Thread: Chisels, Draw Knives, Etc. - Recommendations

So, this is going to sound like confessions of a pig. I had a set of 2 cherries chisels and I have used pfeil chisels.

The pfeil chisels are nice, but they are highly priced at woodcraft (as is all pfeil stuff) and you likely will want to make sure you get chisels where the sides are delicate, for a lack of a better way to put it. The bevel should go down almost and touch the back, unless you're going to have various sets. It's not absolutely absolutely necessary, but you will bruise your work a lot less if you have a chisel set that has those delicate sizes, and you'll be able to get the chisels in tighter spaces (like between dovetails) if they are set up like that - otherwise to avoid putting dings in joints like that, you'd have to skew the chisels and in some cases there will be no room.

I would buy the narex faster than I would buy the two cherries, they are both some sort of chrome vanadium steel, the narex chisels have a more delicate edge and you pay czech labor instead of german on them. They are also not buffed to death on each corner, which is a major detriment - i don't know why 2 cherries still does that, certainly no vintage maker ever did, and vintage makers had to please people who were using the tools to make a living. And the icing on the cake is that the 2 cherries chisels don't have the most desirable handles for cabinetmaking work.

Old marples (boxwood handled and blue chips) were probably a mainstay in a lot of shops for the last 50 years, but they have gone into the toilet since selling the brand around and moving production to china. But you can learn from the profile of the older ones, about what is going to be nice to use and why they were in so many shops.

Fine woodworkers now, at least those involved in traditional work, will generally consider the old forged bolster tanged chisels that are in the range of 200 years old as the best chisels that have ever been made. They are lighter than chisels that have to do double duty in cabinetmaking and construction, and made exactly to the specifications of cabinetmakers who used only hand tools. That's just for reference, though, you won't find them.

Aside from that, I would go to antique shops for drawknives, you should come across something with minimal wear in the $25 range, and something small enough that it's sensible for your work. A lot of drawknives floating around are big hulking things that won't serve you too well. New drawknives are generally not better, and they are a lot more expensive.

If you have any questions about other specific brands of chisels, let me know. I have probably used them, I am a pig of the first degree when it comes to tools.