Fishtail Chisels for Half Blind Dovetails

[Mike Gottlieb]

I noticed that Blu Spruce tools is offering their fishtail chisels on sale. Has anyone used these chisels for half blind dovetail work? Please give me your opinions.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I don’t know when it changed, but for the past year + the price was $90. So yeah, they’re on sale, by a penny. Plus they’ve added the twofer option

I have a couple of their chisels - not a fishtail. Nothing but praise from here

Obi-Wan Cohen of Perth has a few different makes of fishtail - maybe he’ll chime in here

[Jim Koepke]

I noticed that Blu Spruce tools is offering their fishtail chisels on sale. Has anyone used these chisels for half blind dovetail work? Please give me your opinions.

Skew chisels work just as well. The 1/4" size is more useful for most half blind dovetails:

504196

What really helps on half blind dovetails is a kerfing tool to extend the saw cut to the baseline. Easy to make from a piece of broken saw blade or a thin putty knife.

Next time my skew chisels get taken to the grinder the angle may be made less acute. The two 1/4" chisels were less than $10 for both of them.

jtk

[Christopher Charles]

I have an older blue spruce fishtail and it is a lovely chisel. Before that I used a couple skew chisels from AI and frankly would be tempted to go back. So in other words, what Jim said about making your own from some vintage if available.

[Derek Cohen]

I noticed that Blu Spruce tools is offering their fishtail chisels on sale. Has anyone used these chisels for half blind dovetail work? Please give me your opinions.

Mike, I have two of the Blue Spruce fishtail chisels, in 3/8" and 1/2". I rarely use more than the 3/8".

It is worth repeating this story. I was one of the very first to purchase chisels from BS - I think they were called "detail chisels" back then. Dave Jeske offered only a 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2". I wanted a 3/4" as well, and Dave made one for me. At that time he was planning on increasing blade thickness as the sizes increased, and the chisel he sent was 3/16" thick. I hated it and sent it back, requesting 1/8" thick, as were the others. Dave remade it, and then re-thought the thickness for the chisel range, keeping it 1/8" for all. The result is a set of chisels which have terrific "feel" .. feedback. I whole heartedly recommend these chisels - ignore that they are A2 steel. They are all wonderful.

I subsequently built on the set, including a 3/16" and two 1/4" skews. The skews are the only chisels that I would not purchase again.

I recall speaking with Dave about making fishtail chisels, but he did not see the point, believing that the skews would be sufficient to work into the corners of dovetail sockets. I sent him a couple of photos explaining how they worked differently. That was the end of the conversations we had, and I went off and made my own fishtail chisel.

A few years later I came across an advert for a deceased estate sale, and there were two Blue Spruce fish tail chisel for sale. I grabbed both.

In a few words, these are the very best fishtail chisels I have used to date. Like all BS chisels, they are A2 steel. They get very sharp, hold an edge pretty well, and slice into end grain like nothing else!

Here is my full set, in African Blackwood, with the two fishtails on the right (in Cocobolo) ...


https://i.postimg.cc/266JtqS6/Underbench-Cabinet-Drawers567-html-m6137eeae.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tony Wilkins]

Mike, I have two of the Blue Spruce fishtail chisels, in 3/8" and 1/2". I rarely use more than the 3/8".

It is worth repeating this story. I was one of the very first to purchase chisels from BS - I think they were called "detail chisels" back then. Dave Jeske offered only a 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2". I wanted a 3/4" as well, and Dave made one for me. At that time he was planning on increasing blade thickness as the sizes increased, and the chisel he sent was 3/16" thick. I hated it and sent it back, requesting 1/8" thick, as were the others. Dave remade it, and then re-thought the thickness for the chisel range, keeping it 1/8" for all. The result is a set of chisels which have terrific "feel" .. feedback. I whole heartedly recommend these chisels - ignore that they are A2 steel. They are all wonderful.

I subsequently built on the set, including a 3/16" and two 1/4" skews. The skews are the only chisels that I would not purchase again.

I recall speaking with Dave about making fishtail chisels, but he did not see the point, believing that the skews would be sufficient to work into the corners of dovetail sockets. I sent him a couple of photos explaining how they worked differently. That was the end of the conversations we had, and I went off and made my own fishtail chisel.

