Chisel count

[Cameron Wood]

Trying to manage the urge to buy some.

I count 48 chisels, not counting some gouges, etc.

Two Stanley carpenter chisels, 4 or 5 various beater/glue scrapers, one western large one,

the rest are Japanese.

[Tony Wilkins]

Didn’t you hear, all you need is a 1/2” chisel? Some people say that but I like having a variety of sizes to fit situations and also to keep from having to stop to sharpen.

[Tom M King]

Is this a contest?

[Christopher Charles]

Question: "How many chisels do you need?" Answer:..."Just a few more"

[Tom M King]

I only ordered one this week.

[steven c newman]

Just ONE????

Ever look along the back edge of my Work Bench? Plus there are two drawers upstairs....

Latest Project?
505040
Mainly just these 2....

[Richard Coers]

[QUOTE=Cameron Wood;3267012]Trying to manage the urge to buy some.

I count 48 chisels, not counting some gouges, etc.

Two Stanley carpenter chisels, 4 or 5 various beater/glue scrapers, one western large one,

the rest are Japanese.[/QUOTE
I'm pretty sure I have you beat, I'll do a count tomorrow.

[Jim Koepke]

Trying to manage the urge to buy some.

Resistance is futile…

Some urges should be allowed to run free.

I've accumulated plenty:

505051505052505053505054

Though some of these are gouges.

A few have been purchased since these images were taken. Now days it has to be a pretty good chisel at a decent price for me to bring it home.

jtk

[Derek Cohen]

Didn’t you hear, all you need is a 1/2” chisel? Some people say that but I like having a variety of sizes to fit situations and also to keep from having to stop to sharpen.

Tony, he has 47 1/2” chisels.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Chuck Hill]

If you have to ask, keep buying.

[Cameron Wood]

Is this a contest?



Yes.......

[andy bessette]

How else will you know which are your favorites? :)

Working on boats, it's good to have extra chisels standing by for when you hit a nail or screw, so you can keep the momentum going. Certain chisels are designated for very rough jobs, like demolition, where you are certain to be beating on them and badly abusing the edge. Some are particularly useful for doing "away" jobs. Others are especially reserved for shop work, besides different styles, such as mortice, cranked, etc. Certain chisels seem to lend themselves better for specific jobs, like paring down plugs over counterbored screws, where they need some heft; slicing deck caulk off payed seams, etc.

Though I have many that are more expensive, I have become rather attached to my relatively inexpensive Japanese chisels.

[Cameron Wood]

How else will you know which are your favorites? :)

Working on boats, it's good to have extra chisels standing by for when you hit a nail or screw, so you can keep the momentum going. Certain chisels are designated for very rough jobs, like demolition, where you are certain to be beating on them and badly abusing the edge. Some are particularly useful for doing "away" jobs. Others are especially reserved for shop work, besides different styles, such as mortice, cranked, etc. Certain chisels seem to lend themselves better for specific jobs, like paring down plugs over counterbored screws, where they need some heft; slicing deck caulk off payed seams, etc.

Though I have many that are more expensive, I have become rather attached to my relatively inexpensive Japanese chisels.



Numbers, what about numbers?

[andy bessette]

Numbers, what about numbers?

I really don't know. 50-ish, perhaps.

[George Yetka]

Didn’t you hear, all you need is a 1/2” chisel? Some people say that but I like having a variety of sizes to fit situations and also to keep from having to stop to sharpen.


Ya but at least 50 of them

[David Carroll]

It's not a contest, but like diamonds for women, the guy who dies with the most chisels wins!

I don't have that many, certainly less than 100 or so. I'd love to say I use them all, I don't. I likely use about 12 of them regularly.

Now, if we count carving tools, then I begin to like my chances...

DC

[George Yetka]

I am not large in the chisel department. I have a very nice set of 6 bench chisels, I have a garbage set of 5 I can use to mix paint or break nails, and good skew left and right. I look longingly at the veritas flushing chisel set as well as their mortising chisel set but ill likely not jump on either anytime soon.

