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Thread: Chisels

  1. #61
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    Stopped in at Harbor Freight, yesterday....(2 more 12" F style clamps, gives me a set of 8 such clamps) and looked at their 6pc, wood handled chisel set..@ $11.95+Tax....

    Just remembered...I have a case of chisels..
    Chisel box stained, inside done.JPG
    All are "extras", so they get a case to call home..
    Chisel box, chisel selection.JPG
    Just in case I might need one....these are what is stored in that case.
    Chisel box, test fit for chisels.JPG
    Was trying to find out what size of a case I needed..
    Chisel box stained, lid view.JPG
    Not too bad of a case?
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  2. #62
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    Although...there was one chisel that just wouldn't fit in that case...
    The Corner Chisel. back.JPG
    Keyboard and a 12" Starrett No. 0601 ruler for scale...
    The Corner Chisel. inside.JPG
    1" per side corner chisel....for them BIG bench mortises...
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  3. #63
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    Nov 2020
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    Lowes has a three stone set listed on their website > https://www.lowes.com/pd/Smith-s-6-i...System/1266429 < $31.98

    It looks like a Crystalon, India and a soft Arkansas. This is far from a premium set. It will likely be able to get a blade up to an acceptable sharpness for many folks.
    Actually, I have used this Tri-hone system for a year, pretty much worn it off.

    You're right that it's far from a premium set. The main issue is the coarse and medium stones. They're both carborundum stones btw, the fine stone is Soft Arkansas. The problem is present in other stones from other manufacturers too: the coarse stone had a soft spot taking about 30% of surface area, which is already quite meager since they're 6"x2". The medium stone is very fast and produces very polished edge, but it's so soft that I never could get it flat. Also it was first to wear down. Arkie was, well, an arkie - quite uniform, no rough spots, etc.

    The tri-hone system is awesome, even this plastic fidget was sufficiently sturdy, very small footprint, easy to keep clean. It would be nice if they would provide a plastic cover for when not in use. These stones had no issues cutting a 62HRC chisel - the hardest Western chisel I have. Couldn't cut Japanese irons though, but I don't care, it was an experiment anyway. Being 6x2 these stones require some experience to be able to sharpen plane irons and wider chisels, but it's not too bad.

    Money-wise it's a robbery. One would also need some flattening implement and the cheapest I could find kicks the price to ~85$ total, which is very close to the Norton's system and Norton makes the best synthetic oilstones. If I would be on a tight budget I'd go with Crystolon and India combo stones and then something for stropping, I think, this kit could be somewhere around ~50$ if we assume some creative dumpster diving.

  4. #64
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    Out and about, today...
    Heart of OH, chisel rack....JPG
    Didn't see anything here I needed...
    Heart of OH, carving set, Buck Rogers.JPG
    This was tempting...
    Heart of OH, woodshop booth 1.JPG
    Was a bit distracted, though...
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  5. #65
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    Mar 2009
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    Washington
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    I may go against the grain here a little but to me the most important thing in buying a chisel is how does it feel in my hand. I have had many brands of chisels and my favorites are the Lie Nielsen socket handle chisels. I like the balance of the tool, my hand doesn't fatigue when chopping many dovetails and so forth. Some people dont care for the A2 steel but it doesn't bother me. All hand tools have to be sharpened.

    Jim

  6. #66
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim R Edwards View Post
    I may go against the grain here a little but to me the most important thing in buying a chisel is how does it feel in my hand. I have had many brands of chisels and my favorites are the Lie Nielsen socket handle chisels. I like the balance of the tool, my hand doesn't fatigue when chopping many dovetails and so forth. Some people dont care for the A2 steel but it doesn't bother me. All hand tools have to be sharpened.

    Jim

    I also agree that form factor, both in the hand, and of the blade itself, are the most important factor in which chisels I like...
    But bad steel does irk me, and I really dislike A2. I had A2 chisels for years... To me, they offer no perceivable benefit in edge retention, are difficult to sharpen, don't take quite as keen an edge as other steels, and chip easily. I got tired of them...

    I'm okay with other steels that most people would just classify as "okay," but I just find A2 to be a bit annoying.

  7. #67
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    Interestingly, Luke, with my sharpening method, the sharpening differences in steels is negligible: A2, O1, W1, White Steel, Blue Steel, M2, M4, CPN-3V, PM-V11 ....

