Who makes good chisels these days?

[Roger B]

Just got moved into my new home in Albuquerque and am getting set up to butcher wood and steel again ,  I have to retool as I gave all of my late father's tools to my oldest son, and I'm now down to buying a few good chisels so I can do some serious damage quickly and in style.  So who makes good chisels these days and where can you buy them?  It seems that you really can't trust brand names anymore since many of the fine, old, manufacturers have been bought out and are having their products made in Outer Slobovia where labor is cheap. 
Roger B.

[westbj2]

Henry Taylor chisels are still best quality.
http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com/?gclid=CIWZm_Dp98wCFYIBaQodGDgBIA

Frank Mittermier imports Dastra from Germany.  Wonderful small palm size chisels
http://dastrausa.com/

Jim

[Roger B]

Many thanks for the information.  That brings up another question; what types and sizes of chisels do people recommend for basic inletting and building?  I have yet to learn to carve and won't need those types of tools for a while.
Roger B.

[brokenflint]

Pfeil from woodcraft, I like these alot, come reasonably sharp and with a little extra work (which we all do anyways :-) ) are excellent.  They do however reach into your pocket!

Brokenflint

[Joe S.]

if I had it all to do over  and had the time I think I would hit the flea market/garage sale circuit in search of old German or Swiss steel.While you can get some good tools nowadays nothing compares to the hand tools of old.I have some newer chisels that feel razor sharp but ain't worth a darn.Two chisels,same style,size ect.both scary sharp,one cuts the other don't?quess which ones the better of the two

[Jim Kibler]

There are fantastic quality tools being made today.  As good or better than those from any time period.  Check out the selection from some of the better hand tool suppliers.  You might be shocked at the price of some of these.

One thing to consider...  What are you going to be using the chisels for?  If mainly for general inletting work etc. you don't necessarily have to spend a fortune.  Heck even for carving you don't have to buy the absolute best.   For basic stocking work, I use an old set of the blue handled Marples chisels.  These are affordable and work just fine.  They might need to be sharpened a little more frequently than the best available today, but in the end, this doesn't mean too much. 

for carving, I use some of the Pfeil "Swiss Made" flats.  These are sharpened to a lower angle than my bench chisels.  If you try to use them for heavy work, the edge won't hold up at this angle.  The lower angle works well for carving, however.

Jim

[Mark Elliott]

I used a lot of Piel chisels and gouges, but my favorite (sharpen the best and hold an edge) are mid 19th century marked Cast Steel. 

[Boompa]

  I use a variety of chisels from different makers.  Some are Pfiel, some German, some Jap made, some pawn shop purchases, all work well for my purpose. I keep a diamond grit sharpening stone near by along with using a polishing wheel and I sharpen & polish often.  I agree the Pfiel are excellent but as often as I sharpen & touch up there's no need to spend a bunch on chisels.

[Roger B]

Thanks guys!  I should be back to turning $700.00 in parts into $200.00 guns pretty soon
Roger B.

[Bob Roller]

Thanks guys!  I should be back to turning $700.00 in parts into $200.00 guns pretty soon
Roger B.

I have YOU beat. I can take that $700 in parts and make the best $40 gun ever made.

Bob Roller

[greybeard]

I love A. B. Addis chisels . Made in Sheffield. Got a bunch of them,.Vintage.   Bob

[rickw]

Since you're in Albuquerque, you can go to Woodworker's Supply and see what they have and handle the chisels for yourself.
All my chisels are old ones, and I don't know what new chisels to recommend.
Rick W

[David R. Pennington]

Ninety percent of my chisels and gouges are flea market, antique store, ebay, or home made. This was out of necessity in the beginning, I couldn't afford the high end stuff. I discovered the quality of some of the old tools was amazing. I have one new blue handled marples that isn't worth a hoot compared to the old ones. Won't hold an edge at all. I have thought about trying to reharden and temper it but I have an old one same size that will stay sharp.
I clean up the old ones, regrind them and turn new handles. Usually pay almost nothing for them and end up in most cases with an excellent tool. I like the OLD Buck Bros. and almost any of them marked 'cast steel' or Sheffield are good stuff. I tried reforging some of the Chinese stuff, but the quality of the steel just isn't there.
I don't care too much for the little palm sized tools except perhaps for very fine detail stuff. I feel like you have better control with a full size tool.