[Derek Cohen]

I have a few sets. Here is one maker, Kiyohisa, and two sets of chisels.

Top row - slicks/paring chisels ...

https://i.postimg.cc/YrqMnmG7/3.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Bottom row - bench chisels/Oire nomi ...

https://i.postimg.cc/FrWm2s3L/4.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

And Koyamaichi dovetail chisels ...

https://i.postimg.cc/dQqD3PsF/Koyamaichi1.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Reed Gray]

I think I have at least one for every possible situation I will ever need. I am guessing 30 plus. I do think I have more chisels than I do hand planes...... Not positive though.

robo hippy

[Jim Koepke]

I do think I have more chisels than I do hand planes...... Not positive though.

If molding planes are included in the count, my planes might outnumber my chisels.

jtk

[Tom M King]

I can't think of a useful purpose in counting, but I do only have one toolbox of timber framing chisels.

[Jim Koepke]

I can't think of a useful purpose in counting, but I do only have one toolbox of timber framing chisels.

Agreed, after about 50 planes I stopped bothering to count. Then I met a guy who had a ton of molding planes to sell at a price that couldn't be refused.

jtk

[Cameron Wood]

The count is going up- made on offer & getting these:

505083

In the '80s, I got a set of ten (shop), and a more modest set of 8 (site work). Then over more recent years various used including another set of ten (splurge) and some push chisels. They're all sharp. I use them all, but of course would be fine with fewer. It's handy to have multiples of the same size to not have to stop to sharpen.

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There is an abundance of used chisels available in Japan, since carpentry joinery and hand work is done less now. I like that the worn ones have a demonstrated quality since if they were not good, they would not have been sharpened for so long, and I like being able to give further life to tools that were used professionally for many years.

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[Edward Weber]

Disclaimer:
I buy old chisels and rehab them for use, not looks.
There are a few sets of varying quality but for the most part, I stick to a few older brands, from around the turn of the 19th-20th century. This is the bulk of them and no, I did not count them.
I have lots of handles to turn this winter, once I dial in the shape a bit more. There are some that did not make it in the photos.
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[George Yetka]

505104


These are about to become 3/8 chisels.

[Tom M King]

Here's the one I bought this week. I plan to upgrade my small fishtail chisel from one with a blue plastic handle to one with a wooden handle.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115822273609

[steven c newman]

Is this too many Mortise Chisels?
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Only goes up to 12mm...

[Jim Koepke]

I have lots of handles to turn this winter, once I dial in the shape a bit more.

Edward, noticing some of your unhandled socket chisels have suffered some mushrooming, most likely from the efforts of previous users, it seemed this might be of help > https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/69331-doming-and-forming-pin-set?item=09A0366

After purchasing this set and finding the pair very useful with my track anvil, it occurred to me the forming pin might be ground to a cone for use in repairing chisel sockets that have been mushroomed.

Now all you need is a piece of track or a heavy piece of metal on which you can mount it.

One suggestion, if you drill a 13/32" hole to mount it, leave a way to poke a rod up underneath it to knock it out when it doesn't want to come out after use.

jtk

[Edward Weber]

Edward, noticing some of your unhandled socket chisels have suffered some mushrooming, most likely from the efforts of previous users, it seemed this might be of help > https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/69331-doming-and-forming-pin-set?item=09A0366

After purchasing this set and finding the pair very useful with my track anvil, it occurred to me the forming pin might be ground to a cone for use in repairing chisel sockets that have been mushroomed.

Now all you need is a piece of track or a heavy piece of metal on which you can mount it.

One suggestion, if you drill a 13/32" hole to mount it, leave a way to poke a rod up underneath it to knock it out when it doesn't want to come out after use.

jtk

Thanks for the suggestion Jim, I've been looking at getting one of these for my small anvil.
https://www.centaurforge.com/7_8-Centaur-Anvil-Cone-Hardie/productinfo/CENTCONE
There was either a lack of respect, lack of knowledge or both, somewhere along their long history.
Many of these were definitely used without a handle for an uncertain period of time.

