Ashley Iles chisels

[Herv Peairs]

Up until this point in my hand tool journey I’ve been working with a handful of beater chisels (mostly sockets) from a tool meet, as well as a few plastic handled Stanleys I had lying around. These have been good for learning to sharpen and some starter projects. But now I want something nicer, and something with narrow lands.

I was looking at a set of Veritas bench chisels in O1, but ended up with a set of Ashley Iles partly because of price, partly because the set included a 1/8” chisel. They arrived yesterday, and wow, they seem delicate. I’m afraid to hit one with a mallet. Am I just too used to the heavy build of my beater chisels? What’s your experience with AI durability? I’m not concerned about edge, more about bending the tang or breaking the handle. I should add that I don’t strike my chisels unusually hard or use a clawhammer on them or open paint cans with them or anything like that.

Thanks, Herv

[Jim Koepke]

My paring chisels usually do not get hit with a mallet. When they do it is not my 'Big Bopper.' They are lightly tapped with a small mallet.

When some heavier hitting is needed there are heavier chisels for such tasks. Sometimes this is done with chisels of as high in quality as my pairing chisels. At other times, such as working dirty wood or something that might have a stray nail, there are many beater chisels that sacrifice their edges in such cases.

jtk

[Nicholas Lawrence]

The Best Things mentions they are thinner and lighter than other modern chisels, and chalks that up to the other manufacturers assuming theirs will be abused. No idea if that is right or not.

I have not had any problems, but I try not to abuse them. The truth is you do not have to hit a sharp chisel very hard to get it to cut.

ETA: I do think what you hit them with makes a difference. I started with a rubber mallet (trying to avoid making noise in an apartment) and I think that encouraged me to hit things harder because so much of the blow was absorbed with the rubber. I no longer have the noise issue, so use a hardwood mallet. I get better results and control with much lighter blows.

[Herv Peairs]

My paring chisels usually do not get hit with a mallet. jtk

Nominally, the Ashley Iles are bench chisels -- I assumed "bench" meant all-purpose. Is it your understanding these should be reserved for paring? I don't plan to chop mortises, but I do plan to chop out such things as dado waste.

[Hasin Haroon]

I have the AI MKII and they are definitely a lot more delicate than the Veritas or Lie Nielsen/Stanley SWs. They are great for paring and lighter work, but I haven't tried 'beating' on them. THey'll likely be fine, but I think I recall Paul Sellers broke one in use.

[Joe A Faulkner]

I only own one Ashley Isles chisel - the 1/8" size. I really like the chisel, but it is used for light duty. I might tap it, but I do not think it is designed to be pounded on. I cut dovetail baselines with a coping saw and then pare which sometimes is done using a mallet, but again light taps. On occasion, I'll use a bench-style chisel for mortises instead of a mortise chisel, but these are through tang style chisels that can take a pounding as can the mortise chisels. I use a leather-faced jointer's mallet or a "wood is good" mallet.

[Bill Houghton]

This has been a really useful thread - an aspect of the Ashley Iles chisels I wasn't aware of/hadn't thought about.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

From what I can recall, I think Jim uses mostly antiques. I am sure he will chime in if he has the Iles.

I use them as all purpose chisels. I do have mortise chisels for mortising, so I do not use them for that.

Somebody said Paul Sellers broke one. Nothing came up about that when I searched, but I am not a search guru so maybe I am missing it. Here is what I did find, which on my quick scan looks like he likes them.

https://paulsellers.com/2016/10/uk-chisel-like/

Both American sellers have excellent customer service, so if you want something else I am sure they will take them back.


Nominally, the Ashley Iles are bench chisels -- I assumed "bench" meant all-purpose. Is it your understanding these should be reserved for paring? I don't plan to chop mortises, but I do plan to chop out such things as dado waste.

[Robert LaPlaca]

Herv, I use Ashley Iles butts for my dovetail chisels, I have never had any issues with the chisels breaking and never thought of them as delicate. I also own and use the 1/8” chisel for small dovetails. I think Iles are pretty nice chisels, especially so if one factors in the price. My only issue with the chisels is the handles on the butt chisels love and I mean love to roll off the bench..

The MK II chisels kind of look like shorter versions of my butt chisels, with a different handle that hopefully doesn’t roll off the bench so well...

[Jim Koepke]

Originally Posted by Jim Koepke
My paring chisels usually do not get hit with a mallet. jtk

Nominally, the Ashley Iles are bench chisels -- I assumed "bench" meant all-purpose. Is it your understanding these should be reserved for paring? I don't plan to chop mortises, but I do plan to chop out such things as dado waste.

You left out:


When they do it is not my 'Big Bopper.' They are lightly tapped with a small mallet.

No, it is not my understanding they have to be reserved for paring. My understanding is in what my tool is likely to do if it is pushed passed its design limits. It is like the mechanic that doesn't use a torque wrench on every screw, nut or bolt. They know from experience that it is tight enough and another turn will likely end in failure.

Depending on how difficult the removal of waste in a dado becomes, sometimes my 'paring' chisels are used and sometimes my heavier chisels are used. Though if you do a lot of dados you will really appreciate a crank neck chisel or two.

That is why there are so many different types of chisels. Thin land bevel edge 'paring' chisels or bench chisels, Thicker land bevel edge firmer chisels, flat sided chisels AKA registered chisels, various kinds of mortise chisels, butt chisels and many more.

