Chisels any good?

[Tom Bender]

I picked these up for free. I plan to give them to friend who is just getting into woodworking. They are Chineese made and were very poorly finished, but maybe there is some good material here.

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The ROS with coarse and fine paper produced smooth backs. One needed a few taps with a hammer to make it from a spoon into a knife. Some time on the belt sander and grinder gave them decent shape. More ministrations with the ROS resulted in a nice finish overall. Then some time with the diamond plate got the primary bevel looking good and the edge straightened out. The handles were not too secure so I pulled them all off and ground some ugliness off the tangs them epoxied them back together. About 2 hours into it so far.

At this point I am interested in the quality of the steel. When grinding and sanding the front inch threw a lot of yellow sparks and a file would not touch it. The rest threw no sparks but is not real soft. I used one to chop a few times into Hickory and Oak. No chips or damage evident. What do you think, should I spend the effort to sharpen and build a nice box for them?

[ken hatch]

Tom,

I have some that look similar from 30 or 40 years ago. They are barely above paint can opening quality and not really worth the effort to sharpen. That said yours could be ok chisels, the only way to know is to sharpen one and have metal meet wood. BTW, not a clue why they are still hanging around the shop other than I do have some ethics and wouldn't sell or give 'em to anyone without full disclosure.

ken

[steven c newman]

Used a set like that since the 80s.....still have two. They are pretty good chisels. Set is from Harbor Freight, and is the very best they sell...

Sharpen them up...put them to work....
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Might be able to pick the 2 out from the user line-up....

[Derek Cohen]

Tom, I would never use a ROS on a blade as it is a sure way to create rounded edges and wavy surfaces. A dedicated flat grinder is different, and these would have a way to hold the blades securely to grind the backs. I would paint the backs of yours with marking fluid, and run them over W&D sandpaper attached to glass.

That said, I see these cheap chisels as an opportunity to make something that personalises my taste. This could be to grind the sides to create dovetail chisels, or reshape to make a fishtail chisel, or just add new handles to your taste. I would test the steel to see how well it holds an edge, and re-heat treat if necessary. Lots of potential here.

Stanley 750 set with re-ground sides/lands and new handles ...

https://i.postimg.cc/GmRRD8vT/Chiselset1.jpg

Fishtail chisel from a pre-production Veritas ...

https://i.postimg.cc/xTgCMnYC/Veritas-fishtail3.jpg

Chisel for a friend from one similar to yours (some marks on side from re-heat treating) ...

https://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Chisels/Making%20a%20chisel%20blade/5.jpg

Regards from Prague

Derek

[Tom Bender]

ROS used with care at the right time, and not used on the primary bevel can be ok. Followed on the sides with the diamond stone makes the working edges crisp again. The 3 edges on the top are a little soft. For a set of chisels that probably will get little if any use this was a big time saver. The deep mill marks would have been really difficult to remove by hand and leaving them would not make a good presentation.

[Jeff Wittrock]

As Steve mentions, they look like the ones from Harbor Freight. I bought a set some years ago out of curiosity because they were so cheap.
They were pretty soft when I got them. I didn't know the steel makeup, but gambled with a re-heat treat and oil quench. After that they were quite usable.
I replaced the handles and they are still in use.

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[Frank Pratt]

I will argue, along with Derek, that it is all but impossible to properly flatten the back of a chisel with an ROS. In all of hand tool woodworking, the flatness of a chisel back is one of the most critical things. An ROS just has too much going on with vibration and random sideways forces. Add to that the spongyness of the velcro, and there's no way that you're going to get the back nearly as flat as it should be.

[lowell holmes]

Visit this site.

https://www.amazon.com/eze-lap-diamond-hone-stone/s?k=eze-lap+diamond+hone+%26+stone

[Andrew Seemann]

Those look like some made-in-Japan chisels (not Japanese-style chisels) that I picked up off of eBay a dozen years ago. Mine looked like they were from the 50s or 60s though. I never was able to get them to keep an edge; it almost seemed like they had not been hardened. I eventually gave up on them. I think they are in a box in the shop somewhere now. I probably could have re-heat treated them, but I had plenty of good chisels already and didn't see the point. It sounds like your Chinese ones are much better though.

[steven c newman]

Hmmm...think hand held work sharp......