I hate to see the old chisels become scrap metal because someone abused them, which is one reason I like to fix them back up into working tools again.

[Richard Coers]

Trying to manage the urge to buy some.

I count 48 chisels, not counting some gouges, etc.

Two Stanley carpenter chisels, 4 or 5 various beater/glue scrapers, one western large one,

the rest are Japanese.
By count I have 67 chisels,
505145

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks for the suggestion Jim, I've been looking at getting one of these for my small anvil.
https://www.centaurforge.com/7_8-Cen...tinfo/CENTCONE

That would be easier to work with. My track anvil doesn't have a hardy hole.

505175

Holes were drilled in the bottom for screws to mount it on a piece of tree stump and a 13/32" hole was drilled to hold the dome and pin.

My recollection is it cost me $3 at a yard sale.

jtk

[Edward Weber]

That would be easier to work with. My track anvil doesn't have a hardy hole.

505175

Holes were drilled in the bottom for screws to mount it on a piece of tree stump and a 13/32" hole was drilled to hold the dome and pin.

My recollection is it cost me $3 at a yard sale.

jtk

I habe a small 50 lb anvil from HF. I bought it about 15 or more years ago, before Forged in Fire, when everyone and their cousin started trying to forge at home. Now, anvil prices are ridiculous.
Here's a good one
505183
Why stop hammering?

I may have to cut this one and make it a hybrid socket/tang style.

[Reed Gray]

I know one black smith who had a shirt, "it is a polyhammerous' thing..... I don't have more than 5 hammers, unless you count sledge hammers. Then count goes up to 15 maybe... Several carving mallets, and on the drawing board, some plane hammers....

robo hippy

[Cameron Wood]

By count I have 67 chisels,
505145



A goodly number!

[Tom M King]

Reed, I don't understand how you have 10 sledgehammers. I only have 8, 10, 12,16, and 20 pounders. I didn't know I was missing any. 12 is the largest that I will swing all the way around. Those don't include stonework ones that look sort of like sledgehammers but have a pointed side.

[Reed Gray]

Well, I did concrete construction, mostly residential, for 30 years. I have sledges from 2 to 15 or so pounds. Don't know where I got the big one. I think it was for the railroad... Mostly I used a 10 pounder for driving stakes. The other guys on the crew wouldn't 'borrow' it because they only used 8 pounders.... Now, I use them to drive a few wedges and split some fire wood. The 2 pounder is great for driving tent pegs.... Steel ones that is.

robo hippy

[Tom M King]

I always heard the smaller ones, with shorter handles than three feet called "engineering hammers" for whatever reason. I only have heard the long handled ones called sledge hammers.

[Reed Gray]

I think the first thing any concrete worker does to their personal sledge is shorten the handle to 18 to maybe 24 inches. If it doesn't get your shins, it will get your gonads.... Only took one shin episode for me to cut my first one....

robo hippy

[steven c newman]

That is why my 10 pounder has a 2' handle, and was nick-named "Buster".....and IF you missed, you will know why.

After a while, one gets too old the be playing in the concrete. Seems those forms would get heavier each year.

As for chisels....two things I care the most about the ones I have....1) is it the right width for the task at hand?, 2) Is it as SHARP as I can get it....and those are all that really matter...

One other name for the smaller "sledge hammers"...either used by a Blacksmith at the anvil....or star Drill "Drilling Hammer"

[Tom M King]

I swing the ones up through the 12 pounder all the way around, including driving ground rods. The 16 and 20 go all the way straight up and come down to break something. I'm not good for a lot of reps with the 20 pounder even like that, but there are not many things that are hit with it that don't break. I don't use the engineering length handles for anything. They're too hard on my back staying bent over.

I do have a selection of various sizes of drilling hammers that get used a lot.

