I defer to the experts - how many chisels?

[Doyle Alley]

I'm looking to buy a good matched set of bench chisels. How many would a normal hobby-type woodworker need? Most of the sets go 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and 1". Some start at 1/8. I can see the occasional need for a very small chisel, but does anybody ever really need a chisel greater than 1"?

[Chris Rosenberger]

I use chisels over 1" out on the job, but I can not remember using them in the shop that often. As for the 1/8". I do not use it that often, but it is nice to have when I really need it.

[Jim Becker]

I bought a six piece Ashley Iles chisel assortment from Tools for Working Wood (http://www.toosforworkingwood.com) last year that starts at 1/8". The only one I find I don't commonly use is the 5/8". The 1/8" and 3/8" do come in handy quite a bit. I have never found a need so far for anything larger than 1" for furniture work; at least the kind I do. I can see a benefit if some "shaving" of tenons was necessary, but there are other ways to accomplish that, too.

[tod evans]

doyle, i`d suggest getting a beater set like the marples and choose a manufacturer that offers sizes up to 2" for your bench chisels then buy bench chisels as time/money allows sticking with one manufacturer untill you have a complete set. .02 tod

[tod evans]

I bought a six piece Ashley Iles chisel assortment from Tools for Working Wood (http://www.toosforworkingwood.com) last year that starts at 1/8". The only one I find I don't commonly use is the 5/8". The 1/8" and 3/8" do come in handy quite a bit. I have never found a need so far for anything larger than 1" for furniture work; at least the kind I do. I can see a benefit if some "shaving" of tenons was necessary, but there are other ways to accomplish that, too.

jim, i`ve found the larger sizes to come in very handy when veneering or doing inlay work, same for the smallest...02 tod

[Tom Jones III]

I wish I had a 3/8" and a 1.5" I've needed each one of those more than a few times.

[Bob Noles]

Doyle,

I have a set of (6) Marples (Irwin) that I plan on selling soon. They have barely been used once or twice. If you are interested, shoot me a PM and I'll make you a deal you can't refuse.

They are not a bad chisel at all, but I have replaced them with the AI chisels.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Ahhh ha ha ha.

My first chisel was a - well - it was busted. It was a found thing. I still have it - and I still use it. The handle had long been broken away when I found it. The tang, a stubby little nothing was bent and mushroomed from hammering.

It was a 1/2" chisel that held an edge right well. I used it as my only chisel for years. With that chisel, I built my first guitar, my first living room full of furniture and my children's massive bunkbeds.

Poverty has a way of assisting us to find ways of making do with less.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Doyle, you'll always need one more than you have:rolleyes: . I'd say an ideal set would start at 1/8" and increase by 1/8" to 1", then increase by 1/4" to 2".

You don't need to buy them all at once, buy the starter set and add the others when you can.

the larger sizes are useful for making hinge mortises in doors and such.

[Jim Becker]

jim, i`ve found the larger sizes to come in very handy when veneering or doing inlay work, same for the smallest...02 tod
Excellent point, Tod. To date, I haven't done that kind of work, but I can see how the wider blade would be beneficial. In fact, there is an article in the new June 2006 issue of Fine Woodworking where a wide veneer inlay is cut with a wide chisel...I completely forgot about it! I guess I would certainly add these tools to my list if I got involved in that kind of thing. And given how anal I am, they would have to match my current chisels. Fortunately, they are available! :)

[Doyle Alley]

Doyle,

I have a set of (6) Marples (Irwin) that I plan on selling soon. They have barely been used once or twice. If you are interested, shoot me a PM and I'll make you a deal you can't refuse.

They are not a bad chisel at all, but I have replaced them with the AI chisels.


Bob, I don't have PM set up, but I'd like to hear your offer. Shoot me an email to wood2splinters@hotmail.com . Thanks.

[Doug Shepard]

Excellent point, Tod. To date, I haven't done that kind of work, but I can see how the wider blade would be beneficial. In fact, there is an article in the new June 2006 issue of Fine Woodworking where a wide veneer inlay is cut with a wide chisel...I completely forgot about it! I guess I would certainly add these tools to my list if I got involved in that kind of thing. And given how anal I am, they would have to match my current chisels. Fortunately, they are available! :)

OK - what am I missing? I use the 2" a lot for inlay too, but obviously not in the same way you guys are referring to. I like to use the longest chisel I have for squaring up corner cuts from routing the channel. I put the flat of the chisel up against the inlay channel wall then rock it down a few times to follow the wall and square out the corners. I dont think that's what you guys are referring to though. ??

[Vaughn McMillan]

Bob, I don't have PM set up, but I'd like to hear your offer. Shoot me an email to wood2splinters@hotmail.com . Thanks.
Doyle, you can send Bob (or any other Creeker) a privete message (PM) via Sawmill Creek. Just click the name of the person you want to send the message to, and a list of options is displayed. Select the "Send a private message to..." option and the rest is pretty self-explanatory.

Hope this helps -

- Vaughn

[Dennis McDonaugh]

OK - what am I missing? I use the 2" a lot for inlay too, but obviously not in the same way you guys are referring to. I like to use the longest chisel I have for squaring up corner cuts from routing the channel. I put the flat of the chisel up against the inlay channel wall then rock it down a few times to follow the wall and square out the corners. I dont think that's what you guys are referring to though. ??

I think they are talking about making the veneer ?? or about clearing out the recess for the veneer??

[Howard Rosenberg]

Marples Blue Handles.

They're obviously not the best but they do most of what I need.

But I do find I use my 1 1/4"Marples Blue Handle the most.

I don't do M&Ts etc - I find it's great for paring chamfers etc.

HTH
Howard

[Gary Herrmann]

Another vote for Marples blue handles. I've flattened and sharpened mine using scary sharp. They probably don't hold an edge like AIs or LNs, but they do fine for me. When I have more time to improve my neander skills, I'll invest in better chisels. Spokeshaves. Drawknives. The list goes on and on...