Chisel Purchase

[Yolanda Kirkland]

I posted once before and this forum has greatly help me with my hand tool purchase of handplanes. I got the Veritas bevel up smoother and bevel up jack. Now I'm trying to purchase chisels. I ordered the Ashley Isles from Tools for Working Wood and both the short and the regular set didn't feel right in my hands. The guys at Tools for Working Wood were absolutely awesome in the return. This place will be my choice in tool buying in the future. But I'm still without chisels. Since I am a beginner, I thought the Irwin/Marples should be the first choice, but I like to buy decent stuff the first time and the made in China gave me some concerns. I thought of buying the Lie Nielsen's one at a time. I could get three for the price I was spending on the AI's for the set. I've heard great things about these chisels. My long winded question is should I just go with the LN's or are there other chisels out there that are of good quality and I won't have to spend a whole weekend prepping them for use? If I go LN one at a time, which are the best sizes to start with? I will be using for dovetailing boxes. I would like to concentrate on box making and maybe some small endtables. I would appreciate any comments on LN and best sizes to start buying. Thanks again guys, this forum has been great.

[Terry Beadle]

It would appear from your posting that the critical issue is the handling and balance of the chisels. I have a wide collection of chisels ( slippery slope indeed! ) and they all have different handling and balance issues. I'm still learning how to use each type and what application challenges mandate the use of a particular chisel. Some times it's not critical....I digress.

Since you have already returned some really good chisels ( from a general evaluation perspective ) , I would suggest you go to a wood working store like Highland Hardware and test drive some of the store samples.

If you don't find a chisel type that has good steel, balance, and handling, then consider getting a hold of Blue Spruce or Barr Speciallty and have them make you a custom set. One other thought is that you should buy one that's close to what you want and then modify it to your personal preferences. That's something noted by David Charlesworth in his Precision Jointery with Chisels. For example ,he put his own handle on a LN bench chisel and made it into a paring chisel.

Can you tell us what the problems were that you encountered with the chisels you returned? Were they too long, too short, handle wrong shape, uncomfortable, ..etc?

Regards,

Terry

[Brent Smith]

Hi Yolanda,

You don't say what size boxes you make so I'll assume smaller boxes. I would start with 1/8, 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2". The 1/8 and 1/2" could be your third and fourth purchases. As good as LN chisels are, I think there are better out there for DTing. Blue Spruce DT chisels are relieved on the sides to make getting into corners much easier and prevent bruising. They sell for about the same as the LNs.

[George Springer]

I own both the LN and Blue Spruce chisels and they are intended for different tasks. I use the LN's for basic bench chisels where one might need to smack it while the BS chisels are only used for dovetailing. You might consider one of each, a 1/4" LN for waste removal and a 1/8" BS for cleaning out dovetail corners.

GS

[Yolanda Kirkland]

Thanks, Terry and Brent for both of your quick replies. The the first set of AI's were just to short, I like the handles but being a novice I felt I was going to hurt myself using them. The second set were o.k. in length, but the handles were so large. I could do the handles if it was a mortise chisel, but for all around use the handles were just too big. I think the LN are just the right length and the handles are fine. Brent I really like the look of the Blue Spruce, but I have not had the opportunity to look at one. The things I've heard on this forum about Blue Spruce was that they were great chisels, but people seemed to scared to hit them with a mallet. I don't want to spend that kind of money and be scared to use the chisel. Could the Blue Spruce be used as all around chisels? I will admit they are beautiful.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Yolanda

As a novice, I think that you are aiming too high. The journey is as important as the destination. This includes accepting that some tools will be a learning experience.

One of the skills that you will have to master is sharpening these chisels. I am assuming from your description that you have little experience here. Do you really want to learn to grind and sharpen on LNs?!

I suggest that you just get some inexpensive chisels are learn to use them for now. Later, when you feel that you have mastered the basics and want to upgrade, you then know that you would have acted prematurely early on since there are a vaste number of other chisels from which to choose, many more than you are aware of at this time. How can you make a decision now when you cannot appreciate what is available and what you want?