I was using the 20 pounder one day when a friend stopped by to pick me up to go play golf. He saw what I was doing and asked if I was going to be able to play. I told him that if I needed to hit a ball straight down that I wouldn't need to warm up.

[Cameron Wood]

Incredibly fast shipping.

One is junk- not laminated, a couple of nice mortise chisels and a couple of nice push ones.

Only two need any substantial amount of work & very little rust overall.

About $9 each if you don't count the bad one.

505406

[Edward Weber]

That's a good deal, even with the bad one

[Jim Koepke]

About $9 each if you don't count the bad one.

You did good! Even the bad one might be useable for repurpose. One of my junk chisels was ground at 90º just to try something someone suggested. It was such great tool a couple other different size chisels were ground to 90º.

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?289820

505432

jtk

[Cameron Wood]

Initial assessment, wire wheel, smooth out hoops, once over with diamond plate - 1/2 hour.

Preliminary sharpening on Makita sharpener, 1 hour. the stone leaves a touch of hollow on the chisel backs, which makes the final flattening easier.


505437

[Cameron Wood]

You did good! Even the bad one might be useable for repurpose. One of my junk chisels was ground at 90º just to try something someone suggested. It was such great tool a couple other different size chisels were ground to 90º.

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?289820

505432

jtk


I have a file set up like that. Teeth ground down, & the end with a hollow grind from the bench grinder. Used to adjust the wooden plane body when seating the blade.You can see it in this pic.

505438

[Edward Weber]

You did good! Even the bad one might be useable for repurpose. One of my junk chisels was ground at 90º just to try something someone suggested. It was such great tool a couple other different size chisels were ground to 90º.

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?289820

505432

jtk

I never sharpened one at 90 like that, but now I see a use for it.
Typically I might use a sloyd knife to smooth that transition area. Thanks for the suggestion/photo.

[Tom Bender]

Included in my collection are;

loaners

steel cutting

masonry and stone cutting chisels

a couple of chrome plated ones for wet work

[steven c newman]

IF you were to try and count all the chisels in this picture....
505512
You would be half way to the amount I have...in chisels....these are just the ones I am using, at the moment...
505513

Happens after every Project gets done...I have to spend a week to clean, sharpen and put this mess away...and..empty the tool well...

[Tom M King]

Included in my collection are;

loaners

steel cutting

masonry and stone cutting chisels

a couple of chrome plated ones for wet work

I would be in real trouble if I had to count those. Especially with stonework chisels. Then you get into arguments about what a tool is. Is that a chisel or a hand set? Is that a chisel or a hand tracer?

[steven c newman]

Then there are the ones for working Concrete..and..Laying Carpet....There is also chisels made by Crescent that are ALL Steel...sold to Plumbers and Electricians usually a set of 3..and I only have 2 of the 3...and are meant to be hit by them 3 pound Drilling Hammers...BTDT...

[Cameron Wood]

The first four fully sharpened. Eventually they they will clean up a little more, maybe some bluing.


505546

[Cameron Wood]

All cleaned up and sharpened. I'll put a little tung oil on the handles. About 5 1/2 hrs into it- a little more than 1/2 hr each. New chisels take about that much time as well. The skinny ones go quick as there is less metal to deal with. One was missing it's hoop, & I made one from iron pipe. Price tag one one says 1,600 yen- about $12.00 at current rate, but could have been sold 40 years ago.

505593

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Counting would reveal that I have a chisel collecting problem, so I shall not count. Let’s just say that more than one drawer is dedicated to chisels and gouges, and they aren’t small drawers.

I do agree, however, that the average guy should start out with a 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and 1” chisel. I do carvings and historic restorations, and that is my excuse for having so many. I don’t have a problem. I do not have a problem. I’m fine. I can stop at any…. Oh, look at that sweet set of Japanese chisels on eBay…. Ummmm… I gotta go now.

[Cameron Wood]

The good thing about chisels, is that they take up much less room than other things. I knew a guy who had a thing for antique stoves, even safes. His living room was full.

