Ashley Iles Bench Chisels Review

by Ed Snow

I recently received a parcel from toolsforwoodworking.com. It contained three new pro Shaptons (amazing stones - thanks for the recommendations) and a set of seven Ashley Iles bevel edge bench chisels. Out of the box it was clear that what I thought I saw in the teeny weeny thumbnail was the same as what was now in my hands. These are some high quality chisels, no surprises other than the handles being surprisingly long. The handles are nicely finished straight grained bubinga, a hard tropical wood from west Africa. The ferrules are nice thick brass and, much to my elation, the actual blade of the chisel is nice and thin.

Literature says that the blades are hardened rc 61 which is a good compromise between edge holding and brittleness. Similar to higher priced chisels the chisels come from the factory ground pretty darn flat for a new tool. Flattening the backs of the seven to a 5000 grit Shapton sheen did not take an hour.

Perhaps the most important attribute of these Ashley Iles chisels is when they say "bevel edge" they actually are bevel edge, not the pseudo bevel edge stuff we see in Marples, Footprints, Nooitgedagt, and Two cherries. I harp on this bevel edge thing because the greater the value of the vertical edge the more of your dovetail you beat up. True bevel edge would mean that there is no vertical edge, thus a perfect joinery chisel. The Ashley Iles are darn close to that. My quick measuring indicates that you will have over an inch of chisel meat that has under a 1/16" of vertical edge.

Using them in a nice soft poplar was a breeze. They kept their edge for a considerable amount of time before having to re hone them, much better than my Marples and better than my Noouitgedat as well. This is a good measure of quality considering that it is necessary to have a near perfect edge to pare end grain and not tear end grain. They also easily pare yellow birch and purple heart.

I honestly think I have found my joinery chisel set solution. Chop out most of the waste with my Marples and then pare the last 1/8" or so back to a nice crisp edge.