Regards from Perth

Derek (Collector of Chisels)

[Terry Beadle]

Derek is right about the journey. I also have some of those cheap Yugoslave Cr chisels. They cost about $5 each and they work great. They even hold an edge longer than the Marples. As a set to learn how to sharpen on, they would be a good bet and give you a great deal of use. However, learning how to grind and sharpen will not wear out a LN or a Yugoslave. The material you work with dictates more of the chisel requirements along with the joint type than any other factors.


The LN's come with horn beam handles. You can hit them with a steel hammer and they won't mushroom. They just get more burnished. This is not to say you can hit them with a sledge hammer but a normal hammer one might use with a Japanease chisel will not harm them.

The Blue Spruce handles are made out of woods that are just as hard or harder than horn beam. The main difference I think between them and the LN's is the LN"s have cryogenic treatment and the Blues' don't. That is not a big a deal as one might think. I have a Blue Spruce 5/8ths paring chisel that holds an edge almost but not quite as good as the Japanease sword steel equivelent. The sword steel paring chisel cost a little more than twice the price of the Blue Spruce. Send an email to the guy at Blue Spruce. He'll not steer you wrong. He can put what ever handle you want, pretty or practical.

However, I would recommend the LN's for you. Buy one and try it out. It's based upon the Stanley 750 so replacing the handle is more of a pleasure than a chore. You can pick what ever handle material you like. Babinga or Apple would be great choices. Replacing the handle would only be if you didn't like the horn beam as I think the horn beam would last for years and years. We are talking about $55 for one.

[Mike Henderson]

If you do any turning, buy some socket chisels and make handles for them. That way, you can find what fits your hand well. And you can make the handles longer or shorter to suit your taste.

I'm particular about how a chisel feels in my hand and was never satisfied until I made my own chisel handles - and I keep refining the shape to improve the feel - or as my taste changes.

You can purchase older socket chisels on eBay (Witherby is a good brand at a reasonable price) or you can buy new ones, like the LN.

Mike

[Jack Camillo]

I have a good chunk of the complete set of LNs. Got them one at a time based on need on separate projects. best chisels I've ever used, and see no reason to get others. I do have odds and ends of cheapies picked up over the years used for those times you need to do some dirty work on something other than furniture and the like.

[Brent Smith]

Hi Yolanda and Derek,

Derek, I'm going to disagree with you on this one, not that the journey isn't just as important as the destination, but about not buying quality chisels from the get go. I've been woodworking for more than 30 years and I think probably the same for you. Up until the last decade there were very few top quality chisels easily available new to us. My tool cabinet, and drawers, are full of sets of chisels that were learning experiences. If I was starting today I would be buying the best I could afford right from the start (it would leave more room in the cabinet, not to mention money to fill it LOL). I do fully agree that buying a couple of beaters, old or new, to learn to sharpen with is a very good idea.

Yolanda, I smack my BS chisels with no problem. Unlike some I chop my waste from DTs and use them to do it. I use a Lignum Vitae mallet and a Japanese hammer equally on them. I don't think you could classify them as all around chisels, but for DTing they can't be beat, or at least not by anything in the price range of my experience.

[Mike Henderson]

I'll support Derek's position on this one for a number of reasons:

1. When you're getting started you have a lot of tools to buy. Unless you're quite wealthy buying the "best" of everything is just beyond most people's capabilities.

2. Knowing what the "best" is is difficult when you're starting out. Even if you want to buy the "best", you'll have to take someone else's word for what the best is. Once you get some more experience you can better make the decision for yourself what the "best" is.

3. Your risk in buying lower priced tools is pretty small because you can always sell them on eBay and get most of your money back. But most people keep their first set of chisels and use them for rough work.

4. You can produce very good work without the "best" tools. Our woodworking ancestors had to make do with tools we would think are quite inferior (compared to LN, for example), and yet they produced furniture which we still look up to today. You might have to sharpen a lower priced chisel a bit more often, for example, but the hand behind it is more important than the kind of steel in it.

