Help with Chisels , my turn to ask Advice

[David Rase]

I can pretty much build a whole gun  from a blank with a 3/16 straight chisel and a #49 cabinet rasp.

I just remembered that several years ago a friend of mine who was getting into gunbuilding said he was ready to step up to the plate and purchase some gouges and chisels.  I was excited for him, helped him out with what I thought he needed and went to the store with him to buy the items we talked about.  Once in the store he went into sticker shock and ended up buying only one chisel.  It did not take long for me to spread the story and before you knew it, Jack had a new rendezvous name, "one chisel".
David

[rich pierce]

And what, may we ask, is your rondy moniker?

[Mike Brooks]

And what, may we ask, is your rondy moniker?

His is probably "Buttless"......since he just laughed  it off...

[jerrywh]

 For more than 30 years I made my own wood carving chisels.  They worked great and I still have a lot of them. Since then I have probably bought a thousand dollars worth of the best tools.
 My advise is whatever you buy get the best grade or else learn to make your own. Cheap stuff isn't worth owning and will discourage you.  To do the best carving you need very good wood and very good tools in my opinion.  It isn't hard at all to learn how to make a chisel or even a gouge.  There are probably dozens of makers on this forum who make their tools.