Got a working set together. The leather was formerly my couch. Wads of polyester batting in the bottom of each pocket.

505603505604

[Rob Luter]

My count stands at about 20. A six piece set of Marples Blue Chips from when the were still made in Sheffield. I use these for rough work requiring bashing. My good chisels are from LN, and include a six piece set of bevel edge chisels, a fishtail, a small corner chisel, and three mortise chisels. I have a couple vintage pieces from Buck Brothers with a 1/2 cranked neck Parer and a 3/4 cranked neck pattern makers gouge, and a W. Butcher 1 1/2 firmer ground for paring. I have a 1/2” Corsair socket chisel I’ve ground at 17 degrees for pine end grain too. It works great for trimming dovetail baselines in soft material.

505659

[Cameron Wood]

I went & got a couple of hundred $ worth of free trim/leftovers, & there were some pieces of cedar, so I used that to make a box for the mortise & other chisels.
That pretty much wraps it up.

505671

[Greg Parrish]

505674

These plus a set of box store Dewalt chisels as beaters.

[Jake Hillestad]

Currently making do with 7. Or 8.








Dozen

[Cameron Wood]

One more bit- a guard for the push chisel. I used the chisels to make this. The box worked well- easy to have nearby, and larger ones can be rested on top.

505690

[Clark Magnuson]

505692
I have ~500 beat up old chisels from Ebay.
I have put a new handle on and sharpened ~250.
I do about one chisel restoration per week.

[Cameron Wood]

505692
I have ~500 beat up old chisels from Ebay.
I have put a new handle on and sharpened ~250.
I do about one chisel restoration per week.



Sweet looking handles! That's going to be a tough number to beat.

[Jim Koepke]

505692
I have ~500 beat up old chisels from Ebay.
I have put a new handle on and sharpened ~250.
I do about one chisel restoration per week.

Though I envy you for your chisels… Candy would likely make me seek professional help if I bought that many. :eek:

jtk

[Clint Baxter]

Upon reading the other posts on here, I was thinking I had somewhere's in the neighborhood of 30 to 40, possibly even surpassing the 45 mark. I finally went out to the shop and did a count. It appears that I have at least 67 of them. I use the term "at least" because I keep thinking that I've skipped over some hidden elsewhere in the shop. It's a good thing that my lathe "chisels" aren't included in the count, because they would have definitely taken me into the triple digits.

Clint

[David Carroll]

I've really enjoyed reading through this thread. While I'm still well short of the numbers that some folks have posted, I certainly have way more than I need. I daydream from time to time of having a streamlined set of tools that allow me to do everything I want to do with the absolute minimum of tools. Once every couple of years I resolve to give away or sell all of the extraneous tools I own.

Sometimes I even go so far as to get a big plastic tote and go through my chisels, or planes, or screwdrivers, or saws, or marking tools, and I pull out all of the duplicates, and the tools I bought on a whim because they were pretty, or suggested by some luminary, or that seemed like a necessity when I bought it, but never found a use for, or is a rehab project that at my present rate of finishing projects I will not live long enough to complete.

I start to collect these items with every intention of selling them or gifting them, and put them in the tote. But in holding each one I remember why I bought it: some were good deals found at antique stores, some were given to me in forum gift exchanges, some were my Grandfathers, or one of my now deceased uncles. They all have a story, or represent some hope or dream that I had. I hold them in my hand and inevitably decide that I am not ready to let them go just yet. So I end up putting them all back where I found them.

I suppose the one good thing to come from this is that it helps keep me mindful to avoid buying new (to me) tools. Last week I went to a tag sale, that's what we call garage or yard sales here in CT, among the normal things was a box full of rusty old tools, in were several old chisels, an old battered 3/4-inch Stanley 750, a larger framing socket chisel that like so many others had the socket mushroomed so badly that you would have to reforge it. They only wanted a couple of bucks each and I'm sure I could've talked them down further. But I let it go and walked away empty handed. I don't need any more chisels, certainly not ones that need a lot of work.

