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Thread: First impression: LV Japanese Dovetail Chisels

  1. #1

    First impression: LV Japanese Dovetail Chisels

    Background. I know absolutely nothing about Japanese chisels. I had a $150 VISA gift card that was about to expire, and I didnt have any high priority "needs". But I had been wishing for a couple small, triangular chisels to ease my dovetail work. I stumbled onto these at LV as I searched for "dovetail chisels". LINK

    So I ordered a 1/8" and a 1/4" chisel. They came today.

    First impressions.
    * They were extremely well packaged, each in its own small box, wrapped in a heavy plastic envelope and then bubble wrap.
    * After unpacking, the first thing that caught my attention was the weight. Both chisels were heavier than I expected. The second thing I noticed was that both were very well balanced.
    * The fit and finish was good and both chisels felt comfortable in my hand.
    * As you saw from my earlier post, I wasnt sure how far I had to go with prepping them. Someone here noticed what I missed in LV's ad - the crown (hoops) are already set. And I was advised that I didnt need to remove the handle.
    * The handle fit the ferrule well and the transition from handle to ferrule matched what I'd seen in pictures on Stan Covington's site. (Very glad I didnt have to mess with shaping that!)
    * Flattening was quick and easy on my diamond plate. The 1/8" was challenging because it is so narrow, but it was quickly done. The 1/4" was easier and was also quickly done.
    * Sharpening both chisels went quickly and easily. I sharpened to 6000 grit and then carefully stropped with green compound on leather. I was able to effortlessly pare pine end grain, with both chisels.

    Then, I used the 1/4" to tune some dovetails. The only word I can think of to describe the control I had was "finesse". I felt like I was finessing that joint - not a term I have ever considered in reference to western chisels. But it felt like I had a level of control with the Japanese tool that I have never experienced. Some of that was the very sharp edge the White Steel takes. But there's more to it I think.... the balance, the shape and length of the handle, the triangular shape of the blade. It all comes together to make this a very nice tool at a fair price.

    Those are first impressions. We'll see if I fall in love with these (as I fear) and end up with more.

    Fred
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    2,758
    About a decade ago I got a set of Japanese chisels and use them all the time, hardly ever look at anything else.

    Chisels.jpg

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Location
    East Cost
    Posts
    205
    Is that a box's tote? Quite unorthodox, but cool.

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