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Chisels

K

kevcad

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Joined
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Name
Kev
LOCATION
South Yorks
Hi All, I've realised a few things this morning. My skill with a chisel needs improving as does my skill in sharpening them. Also having looked closely at the chisels I have, they are a cheap quality, so I'm in the market for a new set. I'm in Doncaster UK, budget around £60 if anyone can recommend a decent brand around my budget.
Or maybe I need to spend a bit more?
Thanks in advance for your Sage advice.
Cheers Kev
 
Buy second hand. You get great steel for very little money. I haven't paid £60 for my entire collection of chisels and gouges. Old Stanleys and so on (anything out of Sheffield pre about 1970) are brilliant.
 
I've had loads of successes searching junk shops (the sort of antique store that have lots of different sellers under one roof) for tools and there are usually plenty of chisels in the selection. I don't know any around Doncaster but there are bound to be some around: I've found them in every corner of the country I've visited. The downside is that some of them will be a bit shabby but if you've got a bench grinder they'll be fairly easy to clean up: there's not much to a chisel really.

If you really want to buy new and not deal with the hassle of restoring, then for £60 you could get a small number of very good chisels: you don't need many really. Narex are good value and the curved-back Ashley Iles ones are lovely (although you'll only get two for that money). However, start by browsing a few junk shops: you'll probably find you can pick up decent old chisels for a few quid each and then you can use the rest of your budget to buy a nice second hand plane!

Try searching on google maps for "antiques centre". A lot of them have lots and lots of photos of the centre and you can flick through them to see if they have any tool stalls. Even if there isn't a photo of a tool stall, if the selection of stuff in the photos is quite varied then it might be worth a visit.
 
kevcad said:
Hi All, I've realised a few things this morning. My skill with a chisel needs improving as does my skill in sharpening them. Also having looked closely at the chisels I have, they are a cheap quality, so I'm in the market for a new set. I'm in Doncaster UK, budget around £60 if anyone can recommend a decent brand around my budget.
Or maybe I need to spend a bit more?
Thanks in advance for your Sage advice.
Cheers Kev
Click to expand...
There is a little do just down the road in a few weeks Kev with more than you will need.
Pop in and say hi.
Cheers Andy

www.thewoodhaven2.co.uk

Woodworking shows & open day announcements

As suggested, here is the place to post details of woodworking events. I will make this a sticky so is should remain at the top of this forum. Please give event title, dates, postcode, entry pricing and a weblink for full details. I suggest we refrain from discussion here but instead start an...
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You aren’t that far away from the Old Tool Store which is run by Ray Iles who is part of the Ashley Iles family. it may be worth giving him a call and arranging to visit to take a look at what he has if you are looking at secondhand. It’s generally become more complex and expensive buying on eBay as they now have some complex requirements for bladed items.

www.oldtoolstore.co.uk

The Old Tool Store

The Old Tool Store sell high qulaity new and used tools, many made by our sister company Ray Iles Edge Tools. Other brands we specialise in include Ashley Iles, Morris of Dunsford, Kunz, Clifton and Veritas.
www.oldtoolstore.co.uk www.oldtoolstore.co.uk

If you want to buy new these are good value:

workshopheaven.com

Narex 8116 Cabinetmakers Chisels Set of 6 (natural)

Narex 8116 Cabinetmakers Chisels Set of 6 natural. Buy Narex wood chisel set at Workshop Heaven, with next day delivery option & lifetime guarantee.
workshopheaven.com workshopheaven.com

i bought a set for my son and was pleasantly surprised by the quality.
 
I can recommend FB Marketplace, I’ve bought all sorts of tools and equipment on there. Sometimes you have to use different search words depending on what they’re selling such as just, tools or Marples or chisels, if you’re lucky you might find someone who’s getting on a bit and wants his tools to go to a good home to be used, and always ask when you meet up if they have anything else!
Ian
 
Stanley 5001s are good quality, and can be found for a fair price on eBay.