A few years later I came across an advert for a deceased estate sale, and there were two Blue Spruce fish tail chisel for sale. I grabbed both.

In a few words, these are the very best fishtail chisels I have used to date. Like all BS chisels, they are A2 steel. They get very sharp, hold an edge pretty well, and slice into end grain like nothing else!

Here is my full set, in African Blackwood, with the two fishtails on the right (in Cocobolo) ...


https://i.postimg.cc/266JtqS6/Underbench-Cabinet-Drawers567-html-m6137eeae.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

I have the skews and l8r Dave thought they’d be sufficient. Can you explain (or link to your article) what you mean by how they work differently?

[Derek Cohen]

I have the skews and l8r Dave thought they’d be sufficient. Can you explain (or link to your article) what you mean by how they work differently?


Tony, first of all, you need two skew chisels (one for each side) vs a single fishtail chisel.

Secondly, the action of a skew is clumsy. Push into the corner, then a sweeping, slicing motion is required to cut …

https://i.postimg.cc/KGzTfcy1/Dovetailfishtailcutting3.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Compared to the fishtail chisel, which only is required to be pushed into the corner …

https://i.postimg.cc/jx58frgX/Dovetailfishtailcutting2.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

These are the pictures I sent Dave all those years ago.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tony Wilkins]

Tony, first of all, you need two skew chisels (one for each side) vs a single fishtail chisel.

Secondly, the action of a skew is clumsy. Push into the corner, then a sweeping, slicing motion is required to cut …

https://i.postimg.cc/KGzTfcy1/Dovetailfishtailcutting3.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Compared to the fishtail chisel, which only is required to be pushed into the corner …

https://i.postimg.cc/jx58frgX/Dovetailfishtailcutting2.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

These are the pictures I sent Dave all those years ago.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Ordered one suspecting you’d have a good answer lol. (Haven’t wasted money in new tools in a while). I do have a set of skews (BS for what it’s worth). Haven’t used them because I haven’t done a lot of dovetails but once I’m done with my table I’ll be doing a bunch (Monticello bookcases and finally doing my DTC). If course none of those is doing half blinds.

[Rob Luter]

I purchased a LN 1/2" fishtail sometime back. I don't often make half blind dovetails but on those occasions I have I quickly recognized the utility of the design.

[Scott Winners]

I have a pair of skew chisels from the respectable house in eastern Europe and like them just fine for the three drawer faces I have made with half blind dovetails.

Derek does a LOT of dovetailing and makes a pretty compelling case for a single fishtail v- a pair of skew chisels.

I do agree with Jim K that a kerfing chisel is worth having. I use a drywall knife for mine ($8 at the homestore), though I recall some guy named Derek made a couple in his shop one Friday evening over a single gin and tonic.

While there are a couple negative reviews of Blue Spruce if you look hard enough, the vast majority of owner feedback for Blue Spruce I have ever read is overwhelmingly positive.

If the product is in stock, and the money is in the bank I cannot think of a good reason to not start out with a single fishtail from BS (even in A2) to get started in finicky joinery. If you don't like it resale value should be high and you can get a pair of Narex skews later.

[Tom M King]

You guys have different justifications for buying tools than I do. I just need to produce work. I splurged, and bought three cheap blue handled Marples chisels off ebay for about 8 bucks a piece, and made both a set of skews, and a fishtail chisel out of them. They have done their jobs remarkably well when needed to be called upon.

[Derek Cohen]

You guys have different justifications for buying tools than I do. I just need to produce work. I splurged, and bought three cheap blue handled Marples chisels off ebay for about 8 bucks a piece, and made both a set of skews, and a fishtail chisel out of them. They have done their jobs remarkably well when needed to be called upon.


Tom, if I was a pro, like you, I would do the same. But tools are also toys for me, and I like to play ... so I have a few.

This is a Koyamaichi prototype. It was courtesy of Stu a number of years ago.

https://i.postimg.cc/DZ9JcymW/1.jpg

And this is a "Veritas" I made from a pre-production Veritas O1 3/8" chisel from pre-production testing (Veritas do not, as yet ... as far as I am aware ... have one in their collection) ..

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








Who, otherwise, needs this many?

Regards from Perth

Derek