I went looking for used tools at the swap meet a couple weeks ago. One guy was selling a bunch of chisels that all had discoloration from heat. Not a good sign, right? I am still looking for a good set. What do y’all like to use?
Jase–Is there a better way?
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Been waiting almost ten years for my cheap Stanley chisels to give me a good reason to throw them away. I've seen several very positive comments regarding Two Cherries brand but no personal experience.
I am happy with my Marples set...not too expensive, but not the absolute top of the line either.
However, before I loaned them out, I had a set of Stanley's. With these I was also very satisfied. Those were the last things I loaned out, except my mag float, which I have not seen either...and my cat trap, too...haven't seen that either....man, I need to make a couple calls!
-Del
Jase,
Look for old ones. There are a lot of brands out there that were good. Some names to look for are James Swan, L&IJ White, Whitherby, PEXTO, Buck Brothers, James Buck and Merril & Wilder. I really like Merril & Wilder because they sometimes look a little clunky so collectors tend to avoid them but they have some of the best steel of any I've used. I also have some Buck Bros that are incredibly thin in cross-section and are wonderful for delicate work.
The only time I ever found an old poor quality chisel it was from one of the best makers, James Swan. I could tell from the sound of this monster 2" chisels ring that it was good steel so I popped it in our heat-treating furnace and it turned out to be a dandy. It just hadn't been properly heat treated in the first place.
My working set is a comical looking assortment of this and that. They're nearly all old. I do have some Marples that I used to keep just to loan out when I was on job sites and they're okay but not great. I've got a couple old Merril and Wilder chisels that hold an edge well enough to stay with me for a couple days of heavy use. I didn't like 'em when I first found them and a while later I realized they were the ones I always reached for when I needed a tough chisel whose edge would survive heavy demanding work.
Good luck in your search.
I have the Marples blue set. They don't hold an edge for long. I'd like to try the Japanese chisels, next time I have a few hundred dollars lying around.
Well... maybe, maybe not. It depends on whether the color
was from accidentally grinding the tool too hot, or from
deliberately heat-treating it. If the colors are close
together, perhaps with blue near the edge, it's a bad sign.
Not that I've ever done this, more than a few times.
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