Craigslist -- Blue Spruce

[John LoDico]

A little brag: picked up four brand new Blue Spruce dovetail chisels on Craigslist today for $160. 1", 1/2" 3/8" and 1/8". $40 each as opposed to $75-85. They're beautiful.

[Greg Hanus]

Gotta say I’m a bit jealous but congrats on the great find!

[Jim Koepke]

My wife was impressed by the feel and look of the Blue Spruce display at the Portland Tool Event last Friday.

So John, can you post images?

jtk

[John LoDico]

Pretty, no?
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[Jessica de Boer]

Not really if I'm honest. But I don't have to like them. And I fail to see why anyone would ever pay that kind of money for A2 chisels.

[Prashun Patel]

Nor do you have to rain on his parade but that’s your prerogative.

Look great to me. Good buy.

I have A2s and paid more. Mine work well for me. Granted I am not as productive or prolific or efficient as a professional probably needs to be, but they work well for me. Easy to sharpen and last long enough for me.

[Jim Koepke]

Pretty, no?


Very pretty, thanks for the pics. For me a greater pleasure was from picking them up. The handles feel so smooth in hand. My handles usually take a bit of use for the wood to get so smoothly polished.

The handles have a shape similar to some of my original Buck Brothers chisel handles.

jtk

[Paul McGaha]

Not really if I'm honest. But I don't have to like them. And I fail to see why anyone would ever pay that kind of money for A2 chisels.

Bye Felicia.

[Mike Manning]

Bye Felicia.

If you are offended by Jessica's honesty and bluntness then maybe your comment should have been directed to a mirror. There are cultural differences in people from different countries. Heck, there are a lot of cultural differences between regions in the US. For myself, having been born and raised in Texas we always try to say something nice. That isn't a particular trait you can attribute to other parts of the country. I for one am glad we're not all the same.

As to the Blue Spruce chisels, I think they look outstanding and would love to see for myself how they feel in the hand.

[Brandon Speaks]

Look good to me, I would buy at that price for sure.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

They look great and a steal at that price. I have a few Blue Spruce tools and love them. Have always wanted to try Blue Spruce chisels, but with a set of 7 Lie Nielsens' (A2) I don't need to buy any more. Congrats on a great purchase, John.

[Stew Denton]

John,

Beautiful chisels, and I bet they work as good as they look.

Stew

[James Pallas]

Nice chisels. You should like using them. Nothing wrong with A2. It just needs a steeper bevel. All steels have their own tendencies. Just like people. I most surely have my opinions too and at times I voice them.
Jim

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Is it bluntness or is it just rudeness?


If you are offended by Jessica's honesty and bluntness then maybe your comment should have been directed to a mirror. There are cultural differences in people from different countries. Heck, there are a lot of cultural differences between regions in the US. For myself, having been born and raised in Texas we always try to say something nice. That isn't a particular trait you can attribute to other parts of the country. I for one am glad we're not all the same.

As to the Blue Spruce chisels, I think they look outstanding and would love to see for myself how they feel in the hand.

[Mike Manning]

Is it bluntness or is it just rudeness?

You're asking the wrong person.

[John LoDico]

You throw out a brag, you expect a response. I'm not offended by any comments -- so far. (The "Bye, Felicia" was funny though!) When I finish the built-in bookcase project I have going on (I dread the painting) I hope to put those chisels to good use.

[Derek Cohen]

Not really if I'm honest. But I don't have to like them. And I fail to see why anyone would ever pay that kind of money for A2 chisels.

Jessica, in theory these A2 chisels should be dogs ... A2 is sort of tough but "chewy" when sharpening. The wire edge holds on a long time, and the feedback when honing is sort-of sluggish. I don't have a problem with the 30 degrees they are ground and honed at, since all my Oire Nomi and Western Bench chisels are also at this angle.

The Blue Spruce chisels I have - which are the detail or dovetail chisels - would be a real surprise for someone with the expectation, above. They are light and beautifully balanced, with extremely comfortable handles. They are a delight to use where the work requires a delicate touch. The blade takes a very keen edge, which will surprise many critics of A2 steel. The only negative I have of the blades is that the edge is not held as long as white steel or PM-V11. It is better than O1. They are not for pounding with a mallet or gennou. Think of them as small paring chisels.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Rob Luter]

Not really if I'm honest. But I don't have to like them. And I fail to see why anyone would ever pay that kind of money for A2 chisels.

Is A2 somehow inferior now? I have a set of A2 chisels (LN) and they seem to work pretty well. I work mostly in QSWO and the edges seem to hold up well too.

[James Pallas]

M
Is A2 somehow inferior now? I have a set of A2 chisels (LN) and they seem to work pretty well. I work mostly in QSWO and the edges seem to hold up well too.
In no way is A2 inferior. It just has its peculiarly. Too shallow a bevel and it gets chippy and as Derek said feels a little “chewy” as Derek said on the stone. I owned some LN chisels and they are very good. Nicely made great balance in my hand, good edge retention. The problem with them was me. I can push a base line quicker that Jack Robinson. I like 25* bevels and I’m not changing. I would rather have a little roll at times than a chip.
Jim

[Richard Jones]

Is it bluntness or is it just rudeness?