[ken hatch]

There always has to be one at any party, this time it is me. I can understand just liking to play with tools but with the number of good tools that are cheap (Narex and others) why start with crap. Sharpen the HF and/or Chinese chisels with a belt sander and use 'em to give to your wife to scrape grout off tile. Then be happy she isn't raiding your good chisels for the job.

Ok, back on my meds,

ken

[steven c newman]

Or, treat them with a bit of respect, and they will last 40 years....
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1" wide, bought a LONG time ago....been used so much, the ring is gone....but it still holds a very good edge...Flatten the back?
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About as flat as it needs to be....
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Actually, I have 3 chisels left from that set. The 1/4" has been reground into a triangle shape, because some expert once said I needed to for dovetails....the 3/4" is also still very good shape.

Now, IF the OP had said a different maker's name for the chisels.....there would be some falling all over themselves saying how "perfect" the chisels are, and how they "LOVE" them....

I simply just put them to work. Like the rest of the crowd on my bunch..
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Either they work, or they get tossed....

Sharpen the set up, put them to work, simple as that.

[Jim Matthews]

I assert that these are better quality than the clear plastic Craftsman chisels I started with.

I think those were tempered to handle opening paint cans. There are better chisels than HF - for a price.

[steven c newman]

Actually...I used that skinny one today....
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The 1/4" wide ( when new) has been re-ground into a triangle shaped tip....in order to get into tight spots, while chopping dovetails....temper is still as good as need be..
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Worked very well, while doing these in Ash....

( Remember, there were Stanley No. 60 chisels, with those same yellow handles....)

[steven c newman]

Remember these?
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[Andrew Seemann]

Remember these?
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They have their place in the shop and tool box:) They stand between your good chisels and opening paint cans, scraping the formica-topped assembly bench, hitting nails in suspect wood, and getting borrowed by your neighbor. I have a few sets of old Handymans, Buck Brothers, and plastic-handled Millers Falls for just that purpose.

[Jim Koepke]

I picked these up for free. I plan to give them to friend who is just getting into woodworking.
[edited]

At this point I am interested in the quality of the steel. When grinding and sanding the front inch threw a lot of yellow sparks and a file would not touch it. The rest threw no sparks but is not real soft. I used one to chop a few times into Hickory and Oak. No chips or damage evident. What do you think, should I spend the effort to sharpen and build a nice box for them?

Sharpen them and test them well. One of the last things one should do to "help a friend who is just getting into woodworking" is to give them tools which might cause disappointment.

When the local Harbor Freight had these in stock, they looked unworthy of the price.

jtk

[Eric Danstrom]

I liken it to cheap bicycle tyres; life is too precious to waste riding on them. I feel the same way about chisels. I bought a set of 4 Narex firmer chisels for $48. The backs are flat out-of-the-box, sharpen up nicely with a minimum of fussing, ready to go. My nearest Aldi is 500 miles one way so that's pointless. If it was my friend I'd lend them one of my mid-priced sets, a couple hand planes, saws, etc. Sheesh, with the collections I see on this forum this should be a no-brainer.

[Pat Barry]

I just used my ROS with 150 grit to buff up an older chisel. Not grinding it, just cleaning it up a bit. Worked fine on some maple earlier today. Sure you could overdo it fairly easily I suppose, but I wouldn't use the ROS as a grinder. I've got a grinder for that.

[steven c newman]

First starting out..about 1980 or so....Found a set just like the OP's set.....used them for a LONG time. The 5/16" was prone to bending if I pried with it.....but never snapped. The 1/4" one is still working....chopping dovetails today, in fact. The 5/8" is still around....with a not so great handle...the 3/4" and 1" can still take and keep a very sharp edge....

Those yellow handled one? Picked up over a few years of yard sales....half had SEARS stamped on them. I do have an 1-1/4" wide, metal capped Stanley No. 60....haven't really found much use for that style of chisel.

Of the 2 sets Harbor Freight sells....avoid the yellow handles like you would yellow snow....the wood handled set are actually very good. When you can find them in the store, as they seem to sell out very quickly...

Of course..there are some out there, that collect Vintage Stanley No. 60 chisels....I just not one of them..
If you look closely..
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This is the Buck Brothers chisel I prefer...
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And the one in front of it, is by W. Butcher....
I also have a few Witherbys.....

Price of a chisel means....nothing, really....maybe for snob appeal....and since I am pretty well set as far as chisels go...I simply go with what works for me...the wood couldn't care less how much a chisel costs you....as long as the chisel is sharp.