Help Advice again!

[Zachary Bulacan]

ok so I asked about chisels earlier and thought I had made up my mind but......I changed my mind , but have narrowed them down to 2 different manufacturers Blue spruce or Harold & Saxon. Both are around the same price Help!

Thanks

[John Dykes]

I've been very satisfied with my Blue Spruce tools - they are a joy to hold and use. (Marking knife and 3 dovetail chisels).

- Dykes

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Harold & Saxon has a cool ring to it.
But then, so does Ren & Stimpy

Which do you like the look of?

[Mike K Wenzloff]

ok so I asked about chisels earlier and thought I had made up my mind but......I changed my mind , but have narrowed them down to 2 different manufacturers Blue spruce or Harold & Saxon. Both are around the same price Help!

Thanks
If you are gonna ever want to bang on them or otherwise have a more general purpose set of bench chisels, do the H&S.

If they are for paring something like small joinery or you are going to do reasonable taps, the BS are simply a joy to use.

To me the main issue is a full bolster on the H&S as regards a bench chisel.

Take care, Mike

[Zachary Bulacan]

Well I dont plan to bang on them but who knows what else I will want to build. I have also heard blue spruce does not make a 1/16" chisel but H & S said they can..so I think unless I get an email to the contrary they have made up my mind for me:) now to figure out how to pay in AUS dollars:rolleyes:

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Zac

Repeating ... (for the interest of others) ..

I can only report on the Blue Spruce, which I have.

These are wonderful chisels - beautifully designed and made. They are tanged, which produced a lighter feel in the hand than socketed chisels (I also have tanged Bergs). These chisels excel at paring dovetails.

A 1/16" chisel is not something that you are going to need to use a mallet on, regardless of the hardness of the wood. It is so slim that it will act like a stiletto. Problem is, BS does not make one this size. I have a 1/16" Iyoroi, and this is rarely used. I do use a 1/8" BS very frequently. The next size up is a 1/4", and I consider this too large a jump from 1/8" when cutting slim dovetails. I have a custom 3/16" on order from Dave Jeske (BS).

I cannot comment about the H&S chisels, per se. I have not even seen them in the flesh. The images make them look stout. That would be fine for chopping, but give a dead feeling when paring. There is a reason that paring chisels have long, thin and flexible blades.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Chisels/Dovetailchisels2.jpg

When it comes to steel, my first choice is O1, not A2 and definitely not HSS or D2. These are the order in which they are easier to hone and get sharpest. The Blue Spruce seem to be the exception. They get very sharp and hold an edge extraordinarily well. The best in this department, however, are Japanese chisels. When it comes to a chisel for hard woods, I turn to these. They hone up quickly and get very, very sharp. They are the chisels I use when I need to bang on them.

I doubt that you will find one chisel that does it all. The LN come closest. Good chisels but, as expected, a compromise. I find them a little heavy for paring. Great all-rounders. They may be what you seek.


Regards from Perth

Derek