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A lot. I don't count, but easily 100, counting chisels, saws, plane blades, drawknives, carving tools, drill bits and who knows what else. I generally don't let my tools go dull and leave them on the bench or in the tool cabinet. If they get dull, I sharpen them and put them away.
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We're counting saws, drill bits and draw knives? What about scissors, gardening tools and metal working tools?A lot. I don't count, but easily 100, counting chisels, saws, plane blades, drawknives, carving tools, drill bits and who knows what else.
There are likely more sharp drill bits in my shop than most people have tools that are not drill bits. That's even if metal cutting bits are not included. There are various types of bits for boring though wood only. There are more than two complete sets of auger bits sharp. Then there are twist bits with a tang for a brace, gimlets for a brace, gimlets that have their own handle, spoon bits, forstner bits and spade bits, brad point and center bits.
There is a lot of sharp in the shop. People are often warned about a lot of sharp things around.
Bench Chisels.jpg
That picture was taken over a dozen years ago. There are now five of the missing Buck Brothers sizes in the set. Many other chisels have been added and subtracted over those years.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
[OP]
Contributor
If you can shave with a saw, then count it!
Contributor
This question made me stop and think about it. Off the top of my head it is in the thousands. However, many are in collections. If I limit the numbers to what is in my tool cabinet then the answer is closer to fifty. Unlike others, I don't sharpen after using planes and chisels. Instead, I sharpen before use. This makes me plan out the process and tools I will using. Saws are a different animal. They don't seem to dull very fast. Like Jim, I have a lot of bits for my braces. Certain sets are kept sharp, but I have hundreds in the "to be restored" category.
[OP]
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The number will be going up. I'll probably spend 2-3 hours on these.
IMG_4682.jpeg
Contributor
That is a tough question for me. I have quite a few planes and chisels that are boxed up, waiting for me to have a place to work, that will need to be sharpened. I also have a few planes and chisels in tool drawers and tool boxes in my garage and in a tool box in the storage bedroom that are currently sharp. Certainly several of those are probably sharp to that extent, but probably not all of them. All of them are what I would describe as sharp enough to be very serviceable, but have been used since last sharpened. The only ones that are still sharp to the extent mentioned are those that I use most often or am likely to use fairly often.
My guess is the answer is somewhere between a dozen and 15, probably closer to a dozen or so. (I hope I don't get kicked off the forum because of that fairly low number.)
As in everything I don't have a place to work very conveniently at all, and things will mostly not get a rehab job or sharpened until I have a place to work, but hopefully that will happen within 3 or 4 months.
Regards,
Stew
Contributor
As near as I can tell, I am one - just one - shy of the number I need.
When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.
Contributor
LOL!Originally Posted by Kent A Bathurst
There are more than needed for my needs. Just the same, recently ten more were purchased and three or four were given to my grandson.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
[OP]
Contributor
Yeah, I think 3x as many as needed is closer around here...
[OP]
Contributor
The xmas chisels are cleaned up and about 95% sharp. All by hand. Some had a pass on the Makita sharpener, but that is by hand as well. Wire wheel, #600 w/d, even some pumice, diamond plates, water stones to 8k. Handles: scrub pad, #320 sandpaper, tung oil
They slot in well AFAS sizes with existing ones.
IMG_4695.jpeg
Last edited by Cameron Wood; 12-30-2023 at 2:00 PM.
Contributor
Looks like a nice group of chisels and gouges there.They slot in well AFAS sizes with existing ones.
I have no idea what "AFAS sizes" might be.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
[OP]
Contributor
Thanks. "as far as" is what I meant, but maybe that's not a real acronym.
[OP]
Contributor
I wanted a nice wide chisel for on the job paring and hinge mortising etc., and got these. Timber chisels are bigger & the handles fit my hands better than the oire nomi, & a batch costs the same as one chisel, especially if one is willing to do some cleanup and restoration, which I enjoy. The widest one is 48mm, about 1 7/8". These were just under $100, including tax and shipping. Quality is shown by the handle being shortened probably 2" by repeated pounding, while the blade has only gotten modestly shorter from sharpening.
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Contributor
I like having a set of short chisels among my tools. They are very handy for close work and hinge mortises.
Three Butt Chisels.jpg
These three are the most used of my Butt Chisels. From left to right: a 1-1/4" Stanley 4xx series (the knurling at the top of the socket was from the factory on these), a 1" Karpenter and a 7/8" Witherby.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
I like the ball end on the Karpenter, looks like it fits well in the palm for pushing.
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