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Re: Good Chisels

Hey guys.
>
>I've been practicing at cutting out a precise mortise pocket by hand,
>and i've gotten pretty good at it, (if only i had the $$ for a jig!,
>lol)... but I'm at the point where I think I could do better with some
>better tools. Does anyone have a personal favorite when it comes to
>chisels? I bought a cheap set, just to practice with, but i'd rather
>have something a bit more quality. Something that'll hold an edge for
>more than a little while.
In the woodworking community, the choice of chisels gets to be a topic
discussed with religious fervor! Hardness, angles, laminated Japanese
chisels, ... One's head can spin! You can read all about it in
rec.woodworking (search in Google's Groups for *tons* of back postings.)
Or you can just go buy a set of decent mid-range chisels - something
like a Craftsman set from Sears (hint: don't mention Craftsman in
rec.woodworking :-). Harbor Freight would be low-end. You can go
upscale by looking at Lee Valley - starting with the Marples (Blue Chip)
chisels and going up from there.
...
>BTW - I just got back from a week at Baldwin University. Anyone who
>has the opportunity to go in the future, GO! It's well worth the week.
What is it? What did you do there?
Reply to
Henry E Schaffer
Loading thread data ...
Get a Sears 1/2" , 3/4" ( not needed much), and a 1" and go for it. The 1" is used more than the others. Sharpen those suckers at 30 degrees and that Drill Doctor is a cool thing to have for those bits. You're doing the right thing by not wastin' the money on those jigs UNLESS you do them all the time. Then I would say invest. Whatever puts the meat on the table. Good luck.
BU for me no thanks.
Reply to
Glen Cooper
Sharpen chisels?? what a concept!! but seriously, my time is worth $75.00/hr. If I could do a good job of sharpening a chisel in ten minutes that comes to $12.50 and I can buy brand new stanley chisels all day long for less. It's a loosing proposition. Phil
Glen Co>
Reply to
cashcroft
takes me under 2, and I dont have to THAT often, unless I hit a nail...
what I hate is tossing out a cordless drill... not worth fixing... $100 for a new one. parts 3 weeks away..
--Shiva-- nuk pu nuk
Reply to
--Shiva--
pocket by hand,
for a jig!,
better with some
comes to
i'd rather
an edge for
Anyone who
worth the week.
we use sets from home-depot that hold up fairly good. they have yellow, clear plastic type handles. (can't remember the name) we just sharpen them as needed. sharpening them is pretty easy and the practice will do ya good. if ya catch them right when they start getting dull ? you can usually just use a flat metal file.
g'day
Reply to
"Keyman
That would be assuming that when you buy the darn things they are already sharp as you want them....
What a concept, disposable chisels... Here is an idea, buy the Stanley's use them until they need sharpening and then toss them and buy new ones, or better yet, send them to me and I will happily "properly" dispose of them...
-- A
Reply to
Absinthe
Hiya Shiva; two minutes eh? you must have a grinding wheel and a jig. I used to use a stone and a jig. I could easily spend an hour or more on a single chisel. Phil
--Shiva-- wrote:
Reply to
cashcroft
3 to 5 minutes? I doubt it unless your using a power setup. I consider chisels a consumable tool. Phil
\"Keyman\" wrote:
Reply to
cashcroft
If you don't know how to sharpen a chisel this is something you need to learn. In 15 minutes or less I can take a chisel that has been used to chip concrete and give it an edge sharp enough to shave hairs on your arm.
Step one is to make the face square. Then grind the angle being careful not to discolor the steel. (This is important and is real easy to do as the edge gets thin.) Then I use a course diamond whetstone and then work my way to a very fine Arkansas stone. I finish by polishing with a buffer. (Be real careful here.)
Now you are ready to work. Subsequent sharpening are a lot easier unless the moron who was chipping concrete gets a hold of it again.
How long does it take you to drive to the hardware store, select a chisel, check out and get back?
Reply to
Roger Shoaf
if you got a 'clogged up' stone... soak it in lacquer thinner... this assumes you got one of the carborundum types or soft or hard arkansas... this gets the 'gunk' out.
I use on SOME-if the steel is good enough a 'wet' stone...running water usually, and thats good for the better cabinet work type chisels.
--Shiva-- nuk pu nuk
Reply to
--Shiva--
setup. I consider
3 to 5 minutes with bench grinder, cup of water and a flat file..
Reply to
"Keyman
a white or 'pink' stone on a grinder, water as needed, buffing wheel with sharpening rouge for the wheel... unless its REALLY nicked, a minute or so.
--Shiva-- nuk pu nuk
Reply to
--Shiva--
Thanks for the book cite; I'll have to look that one up.
Best _fast_ sharpening I've seen recently was a demo of the Tormek system -- slow water wheel followed by stropping with a fine abrasive -- about three minutes' work brought a badly neglected plane iron (one I'd rescued at a yard sale) to razor sharpness. If you're looking for something that takes minimal skill/effort, that's hard to beat... but it's a bit costly, and it does tend to dribble water all over the bench.
What I'm more likely to invest in myself, next time I'm tool shopping, is the glass-plate-and-abrasive approach. Relatively cheap and quite effective.
Best basic tips for fast sharpening: _Maintain_ your tools rather than waiting for them to reach the point where they need extensive work... and start by getting the tool dressed properly so it sharpens efficiently.
Reply to
Joe Kesselman (yclept Keshlam
Roger; I know how, I just choose to spend my time in other ways. I use my chisel in mortising just to remove the excess wood now. it don't have to be sharp. I don't even care if I hit a nail anymore. I cut the outline of the mortise with a razor knife and then just use the chisel to scoop out the waste wood. It takes me about seventy seconds to complete the mortise with a dull chisel and a new blade in the razor knife (the slick yellow stanley sheet rock knife that opens for blade replacement with the push of a button) The time spent going to the hardware store is moot because I only get a new one if I'm already there for something else. BTU I find the 1" chisel works the best, three strokes top, three strokes bottom and done! .
Roger Shoaf wrote:
Oh that is so impressive! I was wondering what to do about those unsightly arm hairs.... the following instructions must be for someone else cause I could care less.
So what is YOUR solution?
Reply to
cashcroft
ways. I use
it don't have
cut the
use the chisel
seconds to
the razor
opens for blade
going to the
already there
best, three
if it were sharp ? the 1" chisel might only need one stroke top and one stroke bottom.
no flame entended
Reply to
"Keyman
Hmm, when your battery drill goes flat, do ya chuck it in the bin and go buy a new one ? Big waste of your time hanging around for an hour while it re-charges, you must be making too much money cashy baby. Always remember, your 'OWN' time costs you nothing. Good luck to you anyway. :-)
Reply to
Steve Paris

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