What brand of chisels is Philip C. Lowe using?

[Mike Brady]

I have been watching the amazing hand tool skills of Phil Lowe in some instructional videos made available by one of the woodworking magazines. He uses a set of tang chisels that look very rubust and possibly commercially available. Does anyone know what brand they are? I'm thinking they might be A. Isles, but with user-made handles.

[Robert LaPlaca]

Mike why don’t you ask Phil himself, he runs the Furniture Institute of Massachusetts, his contact information is here http://furnituremakingclasses.com/contact

Phil is a super talented guy, I have no affiliation with the school.

[glenn bradley]

It is just freaky watching Philip do a ball and claw foot, isn't it? The bold confidence of having done something so much is hypnotizing. I pinged Philip about a respirator he was wearing in a video. He responded in a few days which was great; the not-great part is that he too wishes AO Safety hadn't quit making our favorite model. I'm sure you would get a response to your question.

[Mike Brady]

Thanks. I took your suggestions and sent off a note to him. I'll share if I get an answer.

[Jim Matthews]

During demonstrations (nearly 10 years ago) they were PS&W antiques.

Phil could manage this with a tempered butter knife and a heavy shoe.
Remember that it's not just the steel, it's choosing affordable tools you can keep sharp.

[Mike Brady]

I got a prompt reply from Phil Lowe regarding the chisels. They are Marples chisels, unmodified, purchased from Woodcraft about thirty or so years ago. I thought they looked fresher than that seeing he is a professional woodworker using them almost every day. They also look shinier than my Blue Marples from about the same era, which may reflect how little​ I use them. Thank God he didn't say they were Aldi's.

[Jim Koepke]

Thank God he didn't say they were Aldi's.

LOL! Aldi chisels aren't bad chisels.

The biggest problem with them is they are difficult to find if you live outside of their retails territory.

They are also in metric sizes, loved by some disdained by others.

They are not as well finished as many other maker's offerings.

The sizes are also limited. If one likes the idea of having a working set of chisels with a wide range of sizes these are not the chisels for you.

jtk

[David Bassett]

LOL! Aldi chisels aren't bad chisels.

The biggest problem with them is....

Missed one! Some (apparently small) percentage of them didn't get the correct heat treatment and are reported to be annealed steel soft.

Oh, I guess also, since they are a grocery store's seasonal house brand, you never know if or when they'll be back and if the next batch will be as good as all these reports.

[bill epstein]

During demonstrations (nearly 10 years ago) they were PS&W antiques.

Phil could manage this with a tempered butter knife and a heavy shoe.
Remember that it's not just the steel, it's choosing affordable tools you can keep sharp.

This speaks to a truth that's more and more lost as advertiser paid YouTube videos have taken over from workshops and books as the informer of solitary hobbyists and craftsman.

Namely, that with practice and patience, the butter knife can be sharpened using the concrete sidewalk in front of your house to a degree that will allow it to trim a tenon cut with a Tool Box saw to fit into a mortise done with a drill and that same butter knife.

[Edwin Santos]

This speaks to a truth that's more and more lost as advertiser paid YouTube videos have taken over from workshops and books as the informer of solitary hobbyists and craftsman.

Namely, that with practice and patience, the butter knife can be sharpened using the concrete sidewalk in front of your house to a degree that will allow it to trim a tenon cut with a Tool Box saw to fit into a mortise done with a drill and that same butter knife.

Agreed, it's not the arrow it's the archer.

[Günter VögelBerg]

It was unknown to me that there are Aldi stores in the US. In Europe they are purveyors of shoddy goods, much like Wal Mart but smaller and without a mcdonalds or multi-level parking structure. Chisels, you say?

[Mel Fulks]

It was unknown to me that there are Aldi stores in the US. In Europe they are purveyors of shoddy goods, much like Wal Mart but smaller and without a mcdonalds or multi-level parking structure. Chisels, you say?

The Aldi store here is small ,kinda like a family run corner store. They don't get enough customers to have movies of their
customers. Walmart is a much better place to be "discovered" on you tube.

[Eric Danstrom]

Aldi and Trader Joe's are owned by the same conglomerate and many products are the same with different packaging.

[James Pallas]

The brand of chisel you choose or using the same kind of chisel that someone else does is not going to improve your work. From what I have seen if Phil Lowe he uses many brands. I believe I have seen 750's, Marples, Lie Neilsen, and user made in his videos. It's the skil behind the handle of the tool not the tool. I would bet that Phil Lowe could make a wonderful Cabriole leg with Aldis chisels. He may not like how they feel or work much. I'm not sure though. Maybe a 5 thousand dollar set of Japanese chisels will jump off the bench and make a Cabriole leg unguided by human hands.
Jim

[Mike Brady]

My inquiry was merely to find out the make of the chisel that I didn't recognize. Oddly enough, I didn't notice any butter knives on Phillip Lowes bench.

I have seen many frustrated woodworkers struggle with poorly made tools that even "sharp" won't help. The reason that old tools are often seen in master's shop is that they were the best tools made during a particular era, and their quality allowed them last as long as they have.

I would agree that many good tools sit unused by owners with poor skills.