Mike

[Brent Smith]

Hi Mike,

You took a bit of freedom with my statements. I didn't say buy the "best", I said buy the best you can afford.

As for knowing what the best is, well, these forums sure give you some great tools for learning that, Derek's reviews being one of them.

I don't remember anyone here saying that you needed the "best" tools to put out great work.

[Jim Koepke]

Yolanda,

Even with all the great advice here, it is still up to you.

First, is the size. This depends on the dovetails you plan to make. One of your chisels should be no wider than the void between the base of the tails. If needed, your second chisel should be no wider than the narrowest space between the pins. If these spaces are made to match your chisel sizes, then the work is faster and easier. After this, a set of skew chisels could be very useful. I made my own from some spare chisels.

My preference is to buy used chisels and rehab them. You have stated a desire to not take this route. No matter what you buy, you will likely have to hone them to start or soon after. A rule of thumb published somewhere was that for every hour of work done with a tool 1/3 of that hour will be spent sharpening. This seems to be the case for me. It is also just one of the reasons my shop has multiples of the most commonly used chisels and planes. Instead of stopping to sharpen a blade, it is easy to just pick up another tool. Then when the time comes, they get sharpened together. Buying quality used makes this much less expensive than buying quality new. There is a lot of quality used to be had.

Many quality brands are available on eBay, Buck, Witherby, Swan, Butcher, Barton and many others. You can always set up searches to alert you when there are new listings. You can also ask here for opinions on particular items or lots of items. Beware that some sellers have no idea what rust or pitting really is. Some pictures are very poor and may purposely hide defects.

Have fun,

jim

[Wilbur Pan]

If you're considering Lie-Nielsen chisels, you might want to consider Japanese chisels as well. Hida Tool (www.hidatool.com) sells a brand of chisels called Fujihiro chisels that are pretty much the same price as Lie-Nielsens. I have these and like them a lot.

As Jim said, the size of chisel you need depends a lot on what you plan to do with them. But for small boxes, 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" (6, 9, and 12 mm) are pretty useful. Maybe a 1/8" (3 mm) chisel if you want to do skinny pins.

[Ray Gardiner]

You need a range of chisels for general woodworking, for general rough work, a set of Marples is good value.

For small dovetails, such as you might need for boxmaking, you might look at the Blue Spruce dovetail set. (I don't have these, but they look pretty good).
As others have mentioned, get sizes to suit the joinery. You probably don't need it for boxmaking, but if your end-tables have drawers then you might like to have a fishtail for doing half blind dovetails.

Also for doing joinery on your end tables etc, you might also want to look at a good set of mortice chisels. (a subject worthy of discussion in itself). Oval bolstered pig stickers, socket types etc.

So far we are up to 3 sets, and still haven't looked at paring chisels, carving chisels, turning chisels, registered chisels, japanese vs western etc, etc.

Bottom Line:- I bet that within a few years, you will have more than 3 sets of chisels.

[Mike Cutler]

Yolanda

I have an assortment of chisels. I have a set of Lie-Nielsens, Crown's, Hirsch's, Sorby's. I also have some real junkers, and a set of the Irwin/Marples.
Guess what? Those Irwin/Marples are really not that bad of a chisel. they don't hold their edge as well as the LN's,they aren't as hard as the Crowns, I can't whack 'em like my Hirsch's and Sorby's. But for the $$ they really aren't bad.
It was however Lie-Nielsen's that you specifically asked about.
Lie- Nielsen makes a fine chisel. You certainly won't go wrong buying them. The steel takes an edge, and holds it well. I would recommend that you get the sizes 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" to start with. These three sizes are probably the more commonly used because of the way we use fractions and the fraction of those fraction. The 3/4" and the 1" may be useful also. Perhaps more so the 3/4" because it is the fractional equivalent of 4/4 lumber. I believe that LN also now sells chisels specifically for cleaning up dovetails.

I have the cocobolo handles on mine and they are beautiful to look at, but the oil in cocobolo cause them to slip out of the sockets, which is annoying. New handles can be made for them, in fact Mike Henderson made a fine set of handles awhile back for his chisels that were every bit the equal of LN's handles. Point being that handles can be changed to suit individual ergonomics. Don't let the handle make you decision for you.