    The method is very simple: hollow grind to the max, leaving to a minimum the amount of steel to hone. This can be worked with most media.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  8. #68
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    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    Interestingly, Luke, with my sharpening method, the sharpening differences in steels is negligible: A2, O1, W1, White Steel, Blue Steel, M2, M4, CPN-3V, PM-V11 ....

    The method is very simple: hollow grind to the max, leaving to a minimum the amount of steel to hone. This can be worked with most media.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

    One day when I have room for a grinder, I'll definitely give it a try!

  9. #69
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    Quote Originally Posted by Luke Dupont View Post
    I also agree that form factor, both in the hand, and of the blade itself, are the most important factor in which chisels I like...
    But bad steel does irk me, and I really dislike A2. I had A2 chisels for years... To me, they offer no perceivable benefit in edge retention, are difficult to sharpen, don't take quite as keen an edge as other steels, and chip easily. I got tired of them...

    I'm okay with other steels that most people would just classify as "okay," but I just find A2 to be a bit annoying.
    wish they still made their O1 chisels. I too like they form. The A2 doesn’t bother me too much but no you can’t have my LN O1 models.

  10. #70
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim R Edwards View Post
    I may go against the grain here a little but to me the most important thing in buying a chisel is how does it feel in my hand.
    [edited]
    Jim
    +1 on the feel in the hand being an important factor.

    So much so for me it drove me to buy mostly socket chisels and a lathe to make my own handles.

    Also agree with A2 steel being less enjoyable to use and sharpen. Thankfully only two blades in my shop are made with A2.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  11. #71
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    Hmm, seen yesterday...Chisels..
    Heart of OH, chisel rack....JPG
    Pretty sure these would have to be sharpened up....mallet looks nice....just I didn't need any of these...
    Chisels..
    Heart of OH, carving set, Buck Rogers.JPG
    There was this set. Word of Warning: IF it is inside a glass case with a lock....don't ask the price.

    Then, there was the Buy-in-Bulk Aisle...
    Heart of OH, rack of tools 2.JPG
    Back in that corner, where the racks follow the wall to the right...one shelf had at least 200 chisels....wear your Kevlar Gloves, BEFORE you go reaching around in that bin....

    Did not want to go pulling things out of this cabinet, either..
    Heart of OH, hammers, anyone.JPG
    Was hard to tell what was on the other end...top of the cabinet wasn't much better, either..
    Heart of OH, top shelf stuff.JPG
    That plastic handle was attached to a saw....no, I did NOT look into the drawers...

    So, now you know where half the chisels I USE come from.....
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  12. #72
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    +1 on the feel in the hand being an important factor.

    So much so for me it drove me to buy mostly socket chisels and a lathe to make my own handles.

    Also agree with A2 steel being less enjoyable to use and sharpen. Thankfully only two blades in my shop are made with A2.

    jtk
    I’m curious if there is more potential variability in A2. Most of my chisels are 01, but I have a couple of Lie Nielsen chisels. They feel a little different when I sharpen them, but I’m happy enough with how they work.

    I did have trouble with blade on my Veritas plow plane. The edge kept chipping, even after several rounds of grinding it back. Lee Valley was great about replacing it quickly, and my replacement blade has worked fine.

    So, while I would say I prefer O1 chisels and plane blades, I’ve been satisfied with the few A2 tools I have.

  13. #73
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ben Ellenberger View Post
    I’m curious if there is more potential variability in A2. Most of my chisels are 01, but I have a couple of Lie Nielsen chisels. They feel a little different when I sharpen them, but I’m happy enough with how they work.

    I did have trouble with blade on my Veritas plow plane. The edge kept chipping, even after several rounds of grinding it back. Lee Valley was great about replacing it quickly, and my replacement blade has worked fine.

    So, while I would say I prefer O1 chisels and plane blades, I’ve been satisfied with the few A2 tools I have.
    One of my blades may be old enough to actually be A1 steel, not sure. The more used one is A2 on an LN LA Jack. It has chipped a lot when used mostly on a shooting board with a 25º bevel. It seems to have less chipping after years of use. A shooting board can be hard on a blade.

    My paring chisels have a 15-20º bevel. It is usually recommended to have a 30º bevel on A2. For a bevel down plane that isn't a problem. For an LA Jack it kind of defeats the purpose of having a Low Angle Jack plane.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  14. Quote Originally Posted by Assaf Oppenheimer View Post
    Narex Richter is currently widely seen as the best value in western chisels.
    The steel is excellent on Narex Richter chisels. The machining on the back is so-so: took me an eternity to flatten the back of a 1-1/2” unit I got last year.

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