I bought a set of Irwin Marples (Blue Chip/Bevel edged) chisels a while back. Supposedly, they can be used with mallet as well as by hand.
Assume I wish to do M & T joinery in soft wood.
I just noticed some Norex "mortising chisels" on sale (5 for $45) and was curious whether they would offer me something more that I need, or whether they would be redundant for my current purposes.
Thank you for your thoughts.
Bill
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What size mortises? If they're deep and or narrow, the mortising chisel can make life somewhat easier (of course, so can a chain or chisel mortiser... :) ).
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Yep, they take a licking and keep on ticking. I even use - don't tell anyone! - a hammer sometimes.
No problem.
This is a no-brainer. It's not my money, and someone is asking me if they need more tools... Yes!
I believe your mean Narex, right? The Marples Blue Chip are an all purpose chisel. A dedicated mortise chisel is superior for tough chopping and deeper holes, but not as good for all around bench work. Since you already have the Marples, start knocking some holes. If they're sharp you shouldn't have any problem in soft wood.
ROn 11/2/2010 2:39 PM, RicodJour wrote: The Marples Blue Chip are an all
That's just the kind of answer I was looking for. Thank you!
Bill
As a couple of others have said, you CAN cut the mortises with the Marples, and if you expect to do that only very infrequently, then go for it. However, the mortise chisel is designed specifically for -- guess what? And it will do a much better job.
One of its advantages is stoutness, which some have mentioned -- prying out waste with a 1/4" mortise chisel is a lot different from prying it out with a 1/4" general purpose bench chisel.
I think the biggest advantage to a mortise chisel is its profile, which practically forces you to cut a rectangular mortise once started correctly. (You can't see it in the pictures, but these have a tiny amount of taper, which reduces jamming.) So I'd say go for the LV deal (but then again, you are not using my credit card).
If you ever should decide you need mortise chisels, be sure to get the real ones. There are a lot of light duty "sash mortise" chisels out there. The heavy ones keep getting harder to find. Here's a site with a good picture - just page down to the "Robert Sorby Heavy Mortice Chisels".
the ones on the link above, but cheaper, surprisingly enough.
They are drool-worthy.. I will keep them in mind.
Bill
Mortising chisels will make cutting mortises easier (but not necessarily easy... take your time). A good set of waterstones are a great investment for both your Marples and the prospective mortising chisels -- and look at the Veritas honing guide for proper sharpening.
Lee Valley Sorby Registered Mortise chisels. They are definitely not the same chisels. Ones heavy duty, ones medium duty.
I stand corrected.
Looks like a handy tool. In the meantime, I've got a granite block, a simpler honing guide, and $40 or so worth of wet & dry. I'm looking forward to getting on with it (which in my own way I sort of am). I plan to install some fluorescent lights soon.
Bill
"alexy" wrote
In a nit-picking mood I once gave thought to the value of this taper and the way a chisel prccesses along the mortise.
For folk who are interested in fine points of technique, the outcome is at
It crushes too easily for my tastes. Sharpness of the chisel is key.
Atta Boy, Bill. ScarySharp(tm) is where it's at. Just about any honing guide will work well...once you know what it's doing and figure out how to make it do that. Simply pay attention to detail.
-- Experience is a good teacher, but she send in terrific bills. -- Minna Thomas Antrim
Wow! I wish those had been around when I bought my Sorbys. Now I'm jealous. Those are definitely the best mortise chisels I've ever seen.
I had thought of mentioning old pigstickers to the OP, but they aren't that easy to find. Now we have a modern equivalent.
Lie Nielsen makes mortising chisels too. JP
I think the Narex are a great value.
I have some Marples Blue Chips. You can use the Marples with a mallet but they aren't the best choice for mortising if you do a lot.
If you want to try chopping mortises in softwood with your Marples, by all means do it. You should be able to get a respectable result, with practice.
One advantage of the motise style chisel is that it won't twist as you are chopping the mortise. And as you chop with the mortise chisel, and lever out your waste, you won't need to spend time paring the sidewalls if you chop and lever correctly. There are plenty of examples on the Net for how to do that.
Compared to the steel in the Narex, the Marples edge will degrade faster (according to published comparative tests, and assuming the Narex mortise chisel steel is as tough or tougher than their bevel edge chisel steel).
You should think about what sizes of chisel you need for hand mortising. The general rule is the mortise width should be the same as wall on either side. If you are working with 3/4" wood, you almost always want the mortise to be 1/4", and each sidewall will be 1/4".
Maybe you should also have a 3/8" for working in 1" wood (or the closest metric equivalent). The others in the set may never get used.
Another good option is to purchase one really good mortise chisel that you need now, say the 1/4". And then if you ever need a 3/8", get it then.
Besides Sorby, Lie-Neilsen makes great chisels. 1 LN chisel will cost more than the whole set of Narex chisels.
The Narex bench chisels were given a "Best Buy" rating by FWW in t heir last chisel review. Note that was bench and not morticing chisels. I have not seen a morticing chisel review.
FWIW, I have yet to find a "bad" chisel at yard sales or the bay, as long as it is a socket chisel. Some are better than others of course. Usually very good price, especially if it needs a handle.
A followup to Jeff's post. He once had a short article/ amusing anecdote on his site about the Sorby company and proper shaping of mortice chisels. The proper transition from the cutting edge to the back of the chisel is rounded to aid levering out the chips, not an angle. He also has a plan to build a sharpening jig.
Someone mentioned Scarey Sharp, which is the method I use.. IME, a sheet higher than 320 grit lasts a long time as long as you remember to pull not push. I can buy a helluva lot of sandpaper for the $200 people want for a set of water stones. A quarter inch 10" x 30" glass shelf cost a buck at the thrift store, and easily holds six or more pieces of 1/3 sheet strips. I have a separate 12" square of glass that holds 150 and 220 wet or dry. I do replace those grits fairly often, but I frequently flatten chisels and plane blades. (I do not collect chisels and planes, I do not collect chisels and planes, I do not.....)
Regards, Roy
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