Henry Taylor registered chisels, my report

[Tom Watson]

I've tried any number of brands of chisels over the years and have always come back to my black handled Stanley's.

They are not made any longer but you may be fortunate enough to find some on the resale market.

I've accumulated twenty or so of these and this has allowed me to turn some into paring chisels, while keeping the bulk of them as they came.

They were sold to schools and cabinet shops until some years back, when they were discontinued.

The steel is excellent, having a Rockwell hardness of C59-61, and they take and hold an edge very well.

I've a Sorby slick that has given good service in heavy work, and a couple of thirty year old Taylor cranked paring chisels that are very nice - but the day to day work is done by the Satanlys.

Tom Watson - WoodDorker tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (email)

(website)

[Limey Lurker]

1975... no telling how long they had been doing it. They reground if needed on a belt sander, and cleaned up the edge on a piece of 220 or 240, which ever was available. <

I was an electromech, and rarely used chisels, but when I did they had to be sharp. I didn't have oilstones or any carpenters type of hones, so they were ground on the angle grinder and sharpened on waterproof paper with a drop of cutting compound to avoid the dust.This was in

1959/60. Onsite nowadays I still use the same method.

[AAvK]

- but the day to day work is done by the Satanlys.

"Satanlys" > BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA... Thanks Tom. I needed that giggle!

Those black handled Stanleys are no doubt #40 everlasts, yes they are excellent steel and they sell for very high prices on eBay, albeit with plastic handles and metal striking caps. Good choice! But could you please read the rest of the thread?

[Lowell Holmes]

I have blue handled marples, Stanley 40's, Stanley 750's and an assortment of others. I keep a diamond lap on the bench and when a chisel needs touching up, about 30 seconds takes care of it.

I'd rather work wood than search for the ultimate chisel. OBTW, the blue handles were used to build two hand made rocking chairs, chopping over 40 mortises in each. I know your supposed to use registered chisels for such work, but it's really not required.

Now when it comes to hand saws, I have three LN Independence saws. Oh well! Like the old farmer said when he kissed the caw, it's just a matter of taste.

[AAvK]

Yeah... folks don't read everything as added up to a conversation and they interject info from a lost standpoint.

others. I keep a diamond lap on the bench and when a

I started out on SS, worked great for the quality of sharpness but it takes a long time, then I bought the two Norton water combo stones... heh... they take only a little less time to use. Not a huge advantage. I recently bought a dmt diasharp 600, awesome quick!

handles were used to build two hand made rocking chairs,

chisels for such work, but it's really not required.

Yes I figured that eventually. All the mortise work for my bench trestle I did with forstner drilling and my Stubai bench chisels. I have an M-BC 1/8" I havn't used yet.

I am curious about those, how long does the sharpness last with constant work? Do they lose sharpness quickly? They mention it is Swedish steel hardened to RC 51-52???

I have a sandvik chisel (swedish), almost as bad as the marples with the boxwood handle. Niks too easy in soft wood with knots.

[Lowell Holmes]

[CW]

You mean they actually think that increased skill an experience should be compensated for? What ingrates. Don't they realize that they should work for you for the lowest wage possible? Don't they realize that their place in life is to make money for you disregarding their own lives? What a bunch of losers.

[AAvK]

I've sharpened it 3 times IIRC. I think I'll send it

guard they send with it. I use the camilla oil to

now have both carcass saws.

quite) now that I have confidence to sharpen them. I

I was interested because I have read that 'warrented cast steel' (of old) is a standard RC 60... thought that would be better, to buy old Disstons instead.

[Lowell Holmes]

[Australopithecus scobis]

How so? The steel, the tooth angles, the fit-n-finish? Inquiring minds want to know.

Regarding the original part of the thread: It seems most of the posters early on were doing work in softwoods where a WoodChuck(tm) could be made to do the job. It's not surprising that they were unimpressed with the high end chisels and fancy sharpening methods: they didn't need them for the job at hand.

I wonder if the poster whose gouge chipped too easily was cutting in and cutting out, or cutting in and lifting out?

[AAvK]

Who me? The OP? If so... it's just exactly as I described.

[Prometheus]

I picked up one of those recently, and it's actually pretty impressive- IIRC, it was $11.99 for the 1.5" one I got, and it sharpened to a razor's edge in about 5 minutes right off the bat, and has held that edge pretty well after quite a lot of hard use. Nice handle on it that actually fits my hand, and a good thick blade. I figure that's good enough for me, and I was planning on getting a whole set of them. I'm surprised to hear the really expensive ones perform so poorly...

Stanley is the other surprising performer- I've got a set of them that I just use for rough carpentry use, and they're awfully tough. Used one of them to chip ceramic tile off concrete yesterday (misplaced my cold chisel), and the edge actually held up pretty well, considering. No nicks or bent-over edges, and it was actually still sharp enough to whack some corners off from framing lumber cleanly. Those things have been used for everything a chisel should never be used for (opening paint cans, chipping rough edges off durock, prybars, you name it) and they hold up awfully well.

[AAvK]

Then I suspect with a performance issue, it would be the thickness of the blade, and the shape and grinding of the teeth.

But I have this really unusual saw, just to mention it, I found it in a thrift shop for like $3 or so... the blade is 0.021" thin, 2-1/8" depth of cut and 18" of teeth, 'bout 10 tpi and a ferruled gent's handle. No name either but very unusual these days. The end was messed up so I cut off 1".

[Tom Watson]

But could you please read the rest of the thread?

...sigh...

Tom Watson - WoodDorker tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (email)

(website)

[thumbs]

Am new to this forum so hope this is being done correctly. Have always gotten by w/cheap chisels, sometimes good, often not so good. Recently was given a full set of chisels, I have been unable to find out anything about. They look impressive, but I am not qualified by any means to judge that. I will describe them and hope someone can tell me about them: quality price, how to care for them etc. They have the Name Bracht in the middle of a triangle and wording on the triangle as follows: Vanadium, Carantie, and Wolfram. Have always wanted quality chisels, but didn't know which to pick. Hope these are good ones. Would appreciate any info on these that can be provided. I have done some searches w/out success, so don't know what I have.

Thanks for any info that can be shared, Thumbs

Lowell Holmes Wrote: