Stanley Chisel Set

[Jim Koepke]

I have no idea about these other than the price looks like one I couldn't refuse.

327430

Three piece set, 12mm(1/2"), 18mm(3/4") & 25mm(1") for $3.99. Plastic handles but at that price if someone needed some beaters or wanted to modify or use for plane blades, it is hard to turn down.

Saw this in the ACE Hardware on line site while looking for information on a new cordless drill.

jtk

[Mike Brady]

"price looks like one I couldn't refuse" ----- I would have no trouble saying "no" to those.

[Bill Houghton]

Stanley's No. 40 and No. 60 series chisels, from back there in time a ways, had very good steel. I rely on my No. 60s for carpentry work; the steel takes a good edge and is very tough, and the plastic handles with steel caps mean I can use a hammer. Not sure of the modern steel, though.

At the price, it might be worth finding out if the modern steel is any good, particularly if you live in an area with poor* yard sales and if you need carpentry or rough work chisels. From the photos, they look to have relatively narrow lands on the edges of the blades. I've been surprised and frustrated by how many vintage chisels have rather wide lands, more so in narrower widths, exactly where you are more likely to need the narrow land to get into corners.

I've noticed a lot of the newer plastic handles are soft in comparison to the old handles. Not a good thing for chopping, as the handle will absorb a lot of the grunt you're putting into the work. Hard to tell what kind of handles those have, other than plastic.

If they disappoint you, well, there's always Habitat's ReStore waiting for donations.

*Defined, of course, as "not many good tools."

[Tom Vanzant]

Likewise, they would be nice loaners. If all else fails, decent paint can openers. Please forgive me....

[Matthew N. Masail]

Hey it's funny but chisels are great for opening paint cans and other jobs not fit for an edge tool you'll acually use as an edge tool. A chisel is fantastic for removing vintage upholstery nails.... Or maybe you'll be chiseling old lumber that has nails in it, for 4$, I'm sure you'll be glad to have them.

[Jim Koepke]

for 4$, I'm sure you'll be glad to have them.

Found out with the ACE Rewards card they are a dollar off.

I bought a set just to see.

Nothing super fantastic, but at a buck apiece, they can be loaners, beaters or maybe even grind the 1/2" one down to be a fishtail.

jtk

[Stanley Covington]

There is something to be said about the softer steel in the Stanley chisels: It won't chip. I always have one in my toolbox when doing carpentry work, not because they are sharp and cut well, but because they can do the dirty jobs that would cause serious damage to my more fragile-edged Japanese chisels. For instance, cutting a lock mortise in a doorframe when there might be concealed nails or screws; or chopping through lathe and plaster. Any job where the edge might strike grit. The Stanley chisel dulls quickly, but it sharpens again quickly too, and WON't CHIP!. Worth keeping if the price was right.

Stan

[Jim Koepke]

Hey it's funny but chisels are great for opening paint cans

Be sure to wear protective eye wear if you do this, just incase the chisel snaps and throws a few shards.

jtk

[Shawn Pixley]

I like cheap chisels for cleaning up the squeeze-out on glue-ups. You don't use nice chisels for that.

[george wilson]

And,all this time,I thought screwdrivers were for opening paint cans!:)

[Jim Koepke]

And,all this time,I thought screwdrivers were for opening paint cans!:)

I have a few tools made for opening paint cans. I will at times use a larger screw driver if my paint can tool isn't near.

Safety starts with using the correct tool for a job.

jtk

[lowell holmes]

I have no 60's properly sharpened that reside in my tool apron for outdoor projects. I echo what Bill said. They will sharpen to proper edges, and they are good for chopping mortises if the bench is not available. My 60's are over 30 years old.

[Daniel Rode]

I have a similar set of short fat Stanley chisels that I picked up 10-15 years ago. My handles feel like a rubberized plastic but seem to take mallet blows well enough. They hold an edge well enough but are mostly relegated to dirty jobs. I'm sure I paid more than $4 for my set.

[Prashun Patel]

Jim, if I have to bet on someone who can turn sows ears into silk purses, my money's on you.

I love chisels like this for trimming epoxy fill, glue line scraping and other rough work.

[Brian Holcombe]

I have on of these Stanley's in my carpenter/plumber/electrician bag, same as Stanley I use it for spots where I am nervous about damaging a better chisel.

[george wilson]

I used to get paint can openers at the paint store,but they are always lost. I don't think a DECENT large screwdriver is ever hurt by opening paint cans with them. If you use a real cheap screwdriver,they might be bent,and then only good for screwing in old,bent screws around a corner.

[Mike Brady]

To me this is like buying new clothing to wear to paint your house. Hard to believe that you don't already have plenty of old / bad tools to abuse without going out and buying new ones. Heck, I have fairly good chisels that don't see much use just because they sit in a tool box somewhere. For just a few bucks more you could by Aldi chisels that actually work rather well.