These days I buy tools mostly from dealers, Tony Seo at Old River Hard Goods mostly, sometimes Patrick Leach or Jim Bode. The tools I buy now are either ones I have always wanted (sometimes since they were new and now are antiques), but couldn't afford. Other times the tools remind me of times in my life, or people who I have know and are now gone. Back when I worked as a young man in a sign shop, the Kindly old shop foreman, George, used an ancient pounce wheel, I remembered him using it and admired it. Tony Seo had one for sale, very similar, and so I bought it. I have no particular need for it. But it is beautifully made, very old, and in great shape. When I took it out of the packaging and held it I remembered details about that time in my life that I am not sure I could have otherwise.

So there are lots of reasons to buy tools. Some have little to do with actually doing work.

DC

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks for the post David. Some of my tools have the same effect on me.

jtk

[steven c newman]

Ok..NOW you all got me to thinking (dangerous I know)

There IS a space..
505736
Along either of these 2 shelf fronts, where I could build a rack to hold a few chisels in....have it so it swings out of the way, so I can access the planes behind the SHARP ends of the chisels...

Went up this morning to Lowes...bought some hinges and two 1x 2 x 6' Pine boards.....Thinking I could add a bit of width to the top OR bottom shelf, then the rack. One rack will hold all the Mortise chisels....the other MIGHT be for the mostly un-used chisels.....while I keep the ones I use all the time in the rack along the back of the bench's tool well.

Camera is loaded up...should I post here, or..start a stand alone thread?

Stay tuned

BTW: the Mortise chisels?
505737
This IS most of them...

[Derek Cohen]

So … how many sets of chisels do you have … not orphan chisels .. but sets?

And - importantly - how many are used regularly?

https://i.postimg.cc/B4BvxYgS/Marples-gouges.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Richard Hutchings]

2 sets. 1 standard and one mortising.

[steven c newman]

At 1450Hrs..Rack for the mortise chisels has been installed...along with a rack for 4 squares...Film@ 2300 hrs..
Stay tuned..

[David Carroll]

Well, here goes... Off the top of my head.

1 set of 4 Woodcraft branded chisels purchased in the early 1980s, these are my go to chisels and are in constant use.
1 set of LN Chisels purchased in their first year of production, I also bought the 1-inch chisel (not included it the set, as well as a 1/10-inch special suggested to me by Larry Williams). I do not like them at all. I've taken a few cuts with them. The only one I've used consistently is the 1/10th inch. The rest sit waiting for me to sell them.
1 set of Marples Blue Chips that I bought in the early 90's. These live in my home renovation box and get a lot of harrrd use. I snapped the 1-inch chisel here a while ago and replaced it with a new old stock one off of Ebay (these were made in Sheffield). I paid more for the 1-inch replacement and the original set cost back in the day.
1 set of Buck cranked neck patternmaker's chisels. 1/8-inch up to 1-1/4 inch. The 1/2-inch and the 3/4-inch get more use than the others.
1 set of Old Stanley No. 60s with the black handles, before the ubiquitous yellow ones. I keep these at one of my ex-wife's house, for when I go there to do stuff.
1 nice set of Ashly Iles bench chisels. I bought a set for each son for their 18th birthdays. My oldest boy uses his, my youngest turns 18 in a couple of weeks and the middlest is a lawyer and gave me his set back because he has no interest in them and no use for them. I have them now, the next Christmas I got him a nice gouge for gouging his customers. We all laughed.
1 set of Pigsticker Mortise Chisels, antiques, I think there's 8. I use the 1/8-inch, and the 3/16th ones for picture framing, the 1/4-inch one for face frames, and the 1/2-inch one for heavier stuff. The rest sit.
1 accumulated set of Buck tanged firmer chisels that I use for various things, occasionally. I just like them and have built up the set over the years.
1 set of Craftsman Branded Plumbers chisels, all steel, one piece construction. For very heavy, rough work. They take a keen edge, but dull quickly. I'm pretty sure they are designed to be sharpened with a mill file, that's how soft the steel is.

