chisels

[bigmike]

What brand of chisels do you recommend?

 

[Rifleman1776]

Personally, I have not found much difference between brands. But, some of the real El Cheapo imports are soft and should be avoided. Also, some brands have very short tangs that can give away when force is applied. This is very dangerous. Do check out before investing. Other than that, I don't see any difference between the $10.00 chisels and the $250.00 Japanese. This comment is for straight wood chisels only. With my wood turning chisels, I see great difference in quality from brand to brand. Dunno why. :idunno:

 

[Coot]

What do you want the chisels for? Woodturning, carving & joinery are very different & different companies have specialized in these areas over time. Many sets of chisels on the market today are made to look nice & be sold cheaply - unfortunately, they are often made of poor steel & fail to hold an edge, For joinery, I would suggest looking for socket chisels with wooden handles from any of the following makers (many out of business but found at flea markets, etc):

Barr
Buck Brothers
Freud
Green lee
Swan
Lie-Nielsen
Marples
Pfeil
Sorby
Stow & Wilcox

There are other good makes, some of my best are even unmarked. Be advised that IF the seller knows what they have, a quality used chisel may not be cheap, but a good piece of steel is a lifetime investment

 

[bigmike]

Mainly for gunstock work such as inletting and maybe some relief carving. Just starting out but want to invest in a good midline set.I have done 3 Traditions kits, and plan on stepping up a level. I was looking at a Two Cherries set or maybe Stanley Sweet Heart or Stanley 750.What do you think. I plan on making it a lifetime investment.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

For carving chisels I use Pfeil

 

[Phil Coffins]

I have made most of mine as I needed them. For anyone with minimum effort and a piece of O1 steel or similar an hour or two will give you chisels for a life time. These are what I use for nearly all my work and two of them carry most of the load, the 3/8" flat and the 1/4" gouge.
IMG_0250 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

 

[Rifleman1776]

inletting and maybe some relief carving

OK :shocked2: wood carving chisels. Two Cherries are fine, as are many others. Do check out the wood carving sites and vendors. Do stay away from the real El Cheapo stuff but there is no need to overpay either.

 

[bigmike]

Could you recommend sites?

 

[Rifleman1776]

Could you recommend sites?

I don't carve much anymore and am out of touch with current vendors. Our old friend, Google, will find you what you need. Good luck.

 

[GunnyGene]

Woodcraft has decent iron in a variety of price ranges. https://www.woodcraft.com/ They also have a couple brick and mortar stores in TN. Nashville, and Chattanooga I believe.

If you're going to be doing a fair amount of work I suggest investing in some proper sharpening equipment and practice also. Nothing worse than dull hand tools when you're trying to be precise.

 

[eggwelder]

those are sweet. looks like you`ve read A. Weygers` book.
mine tend to be a little rougher made

 

[Phil Coffins]

Thanks, I didn't know there's a book about it. A fellow showed me his his chisels and I just started making them. Three of them are at least 45 years old. When I'm doing stock finish I use the left over oils on the wood to keep them shiny.

 

[Elnathan]

What do you want the chisels for? Woodturning, carving & joinery are very different & different companies have specialized in these areas over time. Many sets of chisels on the market today are made to look nice & be sold cheaply - unfortunately, they are often made of poor steel & fail to hold an edge, For joinery, I would suggest looking for socket chisels with wooden handles from any of the following makers (many out of business but found at flea markets, etc):

Barr
Buck Brothers
Freud
Green lee
Swan
Lie-Nielsen
Marples
Pfeil
Sorby
Stow & Wilcox

There are other good makes, some of my best are even unmarked. Be advised that IF the seller knows what they have, a quality used chisel may not be cheap, but a good piece of steel is a lifetime investment

Wetherby (old) and Henry Taylor (new) are also good tools. I think those two names make up teh majority of my tools now.

As for specifically carving tools, if I was starting from scratch I'd go with Pfiel. Superb quality, and you can get them new in good shape (if your time is worth something to you, be aware that antiques/vintage tools usually need some serious work to ready them. Don't forget to budget for stones!)

I'd stay away from Buck Brothers - I have two new-ish (20 years old) that have lousy grinding. The older Charles Buck are much better, I hear.

 

[Coot]

I will second Pfiel for carving tools - high quality & readily available in a large range of shapes/sizes - the only downside is their cost. Lucky for me, I have a set of (unmarked) carving tools that belonged to my German grandfather-in-law. I have also made tiny chisels for things like wire inlay using music wire or the wire found in hobby shops for RC model airplane landing gear. Sometimes things are where you find them - my best drawknife is an ugly, unpolished one with handles dipped in a garish red paint - but it will take and hold an incredible edge - $1 at a flea market.

 

[MSW]

for stock carving i would go with Two Cherries, until you get into the spot where you have to make your own, at which point i like piano wire ... i have tried cut nails as a base stock, but the piano wire seems to work better for me.

the 'trick' if one is to call it that, is to get the tool (whatever brand is on the handle) to be as sharp as possible.

good luck with your project!

 

[Spikebuck]

A third vote for Pfeil. :thumbsup:

I had a few from three different makers...then I bought Pfeil from Woodcraft. I did not get a "set," I chose the ones I needed and then have added some over time. What I found was a really big difference in the edge I could put on the Pfeil (literally clip hairs off my arm without touching skin) and just how long they held that edge. Night and day from the other brands I was using. Worth every penny.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

I don't mind paying for quality. Which sizes do you recommend for gun building?

 

[Rifleman1776]

I don't mind paying for quality. Which sizes do you recommend for gun building?

Hard to advise. Like most things in this, and other, avocations you will eventually end up with a drawer full of things you rarely use. I suggest you look at the pictures and try to select what will work best for you. I do suggest a small 'V' gouge as essential. And, do get instructions on how to sharpen it. Tricky process.

 

[Ames]

Can I ask a follow up here? Along with recommendations for chisels, how about a knife?
I mean a good quality, small wooden? handle knife that can follow a pattern on curly maple to begin the carvings.
Anybody have a favorite? I'm in need.

 

[Artificer]

I asked the same question of Dave Person in his WONDERFUL thread on “New Reworking a Brown Bess” and linked below: http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/304497/

Here was Dave’s answer.
“The chip carving chisel is the #9 Pfeil chip carving chisel from Woodcraft.”

Gus