The grind on the edge from LN is about 400 grit, and a single bevel on their bench chisels. This will give you a fairly good feeling for what they can do. But, as Derek pointed out. Once you learn to sharpen and hone them, their performance improves significantly. The backs will need to be polished for bench work, and I prefer a secondary bevel, with a slightly less angle than comes standard.
It is a bit intimidating taking a new chisel to the grinder and then to the stones to work it for individual tastes, but it can be done. Now those Crown's I referred to are some kind of hard. they take a bit of sweat to polish, hone and sharpen.

Buy tools that you believe you will have confidence in, and they will inspire you to have confidence in yourself.

PS
Those Blue Spruce chisels are really, really nice too.:D,;).

[Phillip Pattee]

If you want to try the Lie-Nielson chisels, you can purchase them for $50 individually, with free ground shipping, from Craftsmans Studios. That is about as good a deal as you'll likely get on one.

[Pam Niedermayer]

If you're considering Lie-Nielsen chisels, you might want to consider Japanese chisels as well. Hida Tool (www.hidatool.com) sells a brand of chisels called Fujihiro chisels that are pretty much the same price as Lie-Nielsens. I have these and like them a lot....

I like my Fujihiro chisels, too, not my favorites, but not that far off. Also, if one has patience, I've vote for Witherbys, Swan, Herring, Buck, etc. These old chisels are excellent and pretty cheap.

Pam

[Danny Thompson]

I am one-at-a-timing it with Craftsman Studio. Started with the 1/4" & 1/2". Added the 1". Next will be the 3/4. Love these chisels.

[Yolanda Kirkland]

I've have been having a great time reading all the replies. I can see that this is a controversial topic. Derek, I appreciate your comments. I bought my Veritas planes based on your detailed reviews. I know I am a novice but I don't have the mindset to spend a whole day sharpening chisels or restoring old tools, that part of woodworking doesn't appeal to me. I might not need the LN, but I do want good chisels and tools to start with, so that I can get to the business of woodworking. Don't get me wrong, I do understand totally what you are saying, but time for me is limited, I'm a wife and mother, so my day doesn't stop when I get home from work, it's just getting started. I don't want to spend valuable time being frustrated. Again, I do appreciate your views. I have gotten so much from your website and hope to get where you are someday.

Ray thank you for your comments. I can see that the more experience that I get in woodworking the more tools I will probably acquire. I do like getting good stuff at the start. When you spoke of the mortise chisels, I did purchase a Ray Iles from Tools for Working Wood. I had someone instruct me in proper sharpening and that chisel is amazing. The oldtimer that I get advice from was also very impressed. I plan to try to stay as hand tool only as much as possible that's why good tools may make the difference for me in the long run.

Again, everyone thank you so much for all your comments. Please keep them coming. I'm beginning to really love this forum.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Yolanda

I suspect, when starting out, that buying chisels is a lot like buying handplanes. Some will say that you should buy a cheap Stanley off eBay and restore it - otherwise how will you know how it works and how will you learn to tune it to its max. Others may argue that this still fails to provide a reference of what to aim for, and that it is therefore more helpful to buy a decent new plane with a established level of performance.

Are chisels like that? I don't know. I expect that if you use crappy chisels for a while and then acquire good/better ones, you come to appreciate that they are better and why/where they are better.

I say just buy the chisels of your choice. It is clear that you are just interested in using them. Most guys don't get this - we want to analyse things to death :)

Enjoy.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

Yolanda,

What ever decision you make, it will be the right one for you.

That is the great thing about this hobby, there are so many right ways that what we do is an extension of ourself.

For me, looking at my reflection on the face of chisels that were formerly pieces of steel ravaged by time, rust and pitting is a very enjoyable end to a day of grinding. Using those rehabbed chisels to make something is even more enjoyable.

