

[Kent Adams]

Thanks David. A few others have mentioned Stu at Tools from Japan. I will check him out as well.

[Kent Adams]

Mike, one of the things that does worry me about learning to sharpen are the bevels. I'd like to learn freehand rather than a jig if possible, so I have purchases some Borg chisels to try to learn on, muscle memory and all. However, I can understand the need to sharpen faster so as not to get discouraged and a grinder might be one way to learn what works and what doesn't quicker. Do you have a grinder recommendation?

[Mike Holbrook]

Kent, I have a Tormek, wet grinder, but I would not recommend it as I find it painfully slow at grinding bevels. Although it is possible to over heat some tool steels, with the stones and CNC wheels available today it is relatively easy to avoid this just by exercising reasonable caution. I have a Dellta Variable speed I bought in a rush one day. Unfortunately the one I have has a short arbor and peculiar base that makes it hard to fit tool rests to it. If I had to do it again I might buy a Jet, Metabo or Baldor. There are also Work Sharp dry grinder/wheels that typically spin horizontally that are popular with a large set of users. Lee Valley makes a wheel/grinder similar to the Work Sharp, Veritas MK II Power Sharpening System. You might want to check them all out before making a selection.

I think your idea of learning to sharpen by feel/hand is a good one, ultimately it saves time and builds a better feel for the work. I occasionally use a jig on certain blades and some people swear by them, but I usually prefer honing my skill set as well as my blades. Some work, like grinding large cambers and radiuses can be hard to do with a jig, although a good tool rest may help. Tormek makes a version of their tool rest that works on regular grinders, Oneway offers a grinder rest system, Robo Hippy who posts on the turners forum here at SMC and does lots of turning /sharpening videos on YouTube also makes a rest, Veritas offers one and another turner named Stuart Batty makes a couple nice rests.

[Mike Holbrook]

I hear you Matt but this is a forum not a class or workshop. I'm not sure how we offer actual experience in this format other than to relate our own experiences. All I think we can do is offer posters options to do their own research/experimentation with. There are all sorts of sets of good quality chisels offered by lots of companies, maybe we can help the OP sort some of the items into categories he can research & experiment with.

[Matthew N. Masail]

No problem with that. I started out with a beautiful set of Koyomaichi chisels, later discovered I prefer western chisels. For several reasons I just don't think they are the right tools to start with. Again I have no problem with anything you said, but I did say I'd argue that Japanese chisels are not the best for beginners !

[lowell holmes]

I saw this just this morning. I would not be afraid of them. I have Lie Nielsen chisels though.

http://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/sw16401/#.Vg091_lVhBc