Best chisels for guitar work?

[surge98]

I've been slowly building up my collection of both hand and power tools over the past few years, and I'd like to get a couple of good chisels for guitar building and restoration. I don't mind spending money on good tools, but I don't necessarily want the most expensive available.

Can anyone recommend some quality brands that would be worth checking out, either new or vintage? I'd also be interested in knowing what types of chisels the builders on this forum find most useful for guitar work. Right now, I have a small Two Cherries chisel I got from Stewmac, and a larger 1" vintage chisel I picked up on Ebay. Both are bevel edge chisels. In addition to picking up some in-between sizes, would I have any use for a mortise or paring chisel? Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Barnaby]

I swear by my Ashley Iles Mk2 bench chisels. Great bevel and beautiful balance. Nice steel, too.

You can buy a roll bag of six of 'em for a couple of hundred bucks brand new. They're wonderful. Lots of others are good too, of course, but these are the ones that have served me very well for the last few years.

 

[Gothika777]

Stanley 5001 chisels from the 70s. Cheap and good quality

 

[charisjapan]

I swear by my Ashley Iles Mk2 bench chisels. Great bevel and beautiful balance. Nice steel, too.

You can buy a roll bag of six of 'em for a couple of hundred bucks brand new. They're wonderful. Lots of others are good too, of course, but these are the ones that have served me very well for the last few years.

Yes. (presses nonexistent "Like" button)

I bought two on Barnaby's recommendation, and they meet the need.

I like trying to find used Stanley stuff, but theses days, so do a gazillion others ... making a good deal hard to find. Ashley Iles are new, pretty good, and not too expensive. Thumbs up.

 

[jkes01]

I went with Paul Sellers recommendation on the Aldi chisels. $8 for 4 and can be honed to a razor sharp edge. Best $8 tools I've bought.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki8tt-VjwqI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki8tt-VjwqI[/ame]

 

[Skyjerk]

Since you said you dont "necessarily" want the most expensive (implying that they would still be considered, price notwithstanding) I'll have to sing the praises of my Lie-Nielsen chisels. They are expensive, but I consider them worth the money.

https://www.lie-nielsen.com/nodes/4099/bevel-edge-chisels

 

[mountainwhimsy]

I've had great luck with my set of Narex chisels.

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/narexboxed6-piecebenchchiselset.aspx

A number of years ago, I think it was Fine Woodworking Magazine did a review of chisels. the Lie Nielsen's got top marks, but Narex was not far behind. Great bang for the buck. They hold an edge well. The backs take a little extra effort to get flat, but I have no complaints.

 

[Open_Book]

You know what they say about opinions: The Aldi chisels will work, even Sellars has some Ashley Iles, now. Which are great bang for the buck and 01 steel.

tbh, I wouldn't buy Full a set - even though I have one. If you use what you have you'll soon find what sizes you need when you use them more. The Aldi are a goody buy from that POV.... as a set. Trade up later for better (read luxury) chisels.

SH: If you look used in flea markets or ebay for Warranted Cast Steel they're great value.

High End: The Veritas chisels are very nice. PMV & 01 Steel - personally I'd avoid any A2 steel, but thats me...

Also SH any swedish chisels like Jernbolaget or Erik Anton Berg - Berg chisels. Standard handle (in plastic or wood) or wood Socket handle.

Newer stuff like Narex are good, too.

Do you need Mortice? Not necessarily.

The worlds your oyster.

 

[fumblefinger]

I've had great luck with my set of Narex chisels.

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/narexboxed6-piecebenchchiselset.aspx

A number of years ago, I think it was Fine Woodworking Magazine did a review of chisels. the Lie Nielsen's got top marks, but Narex was not far behind. Great bang for the buck. They hold an edge well. The backs take a little extra effort to get flat, but I have no complaints.

Just got a set of these about six months ago. I concur.

 

[Skyjerk]

- personally I'd avoid any A2 steel, but thats me...

.

Why is that you?

What's your rationale for recommending people avoid "any A2 steel"?

Any? That's a pretty all-encompassing statement made without any supporting direct or anecdotal reason for it

Lie-Nielsen chisels are A2 steel and are arguably among the best chisels you can buy.

Mine came sharp as hell right out of the box, but I honed them anyway and they've held their edges phenomenally. They are RC 60-62.
I've not had to re-sharpen them yet and they shave the hair right off my arms and cut wood like butter.

 

[Barnaby]

Why is that you?

What's your rationale for recommending people avoid "any A2 steel"?

Any? That's a pretty all-encompassing statement made without any supporting direct or anecdotal reason for it

Lie-Nielsen chisels are A2 steel and are arguably among the best chisels you can buy.

Mine came sharp as hell right out of the box, but I honed them anyway and they've held their edges phenomenally. They are RC 60-62.
I've not had to re-sharpen them yet and they shave the hair right off my arms and cut wood like butter.

He's not suggesting that everyone should avoid it, but rather stating that he does. In fact, he even said it was "just" him. That's very different from saying that everyone should think the same way he does. It's simply a preference for materials, and one I understand, having sharpened a lot of different types of steel over the last few years.