Surely many other things could have been done with the time spent listening to my favorite tunes while tuning the chisels. Though, it is not certain that as much enjoyment would have been found, nor multiplied by the enjoyment found each time the tool is used and the thoughts of what this tool has been through.

It seems my favorite chisels are the ones that took the most to bring them back to a useable life.

jtk

[Yolanda Kirkland]

Mike C. your comment on the Crown's "Now those Crown's I referred to are some kind of hard. they take a bit of sweat to polish, hone and sharpen." I saw them at Woodcraft and they are supposed to be made in England. I think they have the polished backs which I hear makes it difficult when preparing the back of the blade for initial use. In your opinion are these good chisels? Has anyone else had any experience with the Crown bench chisels? I have been trying to find out information about them, but can't seem to find out anything positive. Actually there has been very little information on them. From reading these post if I go with LN, I think I will get them one at a time.

[Chris Kennedy]

Yolanda,

I think I am going to give a completely different suggestion to consider. I am a relative newcomer to using handtools. I belong to the school of thought to buy the best you can afford. I had bought a couple of cheap handplanes and had very bad experiences with them. Then I used a LN. That convinced me it was worth spending the money when I had it, and doing without until I had the money to buy it.

I used to own a set of Marples and I liked them. I gave them away but that had nothing to do with the chisels. I replaced them with a set of Lee Valley bevel edged chisels. These are Japanese made and I have found them to be exceptional for my purposes. They have butyrate handles, so you can whack them with a mallet (but not a hammer). They don't have cylindrical handles, which may not be to your liking.

You may look at them. They are considerably cheaper than the LN, and nowhere near as elegant. But they are good chisels.

Cheers,

Chris

[John Sanford]

I'll toss my tuppence into the ring here briefly.

First, Footprint chisels are still available, they used to be every bit the equal of the Marples chisels, just made in on a different street in Sheffield, with (at the time) red handles instead of blue. Today, the Footprints are still made in Sheffield, wereas Newell-Rubbermaid has moved the Marples production to China. I have a set of Footprints and they're fine for my purposes. I also have a couple of Sandvik chisels (almost slicks!), and some Sorby Mortise chisels. I don't spend a lot of extended time working with any of them, so I can't really form a reference on how they hold an edge or how easily any of them sharpen, simply because the time intervals between use and/or sharpenings obliterates any meaningful comparison. They cut when I need them to cut, if not, I sharpen and continue. I will say that the idea of chisels dedicated to different types of work is definitely a winner. Using the Sorby mortising chisels was much, much more productive than using general bench chisels (the Footprints) for mortising. I'm pretty sure you'll find the same dynamic at play if you get some of the dovetail chisels.

Handles are another big thing. Not only their durability (already addressed), but also their shape. Small chisels almost demand that their handles be any shape other than round. A big chisel with a round handle won't roll around on the bench, because the blade itself prevents it. A small chisel has no such protection, a fact that can become painfully obvious when a 1/8" or 1/4" chisel finds its way to the floor after a gravity storm passes across your workbench. The other important element to the handle is simply this: how does it fit in YOUR hand. Nobody else can answer that, but having chisels with fairly easily replaced handles makes finding the right answer for you easier.

Finally, there's the indefinable element of simply taking joy in the tool, in appreciating whatever non-functional qualities you value. It could be the beauty of a cocobolo handle, or conversely the stark utilitarian efficiency of a plastic handle. It could be the knowledge that your tool is the product of an American craftsman who puts his heart and head into his work, or the knowledge that you have totally maximized the value of your tool dollars without spending an iota extra on "character" or provenance. It could be the quiet satisfaction that comes from rescuing a tool from a garage sale and restoring it to service, or the comfort of knowing that you spent 4 hours with your kids at a park rather than futzing around with somebody else's cast offs. Like the fit of a chisel in your hand, these are intensely personal valuations that play into "buy new or buy old, restore or retail, good enough at best cost, or best at good cost..." Consider how you approach these questions when considering the tools (cutlery, cookware, electronics, etc) you use in other aspects of your life, and you can have some sense of how to best approach them now.

