Mortise chisels, what’s your favorite

[Tony Wilkins]

So if you could request one mortise chisel free of charge, what would it be?
Vintage English style? Aka the pig sticker
LN sash mortise?
Veritas’ new design?
Ray Iles’ English style?
Narex?
You don’t need no stinkin’ mortise chisel?

[Malcolm Schweizer]

We only get to choose one? :-) I have the Lie-Nielsens, and they are excellent. My one issue is that socket chisel handles do tend to work free from the socket. This is a rare occurrence, but it's something to note. I really like the Veritas mortise chisels. I like that they have a metal ring around the top- I'd feel comfortable banging on those with a heavy mallet. I have their butt chisels, and they are very well made. I would be torn between those and the pig stickers. You really can't beat pig stickers as far as durability.

[lowell holmes]

Why not buy one chisel that appeals to you and use for while. Then you will know what to buy.
I have a leather chisel roll with chisels in it. Most are Lie-Nielsens.

[Mark Rainey]

Love my Sorby heavy duty sash mortise chisel. My two cherries is nice. Narex get the job done with frequent sharpenings, but just look & feel economy.

[Jim Koepke]

My favorites are the pig stickers.

Good steel with a good heft does a good job.

jtk

[Mike Henderson]

When I have to make a mortise by hand, I usually drill out the majority of the waste and then trim up with standard bench chisels. But if I had to chop one out by hand, I'd use a pigsticker and a Ward brand pigsticker. I have a set of Ward pigstickers.

Mike

[Kees Heiden]

My Dutchies! Mostly because these are what I have, and they work very well. Nooitgedagt, from somewhere before WW2, or 1, or the Pruisian wars, or whatever.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BR2pKK7gPwF/?taken-by=keesonmaking

[Hasin Haroon]

If I were purchasing new, the Veritas. I have them in 1/4" and 3/8", and they are very well made and thought out. If new but on a budget, the Narex are actually quite good too, so long as you sharpen often (and they sharpen easier) - I had those first, and can't bring myself to sell them as they were so well priced to begin with, I'd much rather hold on to them for rougher tasks. I've cut off the bottom bolster and plan to reshape the handles as they are rather unappealing.

I did go overboard and order a whole bunch of pigstickers from eBay a couple years ago, mostly Ward. I think it's 12 chisels, ranging from 1/8" to a 5/8" monster. There is a real beauty and charm to the shape of these old chisels, and they are very well designed for their use.

I've seen the LN ones, and find them a bit odd - they don't look as hefty as the others (I'm sure they're hefty enough) and I can't wrap my head around a socket mortise chisel for some reason. The Robert Sorby ones look rather ugly to me. The Ray Iles have intrigued me, as I like the thought of a modern pigsticker, but my two Veritas do most of what I need.

So long story short - any mortise chisel will likely work just fine. Depends on budget, aesthetic and in possibly choice of steel.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

Ray Iles. I have a 1/4" and 1/2". If I ever need another (unlikely), I'll stick with Ray Iles.

[Graham Haydon]

Vintage, selected from a vintage market for £2.00 (last weekend, 1/4"), I'd then spend the money I saved on timber or a few beers.

[steven c newman]

Whichever one I have..that fits the job I am going to do..
392949

[Prashun Patel]

I have a 1/4, 3/8 LN. I believe these are sash mortise chisels. This suits my style better. I only do smaller mortises by hand, and rather prefer the relative daintiness of these socketed chisels.

[lowell holmes]

I have a 1/4, 3/8 LN. I believe these are sash mortise chisels. This suits my style better. I only do smaller mortises by hand, and rather prefer the relative daintiness of these socketed chisels.

I have those same chisels and also six bevel edge chisels.

[Tom M King]

I've bought a few different ones over the years, but my personal favorites are still the first new ones I bought in the early '70's. I like the Ulmia's, and maybe because those were what I became most used to, I never really liked shorter ones, like pigstickers.

[brian zawatsky]

Ray Isles pigstickers all day long. Beautifully executed & stay sharp forever.

[Dave Zellers]

Aka the pig sticker

...the pig stickers. You really can't beat pig stickers as far as durability...

My favorites are the pig stickers.

I'd use a pigsticker and a Ward brand pigsticker. I have a set of Ward pigstickers.

...a whole bunch of pigstickers.... as I like the thought of a modern pigsticker...

...like pigstickers.

Ray Isles pigstickers all day long...

For the love of God, is no one going to stick up for the Pigs???

:D

Now I'm Jonesing for bacon.

[David Eisenhauer]

Dave, they will when pigs fly.

[Jessica de Boer]

I have a set of oire and atsu nomis and 2 usu nomis from jindaiko-honpo and these are made by the blacksmith that Stan Covington works with. Jindaiko-honpo also sells mortise chisels so my fathers old co-worker (my father worked several years in Japan when he was young) sent them an e-mail to ask them if these are also made by the same blacksmith. If they are I'm going to buy the full set as well.

I actually have another set of these oire nomis in storage because Stan said his blacksmith is very old and may retire soon so I want to be sure I'm never without them.

[Rob Luter]

I think the old school pigstickers are very cool, but don’t have any. I own some LN mortise chisels. They work well.