If you want new, I can highly recommend Ashley Isles MkII (and it's great to support a UK manufacturer!)

The general advice for chisels is, don't be tempted to buy a set. Get what you need when you need it 😀
 
Thanks All, I'll take that on board. I have found some second hand Maples Sheffield Steel chisels on eBay. Bid ends in a couple of days so I'll keep my eyes on that.
Regards to sharpening what is the best regime? I have a stone and also a diamond stone set. I see almost mirror like finish on some chisels but I'm unable to attain that with what I currently have.
 
do you have access to car boot sales i picked up 2 stanley 5001s blue handle white ring for a pound each they were unused so bargains are out there as for sharpening just use what you have you dont need a polished edge as long as it cuts thats all that matters
 
I’m mostly using the Magnusson chisels from Screwfix (6 for £30). After doing a bit of work to get them in shape, they seem OK. 6000 stone, followed by 8000 paste on a leather strop gets them hair-shaving sharp.

I have Narex (the basic model) and some old chisels and don’t use them because they’re too nice. One of the old ones is v soft though; goes blunt quickly. At some point maybe I’ll be attuned to the benefits of a better quality chisel, but for now cheap chisels are better than I am.

The most recent things that have made a real difference to my chiseling have been stropping (sharpening without stropping seemed sharp, but wasn’t) and using a heavier hammer/mallet. If you haven’t experimented with different striking tools, that might be a fun experiment.

What is it about your current chisels that you don’t like?
 
kevcad said:
Regards to sharpening what is the best regime? I have a stone and also a diamond stone set. I see almost mirror like finish on some chisels but I'm unable to attain that with what I currently have.
Click to expand...
I stick to the advice given by Chris Tribe who was both a maker and tutor which is that the best regime is the one that works for you chosen from all the different sharpening mediums available. Pick one and get on with it.

I have over time moved to using diamond plates followed by stropping on a piece of mdf with a smear of Autosol paste. You don’t mention stropping - it’s this step that produces the mirror finish.

I use a jig (I have the veritas one but the “eclipse” style ones are relatively cheap and do the job) and add a secondary bevel freehand. Some may feel there are better ways and I wish them well with their chosen method but my way works for me!
 
Blackswanwood said:
I stick to the advice given by Chris Tribe who was both a maker and tutor which is that the best regime is the one that works for you chosen from all the different sharpening mediums available. Pick one and get on with it.

I have over time moved to using diamond plates followed by stropping on a piece of mdf with a smear of Autosol paste. You don’t mention stropping - it’s this step that produces the mirror finish.

I use a jig (I have the veritas one but the “eclipse” style ones are relatively cheap and do the job) and add a secondary bevel freehand. Some may feel there are better ways and I wish them well with their chosen method but my way works for me!
Click to expand...
I don’t need to have a piece of MDF to have a strop 😉
 
What's wrong with the ones you have?
For woodworking, I've got cheap full length ones, and never found them to be lacking.
The Tesco ones with non cranked handles for chopping, and newish Stanley ones with a cranked handles which
are pretty darn flat, for pairing.
Oh, nearly forgot, I do own a paring chisel with fine lands, which would be good for smaller dovetails.

plus some really cheap butt chisel shaped things for rough jobs, i.e hacking off putty or cement.
surprisingly they won't take an edge.

I find it hard to believe that sixty quid budget would be money well spent, due to such an open/vague question,
without any details whatsoever, and would guess there are other things to spend your money on,
which would be of a much higher priority...

Another way to look at things, might be to think of how to sharpen tools quicker, i.e a used bench grinder w/decent rest,
which might be more helpful...and a decent 8" machine could likely be got for half that cost, if patient.