Surely the makers wanted workers to believe that each task was best served by a specific tool. Many workers were able to make do with less than one of each kind and size.


From what I can recall, I think Jim uses mostly antiques. I am sure he will chime in if he has the Iles.

To the best of my memory if any of my edged tools are AI, it would likely be a carving chisel. My 'paring' chisels are Buck Brothers socket chisels. My firmer chisels are Witherby bevel edged socket chisels. Most of my flat sided chisels are a random mix as are my mortise chisels. My cranked neck chisels are also Buck Brothers.

jtk

[Hasin Haroon]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ6VaSUg8l3/

Here's the link to my earlier comment - you can see Paul mentions he snapped one of the chisels. He used to rate the AI very highly before this.

I love my AI chisels - they are well made, and are much cheaper than they should be IMO. I just wouldn't mortise with them.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

That is interesting Hasin. Thanks for posting the link. Looking “way” down in the comments on the post I linked to he comments that the 3/8 snapped, and speculates about inconsistencies in the manufacturing.

[Herv Peairs]

Thanks, everyone. This is very useful input.

Herv

[Tony Joyce]

I have a full set of the Ashley Iles MKll chisels. I have owned these for about 8 years. I sold a set of the now discontinued larger handled ones. These are not paring or mortise chisels. (By the way the butt chisels are about 1-1\2" shorter)

I have always used a hammer on mine when needed. So they will take some abuse. Did I mention these are not mortise chisels. That said I would never pry/lever with one.
The only time I split a handle was my abuse, by flailing the S*** out of it with a framing hammer.

They are thinner than my Stanley chisels, but not as thin as my Sorby paring chisels. I absolutely love the thin edges. They have less than 1\32" flat on the edge. They fit close in dovetails.

I'll try to post some side by side pictures later this evening.

Tony

As promised:405498 Top to bottom Stanley(8-1/2"OAL), Ashley Iles Butt(7-1/2"OAL), Ashley Iles MKll(10"OAL), Ashley Iles(11-1/2"OAL), Sorby mortise(11-1/4"OAL), Sorby Paring(15"OAL)
Note: The Ashley Iles butt chisel handle is made by me, but is the same length as AI has on there website. All these chisels have been ground very very little.

405499Top to bottom Stanley, AI Butt, AI MKll, AI original I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture, but trying to show thickness.

[Edwin Santos]

Ashley Iles makes a few different chisel styles. You didn't specify which style you bought. I have the MK II bench chisels and the butt chisels by AI.

I consider the MK II bench chisels to be just that - all around bench chisels. Not paring chisels, not mortise chisels either. They hone easily and take a good edge. If you broke one, I'd be surprised and expect that you were in abuse territory. I would not call them delicate, nor would I call them beefy.

Yes, they have narrower lands on the sides which allows them to excel at dovetailing in tight spaces. I think maybe your beaters are carpentry chisels where the AI are more of a furniture maker's bench chisel?

You said you wanted something nicer, with narrower lands. That's exactly what you have IMO.

AI also makes a line called the roundback dovetail chisel. That line is more of a paring chisel in my estimation and I would not beat on them with a hammer, though they are fantastic for paring in narrow spaces. If you bought a set of those, I'd see your concern.

[Herv Peairs]

Ashley Iles makes a few different chisel styles. You didn't specify which style you bought. I have the MK II bench chisels and the butt chisels by AI.


Oops, I thought I did specify but I see I did not. They are the MK II bench chisels. The beaters I have from the tool meet may well be carpenter's chisels, I don't know enough to say. The only one I have that is clearly a cabinetmaker's chisel is a 1/4" Marples. That one is similar in substance to the AIs, except the Marples has a longer blade.

[Steve Hamlin]

I have mk I and mk II
The mk I spent a couple of years being abused with hammers (knowing the abuser, I wouldn't be at all surprised if lump hammer as well as claw hammer) Only damage (apart from rust) is mushroomed handles and one split handle
The mk II are the chunkier of the two

[ken hatch]

Up until this point in my hand tool journey I’ve been working with a handful of beater chisels (mostly sockets) from a tool meet, as well as a few plastic handled Stanleys I had lying around. These have been good for learning to sharpen and some starter projects. But now I want something nicer, and something with narrow lands.

I was looking at a set of Veritas bench chisels in O1, but ended up with a set of Ashley Iles partly because of price, partly because the set included a 1/8” chisel. They arrived yesterday, and wow, they seem delicate. I’m afraid to hit one with a mallet. Am I just too used to the heavy build of my beater chisels? What’s your experience with AI durability? I’m not concerned about edge, more about bending the tang or breaking the handle. I should add that I don’t strike my chisels unusually hard or use a clawhammer on them or open paint cans with them or anything like that.

Thanks, Herv

Herv,

I have AI chisels that are used as bench chisels, in other words used cleaning out dovetail sockets sometimes using a hammer or mallet and other general bench use. The lightness is a feature much like bench chisels use to be, if you have ever used pre-WWII tanged chisels you would recognize the balance and feel. BTW, in over 40 years of using chisels I have split only one chisel handle, that was a Veritas Maple handle on one of their new chisels. Lee Valley made it good with no question.

You did good with the AI chisels. If you want a decent chisel to beat on that isn't too heavy buy a couple or a set of Narex firmer chisels with Hornbeam handles. They take a lot of abuse (chopping mortises) with no or little ill effect.

ken