[Mike Cutler]

Mike C. your comment on the Crown's "Now those Crown's I referred to are some kind of hard. they take a bit of sweat to polish, hone and sharpen." I saw them at Woodcraft and they are supposed to be made in England. I think they have the polished backs which I hear makes it difficult when preparing the back of the blade for initial use. In your opinion are these good chisels? Has anyone else had any experience with the Crown bench chisels? I have been trying to find out information about them, but can't seem to find out anything positive. Actually there has been very little information on them. From reading these post if I go with LN, I think I will get them one at a time.

The Crown Chisels are made in Sheffield England. The backs are polished, as is the entire chisel, but they don't come out of the box ready to go. This doesn't mean that they are a bad chisel, but when buying one a person just has to understand that it will need to be sharpened and honed.

I've sharpened enough chisels by hand to have an idea of how long it takes, and these take longer. There is just no doubt about it.
I ordinarily will not use a bench grinder on a chisel, or plane blade, unless it's really bad off. The Crowns were taking forever to establish the primary bevel, so I ground them on the grinder first and then went to the stones.
I don't know why they are so hard. They have an equivalent Rockwell hardness number to the LN's. They do not sharpen the same.

Are they good chisels?? Hmm........ I'm sorry, but I wouldn't recommend them. They are the equivalent cost of LN's, but I believe the LN is a better chisel. Establishing the edge,and maintaining it on the Crown's is more labor intensive than the LN's. I also suspect that there is something in the formulation, or heat treating process that makes the Crown's a little too brittle. They seem to lose their edge quicker than my other chisels.
The backs on the two I have were bowed. I recieved them as a gift, and left them in the package for over a year, so I didn't notice it. Flattening those backs took a lot of work.
I won't say that they are a bad chisel, or junk, or anything else. I would just say that they were not the chisel for me. I attribute this opinion more to the "intangibles that we can't define", than the physical quality attributes of the tool. ( How's that for wishy washy?:D )

It seems to me that you have decided on the LN's. Go with your instincts. LN makes a fine chisel

[Tony Franics]

Wow, it sure is interesting to sit back and watch how the emotions flow over chisels! Myself included! It sure is nice to see how many folks here are using top quality (new or old) tools though.

My two cents would be that I have no problem reccomending a premium set of chisels like the Blue Spruce or Lie-Nielsens (or older chisels like the fabulous Swans). There are some chisels which take and hold and edge beautifully, but I think the feelings on that depend much on ones quality of sharpening equipment.

Anyways, the reason I think the Blue Spruce or Lie Nielsens are great (and I have both) is that these are tools of incredible balance. They just feel amazing in the hand and perfectly suited to their respected tasks (one a bench, the other specialty). I think when a newbie has a quality tool they grow and become more confidant in themselves and work more quickly than when using a lesser quality tool. Just the same for more experienced folks. I cant understate how important faith in ones tools is!

Just get one or two and add to the collection, that way you will have the best and not waste money in the long run. You seem to understand the need for correct sharpening and grinding technique!

All the best,

Tony

[Bill Houghton]

You might also consider Hirsch or Two Cherries chisels - though a lot of people don't like the handles.

One comment: some users grip the tool down the shank when using a mallet, rather than by the handle, which leaves you using the handle only when paring.

I've got no direct experience with new chisels since I bought a set of Marples chisels years back (20 or more). The handles then were pretty big, which works for me because I've got long fingers - don't know what size the Irwin/Marples chisel handles are nowadays. I've pretty well retired them because I found they chipped way too easily - but, again, that was years back.

[Bill Houghton]

Nothing replaces holding the tools in real life. As others have mentioned, if you are in an area where you can visit tool stores, a visit is worthwhile (just tell yourself before you go in that you're there to look at CHISELS AND THAT'S ALL).

[Mark Singer]

I would buy a few older socket chisels and learn with them. Or get a set of Hirsch which have a thiner handle then the Ashley Isles you tried. The LN do not hold an edge nearly as well as my Japanese chisels, I have used them side by side and there is no comparison. The Blue Spruce are great , but specialty chisels and not a general bench chisel.
For starters get some older Buck,Swan, Stanley, etc and learn...

