Official Luthiers Forum!

Favorite chisels always gets a lot of posting action going on and I just wanted to put out a heads up for the new issue of Fine Woodworking. They have tested a wide range of chisels in a side by side comparison and it is enlightening reading. Lie-Neilsen comes in at the very top of the heap which is no real surprise, but the 'Best Value' end has some interesting candidates at very good (cheap) prices. Great read! Some good hints on finishing cherry in there also.

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

Hi Jim. Do you possibly have a link to the reading ? is it the Narex chisel ?
Lars.

Lars--

Yes, the Narex was rated very high and only cost $6.00USD. I was really amazed. I don't know if this is online yet. I'll poke around and if I find one I'll post.

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

Jim here is the link for the Narex chisel. does anyone have any knowledge of them ?

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=PRODSEARCH&txtSearch=narex&btnSearch=GO&Page=1

Lars

Jim my friend thanks for posting this because you reminded me of something that I wanted to do.

Some time back we discussed Blue Spruce Chisels and at that time they were adding paring chisels to their line. I had made a mental note to check back and order one when they are available. So..... in the words of Mick Jagger - so I did...

It looks like they are made to order and have a 3-4 week lead time. I just ordered the 1/2" paring chisel with an African Blackwood handle.

The single most enjoyable part of guitar building for me is carving braces with finger planes and a hair-popping sharp paring chisel. To date I have liked the LMI chisels the most for this and they just seem to fit my hand well, have great balance, and the edge stays very sharp for a long time.

So I have high hopes for the Blue Spruce chisels and I will let everyone know what I think when I receive it and take it for a test drive.

Truth be known -- I'll be getting some Blue Spruce chisels when I upgrade. I have a set of the old Marples blue handled chisels prior to the Irwin takeover and I actually like them quite a bit. It wasn't too much work to flatten them and they hold an edge quite well. They also take a fair beating with a mallet and haven't complained. For acoustic lutherie I think that I could get by easily with just a 1/8" and a 1/2" chisel, thought the sets are nice for chopping dovetails.

For someone trying to get into lutherie (or woodworking in general) and are on a budget, the Narex chisels would be a good bet. Might be kind of fun to have a minimalist's list of cheapie, but servicable tools for folks thinking about starting.

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

Jhowell, if you have the time: Which chisel brands and types were tested, what were the categories, and what were the results? (They don't sell "Fine Woodworking" over here, and I haven't subscribed in years...)

Hesh, you'll enjoy those Blue Spruce paring chisels, I promise!

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

My blue spruce paring chisels are fantastic - handles are very comfortable, the steel holds a perfect edge and keeps it for a good long time. My only 'niggle' is that the bevelled edges are so sharp I've actually cut myself on them.

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Yesterday I went to Rockler to pick up a piece of quartered Honduran Rosewood to use for fingerboards, bridges, and bridge plates. While there one of my friends told me to take a look at the table of clearance items. I ended up buying four Robert Sorby boxwood chisels (1/4", 3/8", 1/2" and 3/4") for $2.50 per chisel. If anyone is in the market for chisels and you have a Rockler nearby, I would pay them a visit.

Vince

Todd...good point on chisels in guitar-building. I'm finding that I'm using the finger plane far more than a chisel in brace shaping and using chisels less and less with each build. Even in neck building, I'm using spokeshave, rasp, file and grits, to do most of the work. Of the 10 or so chisels I have I really consider only about 3 as my regular go-to tools. Since building a heavy maple bench a few years ago and discovering the beauty of a fine mortising chisel, I continue to use one for many new uses. As always, keeping them sharp is far more important IMO than the brand. The few that I use are truly an extension of my hands and I love to use them.

I've really tried to discipline myself and not be seduced into buying more chisels...the LN, Blue Spruce and many of the Japanese chisels are gorgeous in their design and performance, but I have forced other priorities. On the other hand, folks like John Watkins have 97 chisels hanging on the wall!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Here's a couple of my new old chisels. I think this is what you meant by "massive". They were some tools I got from my grandpa. Made in 1837.

Darrin

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