All the best
Tom
 
johnward said:
My chisels are mostly secondhand Marples from Ebay. I imagine I am like a lot of people on here, I have far too many chisels. It's surprising how few I regularly use, a set 6mm to 20mm does most jobs.
Click to expand...
Curiously, my most used chisel is 1", and I use a 1-1/2" quite a lot too. But yeah, a set of 1/4", 1/2", 3/4", 1", and 1-1/2" would cover almost all needs in my view.
 
I guess it depends on what you're doing. I reckon I could do most things with a 3 mm (1/8"), 6 mm (1/4") and 12 mm (1/2"), although I like having a bigger selection. The biggest one I use regularly is my 18 mm one. I can't remember the last time I used the (two?) I've got that are bigger than that.

I wouldn't be without the 3 mm one (mostly used for removing waste in narrow dovetail pin sockets). I also like having some skewed end ones (just normal chisels that have had the end ground at an angle) as they're handy for getting into awkward corners (e.g. in half-blind dovetails on drawer fronts).
 
Dr.Al said:
I guess it depends on what you're doing. I reckon I could do most things with a 3 mm (1/8"), 6 mm (1/4") and 12 mm (1/2"), although I like having a bigger selection. The biggest one I use regularly is my 18 mm one. I can't remember the last time I used the (two?) I've got that are bigger than that.

I wouldn't be without the 3 mm one (mostly used for removing waste in narrow dovetail pin sockets). I also like having some skewed end ones (just normal chisels that have had the end ground at an angle) as they're handy for getting into awkward corners (e.g. in half-blind dovetails on drawer fronts).
Click to expand...
It'd be really interesting to stand next to you at a bench and see what you use for which job.....and how you use them. I find that most of the width of a chisel isn't used for cutting wood, most of the time, but for reference. I'd be completely lost without a 1" chisel. Oh, the variations our hobby throws up!
 
I hate to have to admit that I've also far too many (old) chisels dating back to 1965... And also to admit the reason for: tools packed away in a place unable to reach behind other "stuff" so buying 'new'... This hasn't only applied to wood chisels as I've 4 4" bolster chisels... 🤷

A recent set of wood was some cheapo ones by Parkside from a Lidl store in October 2025, in Helston, Cornwall while on holiday, as my local store had sold out. May well have been "cheap" by many standards but much *nicer* than expected - and appear a better steel than others I have. Also of metric sizes that I didn't have - but will I use... 🤷
 
Mike G said:
It'd be really interesting to stand next to you at a bench and see what you use for which job.....and how you use them. I find that most of the width of a chisel isn't used for cutting wood, most of the time, but for reference. I'd be completely lost without a 1" chisel. Oh, the variations our hobby throws up!
Click to expand...
I think a lot of the difference will come down to the size of stuff we make. Things like this would be challenging with a 1" chisel:

1774256264261.png

By contrast I doubt you'd have found much use for a 3 mm chisel when doing this:

1774256458032.png
 
My most commonly used chisel is a 1" Stanley 5001. It used to be the 11/2".
It very much depends what you are making. For M&T then the 1" does most of the shoulders and sides of all the tenons. That is the case even when the stock is only 3/4 thick because you need the reference and it is easier to see 90 degrees or level with a wider chisel.
If it is Dovetails then you need 3, 6 and 16mm chisels and preferably dovetail chisels rather than standard chisels as the geometry of standard chisels can be limiting.
 
Hi Kev
It would be interesting to see what you're currently using and the state of the edges, pics?

It might well be that your chisels are capable of holding an edge and your real problem is the lack of sharpening experience you have which you mentioned and a bit of practice getting that right would be my advice before spending any serious money on chisels otherwise the first time they need sharpening you're likely to mess it up.

Nearly all of my bench chisel sharpening is on a couple of cheap 8" diamond plates with if I'm being fussy is followed by light stropping on a piece of leather with Autosol (other brands are available :)). You could just as easily use abrasive paper on MDF or a scrap piece of solid surface workbench or some thick glass and get decent results.