[thimble rig]

I use Phiefel chiesels and Plz excuse the spelling.And keep them sharp with my stones and my leather strop.They do a fine job.

[Bob Roller]

Ninety percent of my chisels and gouges are flea market, antique store, ebay, or home made. This was out of necessity in the beginning, I couldn't afford the high end stuff. I discovered the quality of some of the old tools was amazing. I have one new blue handled marples that isn't worth a hoot compared to the old ones. Won't hold an edge at all. I have thought about trying to reharden and temper it but I have an old one same size that will stay sharp.
I clean up the old ones, regrind them and turn new handles. Usually pay almost nothing for them and end up in most cases with an excellent tool. I like the OLD Buck Bros. and almost any of them marked 'cast steel' or Sheffield are good stuff. I tried reforging some of the Chinese stuff, but the quality of the steel just isn't there.
I don't care too much for the little palm sized tools except perhaps for very fine detail stuff. I feel like you have better control with a full size tool.

I don't know about chisels for wood working but I know that new files come already worn out so the buyer/user won't have
to go to the trouble of wearing them out.
Recently I was in a local industrial supply business buying some small files and I noticed a shelf farther back that had a red
box protruding and walked back to see what it was. I found a number of NEW OLD AMERICAN made metal and wood working files
and asked for a blanket price on ALL of them.I got it,bought them and will sort them out and will sell to anyone who wants them.
I will have to figure a per unit price +shipping by USPS. I will NOT try to make a "killing" on these tools and prefer to sell them
to craftsmen like myself that want and appreciate new relics of a once industrial country.
AFTER I paid for these the young lady that priced them told me I was no longer allowed to go back and select my own files and tools.
I told her in no uncertain terms that NO craftsman will let anyone select a tool for himself and reserved the right of examination for flaws and defects.She gave me a line of BS about "Insurance". Let me know if there is an interest in these files.

Bob Roller

[T*O*F]

The set of chisels (not gouges) that I use most are the ones made by Dru Hedgecock.  They are made from O2 tool steel and are a set of 8, 4 being straight and 4 being cranked.  They are ground at a low angle and will shave the fur off a frog.

Correction.....My mistake......they are made from tempered 1095 spring steel.  TOTW sells them.

https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/1031/1

However, I think they are cheaper if bought direct from Dru.

[smallpatch]

Roger,
The best contemporary chisels I've used are Pfeil, from Woodcraft.  Not cheap, but worth the price, especially if you can find them on sale.

[TENdriver]

Interesting that nobody mentions the FlexCut chisels made right in Erie Pennsylvania. 

They're very high-quality chisels, and also retailed at Woodcraft as well as other places.  They have a variety of different types of chisels, they arrive sharp and ready to go.

I've recently started using their knives.  The look (shape) of the handles initially put me off but that was before I had held and used one.  Now I like them and bought a few more.

They make nice tools!

[P.W.Berkuta]

I think a GOOD chisels is like a GOOD woman -- hard to find and when you do find one it becomes your favorite . I have 4 large (over 1") Henry Taylor's 3 sweeps and one straight - I LOVE them , I have a set of 8 Gun Line (Stubai made) my dad bought me in the late 60's very nice, I have over 15 Pfeil chisels and they are good contemporary made chisels but need some work to get the best out of them as most others do also. I have about two dozen more that have come from long passed grand parents and flea markets.I also make ones that are for "special" areas as need arises.  My chisels range in size from 0.040" to 1-1/2" and from straight to veiner, fishtail, bent gouge, reverse bent gouge and a few other odd forms. There is "something" about a tool that cuts no matter what it is, knife, plane, chisel, saw, etc,etc.

[Ridge]

I am in the process of buying chisels.  Pretty sure I'm going to go with Dastra.  I feel that's the point of diminishing returns for me.

My question would be what type of chisel do I need?  Can you suggest a basic assortment that will do most of what you need to do on a rifle?

[54ball]

 I have had really good luck with the new English made Stanley Sweetheart socket chisels. These are like the old socket chisels where the handle is a friction fit. They have done me well.

[Waksupi]

I make my own chisels and screwdrivers. Get some good tool steel, and go at it!

[SingleMalt]

I've bought chisels from Woodcraft, and other online retailers, and I've never been let down.  That said, some of the best chisels I own I've found at estate sales and on eBay.  Estate sales are hit or miss, usually miss.  On eBay, one can save a search and get alerts when something new is listed.