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Early Access Video: What Can You do with a Chisel?

🕑 Added 2021-05-08 11:00:04 +0000 UTC

Comments

Paul Ladd

In the video it was asked what do I wanna know about chisels. I would like advice on a budget but quality set of chisels. I care more about a working tool and less about how pretty they are. Which sizes are most commonly used? As a total beginner would a three or four piece set with 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and 1 inch be a well rounded kit? Can a new chisel set be purchased for $50 or below and still be of good quality?

Dan Weiss

Following

Boney Boards

Hi Rex I would like your opinion on the Stanley sweetheart chisels that are on Amazon. It is 8 chisels for 160.00. I have been looking at vintage chisels on eBay but most go for 15-20 with out shipping since your video about buying vintage chisels came out. The Kruger curse has hit the socket chisels.

Jeff Stuart

(Man I'm never gonna get used to the way this editor treats the ENTER key.) Anyway, I have 25 deg. primary and 30 deg. working edges on the chisels. Same for my bench planes. I sure do love 'em when they're sharp. I've been working with red oak the last four months, and all my tools get dull faster than I'd like. The chisels work extra hard. Not Narex's fault.

Jon Stammers

I know. One day I'll venture down to Marples and treat myself! I do have a "Made in Sheffield" square that I dug up in the garden. A bit rusty, but still square!

Rex Krueger

If you tried to timber frame with these chisels, they would fold up like drinking straws. I’ll try to show a timber framing chisel in a future video. They are enormous! These are bench chisels and they’re only suitable for furniture work and other general stuff. I bet they’d be OK for carpentry.

Rex Krueger

Shame!

Rex Krueger

Maybe you want to try a steeper sharpening angle. Something more like 30°.

Rex Krueger

You’re completely right. Getting that bottom flat is impossible. Thankfully, it’s also totally unnecessary.

TJ Stanford

Yes Rex, Please make asa many videos as it takes to truly open up the use of chisels to us beginners.

Ton Wanten

Thank you very much! I.M.O. not only for beginners... very good video.

Hansenomics

Not sure who the other guy was in the video but enjoyed the chiseled feature.

Paul Howard

Hey Rex, those long handles are ideal for deep cuts, like in timber framing construction. Maybe you could use up some of that blade length with a timber framing video? Please?

Jon Stammers

Great video. As others have said, making 15 minutes of video about chisels this interesting is an art. Can't wait to get out to the garage to start making wood chips with my chisels. I'm ashamed to say that even though I live in Sheffield, England, my chisels are most likely from somewhere in China...

Matt Evans-Koch

Enjoyable video Rex. And in case you haven't noticed from many comments, you could make watching paint dry entertaining. Always enjoy your take on things. I bought a set of the Narex chisels that had the sort of purple handles with the ring on the top. Don't know what grade they are but they sharpen well and hold an edge. Think I paid $50 or $60 for a set of 7. So far so good. Would definitely like to see more demos of cutting different joints and simple carving with chisels. Take care.

Jeff Stuart

I have a set of the lesser Narexes. I'm too inexperienced to be unhappy with the ergonomics. My only complaint, they get dull real fast. For all I know, that's true of all the other brands too, so, till I know otherwise, I'm blissful.

Jeanine Hoffman

Love the video as always. I do have a question for you. When cutting a deep mortise that doesn’t go through, how do you level the bottom and is it important to do so? I made a small box out of three practice mortises and found getting the bottom clean to be an exercise in futility.

Steve (Woodprobie) Howard

looking to the series of shorties on chisels... I'll be a wood-probie for ever I reckon! Thanks for the great video! I'm about ready to attack my first real project which requires true chisel work... it's scaring me to death!

John Lamb

Great vid as always Rex. I also like the cheaper Narex chisels and I've been replacing the handles with my own London pattern ones in Ash which I really like a lot

Rex Krueger

You can hit a socket chisel just as hard as you like. If you have sharp edges on the side, knock those back with a little sandpaper.

Chris Rouffer

Following rules too closely can make you ignore what the wood is trying to tell you. The tree didn't read the rule book. Go slowly, and pay attention when you're doing anything that could lift the grain

John Morrison

Another brilliant video. Seems to me there must be a rule, something like cut from furthest away from final line to final line ensuring that the chisel can always lever out what is in front (or behind) I e. Can easily lever out what is towards your starting point. I guess I'm thinking about rules that minimize the risk of accidental damage and maximize control of the cut

Russell Gough

More shaping with chisels is a great idea!

Russell Gough

Excellent tutorial video, Rex. You certainly are a master teacher. Fyi, when I’m in the mood to be inspired by someone’s chisel mastery, I watch Stavros Gakos’ videos. He’s truly amazing with a chisel (among other things). On another note, I’m very happy with my Narex chisels, but it’s not their most expensive set.

Stephen Ellis

Putting out great content as always buddy. And to answer your question. There isn't anything you can't do with a chisel when woodworking. As an old timer once said every tool is just a chisel in a different form. A plane is chisel with a two handed wood/metal body. A saw is 100 tiny chisels set into a steel back with a handle to hold them square. A square is just a blunt chisel with a handle at 90 degrees.

Billy Schwake

Weird no audio all the other videos play fine. Well it’s working now great video.

