What brand are these chisels?

[Frank Martin]

I purchased these from a retiring carpenter. He said they are Sorby chisels, but there are no markings on the handle or the blade itself. They do look like Sorby's in terms of handles and blade profile, but no way to prove. Any idea what brand these may be? Have not had a chance to sharpen and try them yet. Longest one is about 13".

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[David Eisenhauer]

I have some Sorby registered "firmer" style (I believe) chisels that look quite a bit like that, especially in the steel end. My handles are completely smooth, but shaped pretty much the same. They are 1980's vintage.

[Bill Houghton]

They look like the pictures I've seen of Sorby chisels from the 1970s/80s, for what that's worth.

[Frank Martin]

Sounds like they are Sorby chisels. Thanks for confirming. I had never seen "unmarked" Sorby chisels before...

[Mel Fulks]

The steel is kinda soft. Perhaps they were left in sunlight and the lettering melted !!!

[Warren Mickley]

These chisels were marketed as "registered mortise chisels", but in the 19th century they would probably have been called framing chisels, designed for carpenters. I would not call them mortise chisels (they are lighter than sash mortise chisels), but they can be used as such.

Chisels like these were marketed under several company names, but they look enough alike that it is likely they were all made in the same factory. All have the same shape ash handle. The Marples chisels of this type have the name burned or impressed in the handle. The Sorbys can be have clear or orange handle with a narrow gummed label near the upper ring, or the can be clear finish with Robert Sorby written in script. Crown usually have a gummed label near the middle of the handle. Yours have the remnants of gummed labels.

I bought a chisel of this type in 1978 (Marples) and a similar longer chisel, a "heavy duty framing chisel" (Sorby) with orange handle, in 1983. Niether has a stamp in the steel. My four Sorby turning tools were all bought unhandled and two were stamped Sorby, two have no stamp. If you search for registered mortise chisel you can find stuff like this yet today.

[Frank Martin]

These chisels were marketed as "registered mortise chisels", but in the 19th century they would probably have been called framing chisels, designed for carpenters. I would not call them mortise chisels (they are lighter than sash mortise chisels), but they can be used as such.

Chisels like these were marketed under several company names, but they look enough alike that it is likely they were all made in the same factory. All have the same shape ash handle. The Marples chisels of this type have the name burned or impressed in the handle. The Sorbys can be have clear or orange handle with a narrow gummed label near the upper ring, or the can be clear finish with Robert Sorby written in script. Crown usually have a gummed label near the middle of the handle. Yours have the remnants of gummed labels.

I bought a chisel of this type in 1978 (Marples) and a similar longer chisel, a "heavy duty framing chisel" (Sorby) with orange handle, in 1983. Niether has a stamp in the steel. My four Sorby turning tools were all bought unhandled and two were stamped Sorby, two have no stamp. If you search for registered mortise chisel you can find stuff like this yet today.

Warren, thanks for the background on this. So, how good are they? Worth spending time to bring them back to life?

[Warren Mickley]

Frank, these are serviceable chisels. I have used them professionally. They are heavy, however. They are designed for traditional carpentry. For furniture work we like chisels that are more delicate.

Here is yet another brand of your type, Henry Taylor.
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[David Eisenhauer]

I bought the Sorby registered chisels I described up above in the early 1980's (pre internet info era) to use as mortise chisels and they have worked well for that over the years. They will roll the cutting edge in hard hardwood if not honed out to 35* though. As Warren says, they are long and heavy, which always made me wonder if they were not originally intended for more timber-framing type work. They do hold a true square line when used for chopping mortises as do my newer Ray Iles pig stickers do in the two smaller sizes I have. While I do not tend to use the smaller sizes any more, I do continue to use the wider ones for the infrequent big mortise work I do after an initial drill-out of the bulk of the waste. I started out with zero experience or any mentor to provide advise, so away I went with this set. If you have already started out with lighter/less beefy chisels, they may be somewhat larger than you are used to.

[Frank Martin]

I have other lighter chisels for general work. These came as part of a lot and I thought I could use them for mortises or other larger work when/if the need arises.

I will make sure the keep the secondary bevel angle high to avoid premature edge damage. Thanks for sharing that insight.

[ed morini]

I"ve had 2 sets on these chisels for 40 years and they have held up very well. If I recall correctly they came with a rather steep angle from the factory. Worked terrible in hardwoods and tolerable in softwoods. I regrounde them to my liking one set hardwood the other softwood. They have been very serviceable in the boat work I do and for cabinet making as well. These are heavy chisels and not suited to delicate work IMOP. As I remember they were pricey when I purchased them(70's) and I have sticker shock when I see what their replacements cost.

Ed