Beyond that, I have dozens of specialty chisels, old socket sash mortise chisels, skews, butt chisels and a full set of antique chisels that came with an old tools chest I bought.

Also a couple of hundred carving tools. Mostly old Addis chisels, some other sheffield makers, a lot of Pfiels and German tools. I made the mistake of buying sets of carving tools at the beginning, and consequently wound up with a lot of duplicates.

DC

[Cameron Wood]

Two sets of ten- use them both but one would be OK. One set of eight- jobsite use, mostly lockset, door hinges. Two of the sets were purchased new in the 1980s and have been in use since.

Not exactly a set, but a tray of push chisels. The narrow ones surprisingly get used quite a lot.

505744505742505743505741

[steven c newman]

Issues with Card Reader...had to order a new one...still was able to download a few pictures..
505746
Only needed one hinge...and used bigger, longer screws...
505747
Kind of tight...
505748
Had enough slots on the back of the bench, for the rest of the chisels..decided to hang a few squares, instead..
505749
4 squares, in fact..
505750
4-1/2c to level the rack a bit...
505751
Doors still close, without any issues...

Used pine, as anything harder would be too heavy, and have Tannic Acid....which doesn't play "Nice" with iron/steel tools.

About 2 hours in the shop...

[andy bessette]

...
505747
Kind of tight...

WAY too tight. And chisel tips unprotected. Lots of opportunities for injury.

[steven c newman]

Makes one pay attention to what they are doing....and grabbing for.....

[Tom Bender]

Only one set, used 90% of the time. And a few misc specialties.

505777

[Jim Koepke]

WAY too tight. And chisel tips unprotected. Lots of opportunities for injury.


Makes one pay attention to what they are doing....and grabbing for.....

Or keep a lot of band aids in the shop.

jtk

[steven c newman]

One...Teaches one to actually LOOK where they are a-grabbing
Two...rack will swing out of the way, to allow access to the items behind the chisels

I usually throw those caps that come with a chisel to protect it's sharp edges....as usually those promote RUST.

One now has to slow down a bit, watch where they are grabbing....and simply just pay attention.

Since all these Mortise chisels USED to be in the rack on the back of the tool well of my bench, this now frees up those slots for the more regularly used chisels, and those won't have to lay around IN the Tool Well..

IF one is in such a hurry to grab items out of the Tool Cabinet without looking where their hand is reaching into.....THAT is the "unsafe" action.

[Tom M King]

I'm not getting into counting, but I did weigh the two bench chisel toolboxes. This doesn't include the timberframing chisel box, or carving chisel and gouge box, or the ones just laying around like this small pile of carpentry chisels. I weighed the two boxes with the refrigerant scale. The boxes weigh something, but not but a very few pounds. I did hose the boxes off before putting them back in their cubbies.

I like those LV magnetic chisel guards for ones that just lay around.

When I was working and had helpers, they had three standing orders of work to do if I was busy doing something by myself: move stuff closer to where it goes, clean up, sharpen chisels. I have a Lot of sharp chisels and we always got a lot of comments about how clean our worksite was. Working on the old houses, we used sharp chisels for lots of things including but not limited to woodworking.

[Andrew Seemann]

I like the idea of counting sets, it makes the number seem smaller:)

1 set of Blue handled Sheffield Marples (my first good set of chisels)
1 set of mismatched vintage chisels
1 set of Two Cheries bench
1 set of beater chisels for shop use
1 row of specialty chisels (cranked, swan, mortice, paring, pigsticker, etc)
2 sets of carving chisels
1 set of vintage plastic handled chisels for carpentry
1 set of inherited Irwin Marples with the steel head for rough carpentry (actually much better than I was expecting)
A few sets waiting for clean up, sharpening, etc.

OK, maybe the number isn't that small. . .