Have a look at this link for some beautifully-expressed (and very reliable) information.

I think that the more one becomes familiar with a wide variety of chisels and planes in particular (and over many years Open_Book has collected and used tons of stuff - he's forgotten more about hand tools than I will ever know), the more such preferences become important. I've developed a whole load of quirks with regard to things I like and don't by now too.

 

[Open_Book]

Why is that you?

What's your rationale for recommending people avoid "any A2 steel"?

Any? That's a pretty all-encompassing statement made without any supporting direct or anecdotal reason for it

Lie-Nielsen chisels are A2 steel and are arguably among the best chisels you can buy.

Mine came sharp as hell right out of the box, but I honed them anyway and they've held their edges phenomenally. They are RC 60-62.
I've not had to re-sharpen them yet and they shave the hair right off my arms and cut wood like butter.

Thanks, B!


err,....I'm not the only one who's preference isn't for using A2 these days, a alot of people have found it not to be the Messiah it was once heralded as. Then came Veritas' PMVII ......and I'd rather use PMVII over A2 for a longer lasting edge.... with a bit more sharpening time. So to me, theres a better alternative right there.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/shopping/TechInfo.aspx?p=54986

So, I'd rather sharpen a bit more frequently with 01 tool steel than use A2. I still have some but don't use them. Even my sentimental LN Boggs spokeshave still has the (chipped on a pine knot...) A2 blade in it,.....I just haven't got around to replacing it.


I'd have bought the 01 bladed Lie Nielsen chisels over the A2 ones. They are great chisels no doubt.

 

[Barnaby]

Absolutely! As the Veritas link shows, the type of steel you choose depends on how you like to work, although it probably doesn't make a significant difference to any but the most finicky of hand tool woodworkers.

Personally, I now use O1 Hock blades in almost all of my planes and it sharpens beautifully. I prefer to resharpen a little more frequently but get that slightly better edge that seems to come with the O1 steel. I'd really like to try the PM-V11 sometime.

Of course, A2 is completely fine. I've got it on a couple of planes and it's hard (for me, at least) to tell it from O1. I doubt I'd be able to pick the difference in a blind test. Then again, a blind test with ultrasharp tools sounds rather...um...dangerous.

 

[Skyjerk]

He's not suggesting that everyone should avoid it, but rather stating that he does. In fact, he even said it was "just" him. .

LOL. Exact words

We both know that while his exact words did say its just him, it was nonetheless an indictment on a specific product offered in response to one asking for advice. When a knowledgeable person makes a statement like that, "personally I'd avoid any A2 steel, but thats me..." to one asking for advice the net effect isnt limited to the exact words used, but might very well give the person asking for advice cause to adopt a similar position.

Tell me I'm wrong.

I wasnt attacking Open_Books opinion or his credibility. I like a lot of what has to say and enjoy his posts both in my own threads and those of others. I'm admittedly at what I would term an "intermediate" skill level in woodworking so when someone makes a statement like that I want to understand their rationale. That information is my path to becoming a more advanced woodworker.

I have mucho respect for both of you guys, so please dont feel I'm being deliberately antagonistic. I'm just trying to learn

 

[Barnaby]

I have mucho respect for both of you guys, so please dont feel I'm being deliberately antagonistic. I'm just trying to learn

No problem - exactly why we both posted links and gave more information. It all worked out well!

 

[Skyjerk]

It all worked out well!

Indeed it did.

I meant to say thank you both for the clarification and links

 

[ARandall]

As someone who uses chisels very infrequently, I tend to go middle of the range and enough different widths to cover what is needed from doing tenon work (say 30-35mm all the way through to the corners of trapezoid inlays (maybe 5mm). In fact I could get away with just those 2.

 

[Ripthorn]

I have the Narex chisels and they have given me issues ever time I try to chop mortises with them, even with a relatively high bevel angle. The steel forms tiny indentations that kill the edge quickly. Narex are notorious for the first 1/16" or so of their chisels to not be has hard as the rest of the blade, I just haven't ground back that far yet. Many have success with them, and for paring and the like they will work great, but sometimes I clean up mortises with them and they don't like chopping across the grain all that much. That's ok, though. If I were buying again, I would likely go with either O1 or PMV11

As for the A2 thing, some people don't like it because A2 doesn't sharpen well on Arkansas stones and some other types of natural stone due to it's high abrasion resistance. Others don't like the amount of effort it takes to sharpen it. No one questions that it can hold an edge longer than O1, but by how much can vary widely. I like O1, but that is because I make many of my own irons and it heat treats easily, whereas A2 requires a furnace under vacuum which most don't have at home. Many traditional hand tool woodworkers use Arkansas stones because novaculite leaves a magnificent edge, and they don't like A2 because it doesn't really work with their system. I think that is probably what Open_Book was getting at.

 

[Open_Book]

Don't start a sharpening debate, Rip!

 

[Skyjerk]

Don't start a sharpening debate, Rip!

I'd love to see you guys have a sharpening debate

The way I've developed my own process in building is to watch/read lots of different approaches, try the ones that seem to make the most sense to me, and then stick with the one that works best for me.

A sharpening debate between knowledgeable guys is a gold mine for me