Stephen Ellis

😂😂😂😂😂 I thought that's what a flathead was for?

Bill Snyder

Good video. Disappointed in the narex I have the early 4 piece set and no complaints, they are a bit tippy as well. I picked up a 4 pice set of Pfiel chisels recently for 40.00 because of surface rust normally 149.99. They are good metal and sharp but they only polished abut an 1/8 on the back. That’s what 149.00 gets you lol. Narex has a little 4 pice carving set I had no luck with didn’t seem to be on par with there normal excellent quality. Useful bevel edge chisels are a game changer for us anytime I have a critical detail to do it’s the first thing I grab.

Rick Prosser

Hi Harry! :) Another nice video - I really liked the section on chamfering the square dowel, although I never really considered practicing...who has time for that?

Brian Taylor

So when you're opening a paint can, bevel up or bevel down?? :-)

Mike Washburn

Nice info, Rex. Thanks. After sinking a little money into a 3-piece set from the Big Orange Box Store (around $12.99, I believe), and realizing they weren't quite up to par, I saved up my pennies and invested in a six-piece set made by "Windsor Design". With coupon, they set me back $7.00 at Harbor Freight. And actually, I have no complaints. They look similar to the Aldi set that Paul Sellers recommends, as well as that one set with the odd name that you made a vid on awhile back. Someday I might pick up a more expensive chisel to see if it's any better, but again. no complaints with my $7.00 set.

Hagen

Great video as always. Your little cutscene in the beginning explaining the structure of wood grain was fantastic, I really liked it.

John Hiemstra

Thank you for another excellent video. I'm going to have to watch this several times to remember everything. Years ago I purchased a set of 7 chisels from an estate sale for an excellent price. They are labelled Diamic, Henry Taylor from Sheffield England. I assume these are quality chisels. They have quite long blades and the handles fall out of the sockets. Until recently I had no clue how to use them and I agree with how awkward the length is. I now know how to secure the handle in the socket by banging it on the bench. I still don't like the length of the blade even though the handles are a good size. I think I'm going to experiment with wrapping something around the blade near the socket or putting a glove on to be able to hold them better. I also would like to see a short video about good ways to hold chisels for the 3 different cuts.

GregoryH

Would like to see more shaping with chisels vids. Great Job with what your doing. Thanks man.

Thomas Danaher

Homerun again. Great job!

Kevin S Thomas

Great video Rex. You have a real gift for instruction, thanks for sharing it.

Geoffrey Wilson

"Keep your hands above the cutting edge, when using a chisel" is an important safety lesson. It is unfortunately easy to grab a chisel and get cut, you have to remember to treat the edge like a knife blade. For socket chisels, I don't have any, but I would think striking the handle would just drive it further into the socket...

Kenneth Hughes

I really appreciate videos like this. Learning the basics of using woodworking hand tools gives me more confidence and lets me increase the possibilities I see when woodworking. I have learned the value of doing one for learning and a second for keeping. It's all rewarding. You are very good at explaining things. With much respect.

Pete seddon

Rex, I own new Stanley Sweetheart socket chisels. I like them, but could you comment on how hard you can hit socket chisels with a mallet, if at all. Also, I have done paring holding the chisel by the steel as you did in this video. The edges of the steel cut into my fingers, leaving me with surface cuts. I also let the tip of my thumb get in the way of the chisel tip, barley even touching it, and got a small puncture wound that took weeks to heal. The irony is that I never had an injury with power tools, but I’ve had a few with sharp hand tools.

Robert Bullock

Excellent coverage of the basics, which is what I need. I loved the frank evaluation of the chisels with the detailed reasons. Thanks again.

Skully Wood and Metal

I have been woodworking since high school. I always learn something new or remember something I have forgotten. In the various forums and groups I belong to I always recommend your videos to new woodworkers.

Pete Halsted

Great Content as always, Definitely useful to a guy that learned 100% on machines, and thought a chisel was just to install door hinges! The explanation of chamfering the end of a through tenon was fantastic as that is something I need, now that I don't have a 12" disk sander and jig to do it, but I would like to see it on a regular 1/4 or 3/8 tennon.

William Fishburne

I liked this video. For future videos it might be worthwhile to talk about different holds (you mentioned the two handed hold for paring and the grip for dovetails, but did not explain the ways you were holding the chisel and why you would choose one over the other). I really appreciated the example of chamfering the end of a square dowel. It is a simple task that will provide good practice. It is also something I can do whenever I have some small scraps and a short amount of time. My chiseling will get better and I will be able to make these chamfers faster and more accurately as I practice. Some other examples of practice that can be done on scrap would be very helpful. A third idea for future videos might be chisel safety. I had a set of chisels that I dedicated to my kids. These chisels could be dropped, we could sharpen them together, and they could practice using them safely. My oldest is in his mid-thirties and he said that he picked up a chisel recently and quickly remembered to carry it point down going from his workbench to where he was touching up a pre-cut mortar in a door--I think that he has one chisel and that this is the first time he has used it, but it was nice to hear that he remembered the safety lessons.

Joseph Scone

The only problem with talking to yourself is when you answer back and think it makes sense. 😃

The Deaf Maker

Wow, you would've thought you could talk for 15 minutes about chisels, and still have more to talk about. Thanks for explaining this, I learnt some new stuff today.