[John Thompson]

"I say just buy the chisels of your choice. It is clear that you are just interested in using them. Most guys don't get this - we want to analyse things to death" :) ... Derek Cohen..


***

A very wise statement. I have a set of long handle Ashley Isles and a set of short handled Ashley Isles that you didn't care for. They both feel natural in my hand and I love them so one persons poison is perhaps another's cup of tea based on feel alone.

With that said.. I chopped out 50 tails and 50 pins for hand cut DT's just yesterday. What do I use for that rigorous but "must be precise" task. Well.... My 1/8".. 14/" and 3/8" Marple's Blue Beaters I purchased from Highland Hardware back in 1978. They get the job done for that task! :)

Good luck....

Sarge..

[Yolanda Kirkland]

I want to again thank everyone for the advice that I have been given. I have decided to buy the LN chisels. I will buy 3 for now and then add on as the need arises. I am really grateful for this forum, this has truly been a great experience. For the past two days I have had the most wonderful experience of building a shaker candle box and a wall shelf using primary hand tools only. I attend a class at Homestead Heritage Woodworking School near Waco, Tx. I actually got to try true Marples chisels and Crown chisels. The Marbles worked o.k. when sharpened, but I felt they lost the edge to quickly. The Crowns fit nicely in my hand, but I was not impressed. Actually I liked the Marples better. If I could find Marples, not the stuff made in China I would get them for all purpose work. The experience that I had the past two days really made me realize that since my personality is to use the tools and not spend most of the day sharpening, I should buy the best I can afford. I can afford LN purchased a few at a time. The family and I will just not eat out as much.

By the way, if any of you guys can make it to Waco, Texas please, please, please try to take a class at Homestead Heritage Woodworking School. It was absolutely one of the best experiences that I have had in many years. I lucked out and had a two day private class with Paul Sellers. He is an awesome guy and extremely knowledgeable when it comes to woodworking. The whole environment was relaxing and enjoyable.
Again thanks guys for all your help.

[Pam Niedermayer]

...By the way, if any of you guys can make it to Waco, Texas please, please, please try to take a class at Homestead Heritage Woodworking School. It was absolutely one of the best experiences that I have had in many years. I lucked out and had a two day private class with Paul Sellers. He is an awesome guy and extremely knowledgeable when it comes to woodworking. The whole environment was relaxing and enjoyable.
Again thanks guys for all your help.

Indeed, a great school if you're just starting out (they're great for more advanced woodworkers, too, but their insistence on starting with class 1 for all new students is a bit onerous). I took a couple of classes there (live in Austin), finishing and a tutorial on making a rocking chair (refused to relearn hand tools from scratch), excellent. I thought Paul had moved back to the UK.

Pam

[Yolanda Kirkland]

Pam, the school was great since I am a beginner. This is where I learned that in the land of neanderthals, how important the chisel can be to the woodworker. I used the chisels so much it was unreal, hince I'm getting the best chisels I can afford. I think Paul did go back to England for a while, but he's back and I had a 2 day somewhat private lesson. I was sharing the workshop with the two-week rocking chair class. I also live in the Austin area and its nice to know you've been to the school. I plan on taking more classes in the future, I really liked the instruction that I received and I now believe that I can actually do this woodworking stuff with some amount of success. While the class was busy, it was really relaxing do the stuff by hand. The atmosphere also helped a lot also. The only bad thing about the place is you can spend some money buying the really nice items that they make by hand.

[Brett CoughlanAus]

Hi Yolanda,

Nice thread here. Here's a nice little chisel summary from Bob Smalser on another site http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=13082

I've just put in an order for these (http://www.haroldandsaxon.com/product_range.htm) as an alternative to LN's.

Cheers.

[Jim Koepke]

Hi Yolanda,

Nice thread here. Here's a nice little chisel summary from Bob Smalser on another site http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=13082

It is also available here:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=13734

[Brett CoughlanAus]

Thanks Jim, should have realised it would be here:D