Must be a slow news day here in the forums.

[Ray Vivian]

I have a set of chisels (Stanley) like that I bought back in the 90's and they have held up real good. Have hone & re sharpened them numerous times. Used the 3/4 the other day to take bark off some pecan and red elm cookies and short half logs.

[Jim Koepke]

For just a few bucks more you could by Aldi chisels that actually work rather well.

The cost for gas to drive to the nearest store selling them is the deal breaker. When I looked for the one listed in Portland, it turned out to be Portland on the coast of Australia.

Besides $3.25, tax included, is less than my wife spends on a cup of coffee. She is happy because now there are some chisels she can use that won't cause me any worries.

jtk

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I got an old set of these from my Father years ago. I purchased another set new from "discount" rack at Target for a few bucks so that I could practice sharpening (before I had a clue how to do so) without worrying about damaging my nice set. Now that they are wicked sharp, I find that I often use them. They don't hold an edge well, but they are fast to touch up. Everyone needs a set of beater chisels. If I were at Ace and they had them, I would purchase another set for the next person who wants to learn to sharpen.

[Jim Koepke]

Some comments on these chisels after a bit of use.

These sharpened with ease. There seems to be a slight hollow on the backs. It didn't take long to get rid of the factory grind on the back edge up to about 1/32 - 1/16".

They have only had a couple of sharpenings. To soon to say whether they dull overly quick. No folding over was noticed on any of the edges. The chisels were all first sharpened on oil stones. Some of the back flattening was done on a Veritas Mk.ll Power Sharpening System with a 220 grit abrasive.

The comfort level wasn't to my liking with the handles. Many of my chisel handles are custom made to meet my needs due to an old hand injury.

Most of my use was for paring these last few days. These are shorter than my preference for paring work. These do not have steel caps on the ends as do some of my plastic handled chisels. There seemed to be no problem striking them with a mallet. My car ramp project had some short sections of 2X6 left over. I like to split it in two to use as small pieces in our wood stove. Instead of using a hatchet the 1" chisel was used with a mallet. The edge held up well through about 4 pieces. Not an extensive test.

As a set that will be something my wife can use without any worries about damaging one of my good tools, the price is right.

Now if Harbor Freight has one of those Windsor sets next time we are in town...

jtk

[Mike Null]

When I saw Jim's OP I bought a set of these at $3.99. (no ACE card) I've only begun to sharpen one but it seems to be sharpening well and I trimmed some birch without much of an issue. I still have work to do on sharpening but these aren't bad for the price. I would buy the Aldi chisels too but i check every time I go in and they haven't had them at my store.

I have an old set of Craftsman carpenter chisels which sharpen up nicely and hold their edge quite well. Nothing fancy but I am am far from a master woodworker anyway.

[Mike Baker 2]

The Fat Max chisels I have have been good chisels for me. Of course, I haven't done a lot of mortise work, etc., with them, but for what I have used them for, and this includes paring/shaping the top braces on two acoustic guitar tops.
They are heavy(mine have metal butt plates), fairly short for paring, and the balance IMO is wrong, but I think I paid $20 for the 3 I have. They hold an edge decently in soft wood. I haven't used them extensively in hard wood to be able to comment.
But, they sharpen up really quick.
My wife and daughter a both disabled, and I don't have the cash to spend on even a set of the Narex. All of my tools are either vintage, when I can find them at a good price and can restore them, or the lower end of the new stuff.
I prefer vintage, and am always looking for them at a good price. But with edged tools like a chisel, if the edge lasts a little shorter time between sharpenings, but they hone up really fast, to me, I can work with it.
IMO, "It's a poor craftsman who blames his tools" is still relevant today. I think your technique should outperform your tools any day of the week. I don't have a lot of technique right now, so even the cheap stuff out performs me, but I'm learning. :)

[Andrew Pitonyak]

IMO, "It's a poor craftsman who blames his tools" is still relevant today. I think your technique should outperform your tools any day of the week. I don't have a lot of technique right now, so even the cheap stuff out performs me, but I'm learning. :)

Well said Mike. I sharpen more often than with the harder steels, but it sharpens well and fast. Note that I own chisels with harder steel, I kind of bounce between the chisels since I own so many (meaning a couple of sets).

[lowell holmes]

Early on, I bought a set of Lie Nielsen chisels. Along the way, I acquired some old Stanleys.
The Stanleys are a mixed bag, the metallurgy varies, some are good and others don't hold an edge.

I hone my chisels sharp and then put a slight compound bevel on them. It works for me.
I needed a 15/16" chisel one time and I was able to grind an old Stanley to 15/16"