If this is a poll, I'm voting for 'just rudeness.'

[Jim Foster]

I think some of the behavior on this thread is not indicative of the community that has been built here. I don't come here to look at personal attacks, I come here to enjoy learning about and sharing the craft of woodworking. I've worked with people all around the globe and there are a number of cultures where it is expected for people to be blunt in their opinions and facts. I have friends all over the world that would have commented just like Jessica did if they had the same opinion, and in an open venue where people have a common interest in the topic at hand, no one would have taken offense. In this context, I do like Eddie Wood's quote listed above.

[Jessica de Boer]

I get it, I get it. You guys only want to read praise and nice comments. If you can't handle a different opinion the world must be a tough place for you.

[Prashun Patel]

It is not that. Criticisms are welcome. Just make them constructive. There are plenty of places on the internet where unsubstantiated harshness is allowed, but we try to discourage it here.

It is the way this community in general prefers to be. It is not for everyone, but I do hope it is for you, as it has been a joy and inspiration to see your work.

[Mike Brady]

Since we are sharing opinions, I prefer my Lie-Nielsen O-1 chisels to the same brand in A-2. I find the edge holding similar, but the A-2 steel is, as Derek put it so well, less expeditious to hone to a keen edge.

As a response to Jessica, The lovely workmanship in Blue Spruce tools does not really show in those photographs. The high cost that she refers to is driven more by attention to esthetics and workmanship than to the cost of tool steel.

[Jim Koepke]

I get it, I get it. You guys only want to read praise and nice comments. If you can't handle a different opinion the world must be a tough place for you.

Actually, IMO, your having stated your opinion of A2 saved others from having to say something similar.

My paring chisels have a bevel of ~16º. A2 doesn't work well at such a shallow angle. A2 even seems to be a bit chippy at 25º. It is something one has to live with and others seem to go for steeper sharpening angles than my preferred angles.

jtk

[Patrick Kane]

That is a rare rare bird to find blue spruce anything on craigslist, let alone in your own backyard!

Probably regret throwing myself into the crossfire on this one, but i also dont find them to be particularly beautiful. I didnt find her response to be off the charts offensive either, and it turns out neither did the OP. Bye, Felecia was hilarious given the context on a woodworking forum.

[Jim Foster]

Let's beat this horse to death. What was there to be constructive or not constructive about in responding to the original post in the way it was responded to by everyone that was not trying to pick on one reponder?

Your second sentence sounds more like a threat than anything constructive!


It is not that. Criticisms are welcome. Just make them constructive. There are plenty of places on the internet where unsubstantiated harshness is allowed, but we try to discourage it here.

It is the way this community in general prefers to be. It is not for everyone, but I do hope it is for you, as it has been a joy and inspiration to see your work.

[James Pallas]

Too sensitive. I think Jessica does this as a profession. In that context it's say what you believe by experience. I heard a lot worse statements made from hammers, to trucks to backhoes and cranes and chisels and planes. What in the world is wrong with saying I don't know why anyone would buy a Ford, Chevy or Dodge PU. Or a LN or LV plane. Just because I wouldn't buy something doesn't mean it won't do the job. It may be just what does it for you.The OP doesn't seem overly concerned.
Jim

[Prashun Patel]

My second sentence was a way to say 'be a nice neighbor'. Take is as a condescending threat or a gentle reminder.

The horse is thoroughly beaten, I agree. So, we can move on.

[Jessica de Boer]

Some of you are more dramatic than a teenage girl :P

[Mark Gibney]

As I don’t have a dog in this fight I’ll reply to Jessica’s comment about sensitivity on this thread. That comment is not just missing the point it is stating your opposition to it in a provocative manner.
To paraphrase that old saying, if you don’t have anything interesting to say, don’t say it.

[Nathan Johnson]

In summary:

OP requests subjective opinions.

Jessica posts her opinion.

The Little Old Knights of SMC waddle after her with pitchforks muttering Grandma-speak.

[Prashun Patel]

Ok let’s move on from this. Everyone has said their piece. Nobody lost an eye. Just let it go now.

[Paul McGaha]

Prashun,

Thanks for trying to keep the peace.

PHM

[Stewie Simpson]

Actually, IMO, your having stated your opinion of A2 saved others from having to say something similar.

My paring chisels have a bevel of ~16º. A2 doesn't work well at such a shallow angle. A2 even seems to be a bit chippy at 25º. It is something one has to live with and others seem to go for steeper sharpening angles than my preferred angles.

jtk

+1 on Jim's comments.

[Bruce Haugen]

I’ve had my hands on a Blue Spruce chisel one time at the first Handworks, then I handed it back to Dave Jeske. He took one of his beautiful mallets and pounded the living hell out of the chisel into a block of hard maple. He really jammed it in there and it was a struggle pulling it out. Then he pared the end grain of that block. It could still shave hair and showed no signs of the edge chipping or folding.