You can get cheap honing guides from Aliexpress or Temu if you must or an old Eclipse from Old Tools or Ebay but you can also make up a simple wood guide or better still practice until you can do it freehand.
 
toolsntat said:
There is a little do just down the road in a few weeks Kev with more than you will need.
Pop in and say hi.
Cheers Andy

www.thewoodhaven2.co.uk

Woodworking shows & open day announcements

As suggested, here is the place to post details of woodworking events. I will make this a sticky so is should remain at the top of this forum. Please give event title, dates, postcode, entry pricing and a weblink for full details. I suggest we refrain from discussion here but instead start an...
www.thewoodhaven2.co.uk www.thewoodhaven2.co.uk
Click to expand...
Thanks for the heads up, I'll definitely pop in.
 
Windows said:
I’m mostly using the Magnusson chisels from Screwfix (6 for £30). After doing a bit of work to get them in shape, they seem OK. 6000 stone, followed by 8000 paste on a leather strop gets them hair-shaving sharp.

I have Narex (the basic model) and some old chisels and don’t use them because they’re too nice. One of the old ones is v soft though; goes blunt quickly. At some point maybe I’ll be attuned to the benefits of a better quality chisel, but for now cheap chisels are better than I am.

The most recent things that have made a real difference to my chiseling have been stropping (sharpening without stropping seemed sharp, but wasn’t) and using a heavier hammer/mallet. If you haven’t experimented with different striking tools, that might be a fun experiment.

What is it about your current chisels that you don’t like?
Click to expand...
I'm finding it difficult to get the back completely flat. I might get there with a lot of work but they also seem soft and blunt quickly.
 

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Yep that's a mess Kev. You don't need the whole length of the back to be flat just the end maybe 25mm and what's caused the chipping to the corner?

Is there a men's shed nearby or someone who could show you the basics of sharpening which would help you learn quickly? I'm in Northumberland so a bit far and not an expert in the slightest but you're welcome to pop in if ever this far north. (around 20 miles north of Newcastle).

PS Sunderland supporters not welcome and would be sent packing. :rolleyes:
 
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Dr.Al said:
I think a lot of the difference will come down to the size of stuff we make. Things like this would be challenging with a 1" chisel:

View attachment 40180
Click to expand...
I think I'd use a 1" chisel for doing the pins (assuming the gap between them is >1". Perhaps a smaller one to remove most of the waste, but then as big a chisel as I could get in to take the final sliver. You've got a longer reference in the knife line so perhaps easier to avoid an angled cut?
 
What works for one doesn't necessarily work for another when it comes to sharpening chisels or plane blades. I've read a few posts *elsewhere* and don't participate over there in any such costs.

As this forum is a much different one to elsewhere I'll just put forward a suggestion to @kevcad to watch a YouTube video by Rob Cosman on his process to sharpen blades - in which he explains (as well as demonstrates) his reasons for how he proceeds to have his sharpening stones etc., at a certain low height rather than workbench height. It's a case of making your own mind up IF such would help you. I personally see the advantages but have yet to be in a position to arrange such...

He's got a number of videos in which he discusses the subject so it's a case of going through them - sorry 😞.
 
NickM said:
I think I'd use a 1" chisel for doing the pins (assuming the gap between them is >1". Perhaps a smaller one to remove most of the waste, but then as big a chisel as I could get in to take the final sliver. You've got a longer reference in the knife line so perhaps easier to avoid an angled cut?
Click to expand...
I think I used an 18 mm chisel for the bigger gaps (tail sockets / gaps between pins). The gap was about 24 mm if memory serves me correctly so a 1" chisel wouldn't have quite fitted. For the pin sockets I might even have used a 2 mm one (rather than 3 mm) - I can't remember at the moment.
 
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Thanks for all your advise re chisels. I purchased a honing guide from screwfix and a Sheffield Steel chisel for a fiver off Facebook marketplace. I know you can freehand hone but this little honing guide for a fiver has made a massive difference. I'll keep my eye out for more old steel chisels.
 
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