Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Lee Valley Socket Chisel Alternative ??
Matt Williams Marysville WA
>I absolutely love the socket chisels from Lee Valley but unfortunately don't have $250 to buy them. I went to Ebay to see what an old set of Stanley would be and they seem to be about the same price. What are some of the other brands that are of similiar quality but not so expensive? Fulton, Witherby, etc?
Thanks for the help!
Did you perhaps mean Lie-Nielsen?
David Barnett - Venice, FL
>
Yes. Thanks :)
Matt Williams Marysville WA
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Good Old Socket Chisels
Christopher Schwarz
>My two personal favorites are Swan and the old Buck Brothers. They hold a decent edge and have perfectly sized side bevels -- very narrow.
Price-wise, these chisels can be expensive if you aren't a bottom-feeder. Around here dealers sell them for about $15 to $20 each.
Personally, I don't think much of the original Stanley 750s that the Lie-Nielsens are based on. All the ones that have passed through my hands have had poor edge-retention qualities.
Chris
Re: Good Old Socket Chisels
Angelo in Cornwall, NY
>Chris, funny you should say this as I find the 750's that I have hold an edge equal to or better than the Buck Bros. that I have, though these are tanged chisels. Unfortunately, I find the bevels too narrow for DT work, so I end up using a set of Footprints I picked up, which have horrible edge retention. Time to browse the catalogs...
Re: Lee Valley Socket Chisel Alternative ??
Charles
>Start buying chisels on ebay to find out which ones you like. I got a Stanley Everlasting chisel in a group of 5 chisels for $15.00. Some of the very old ones that are stamped with "Cast Steel" usually hold a good edge. If you decide that you don't like the one you bought, sell it. Someone else will want it.
Re: Lee Valley Socket Chisel Alternative ??
Bob Hackett
>Witherby,Swan,E A Berg(Shark brand),Underhill,Charles Buck,Wm. Greaves,Vaughn Pardoe,Merrill,Douglas,and just about anything with a laminated blade should be above average.Some are way above.
Buck Bros kept the cast steel logo well into thier fall from the top so you need to be careful and know how to recognize early quality Buck chisels.You can pretty much rule out anything with a deer head on the handle.
The best way to go about this that I can think of is to visit with someone who already owns a good selection of old chisels and talk to him about his likes and dislikes.If you come to my shop you can even test drive whatever`s in the rack.I think you`ll find that most folks who use them own a mixed bag as there are good points in each brand and places where thier differences come in handy.
Talk to members of your local guild or WWing club,yet another good reason to join if you`re not already a member.
Mainely,Bob
Re: Good Old Socket Chisels
Christopher Schwarz
>Angelo,
Aren't chisels unpredictable? I've probably worked with five 750s over the years and have been underwhelmed by all of them. Lonnie Bird has two sets (at least) of new old stock he found at a hardware store and they are weak, too.
But then yours are great.
I've been testing chisels for a few weeks now, and maybe I need to find another 750 to add to the test. Maybe I have ones that were made on the Friday before the Christmas holiday at the Stanley factory � perhaps after the all-you-can-drink holiday party on Thursday.
Thanks much for the comment.
Chris
Re: LN chisels any good?
ThomD
>Last time I was hanging out they hadn't released them. Are they any good. I mean $250 I've spent that on a single Japanese chisel. But it was worth it, performance wise. It's enough maney they really need to work in a particular context.
Have you ever tried
Dan Donaldson
>Taking one of those that does not hold an edge and retempering it? I had a small butt chisel where the edge would fold over when trying to use it for chopping dovetails. I retempered it, and now it holds an edge fine. Probably not the thing to do on a particularly valuable one, but if you have one that is not and it doesn't work, then what have you got to lose?
Re: Have you ever tried
Christopher Schwarz
>Dan,
I've considered that very thing for this particular chisel (and a few others). It's on the to-do list.
Chris
Re: Good Old Socket Chisels
Angelo in Cornwall, NY
>Chris, I have heard from others that there is a lot of variation in the quality of the steel in the old 750's. Perhaps, the production methods varied at different times, or, as you said, the ones made on fridays aren't so hot. I guess I've just gotten luckey so far.
My Stanley 750s crumble cutting through soft 2x4s.
Russell Seaton
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Re: My Stanley 750s crumble cutting through soft 2
Todd Stock
>My 750s all seem to be keepers - much better edges than Blue Chips or Sorby octagonal handle, and about as good as some Swans I have.
Could be that the edge holding characteristics are dependent on when made, which would be in line with most other Stanley products, eh?
Re: Lee Valley Socket Chisel Alternative ??
Ernie Miller Topeka
>Ijust sold a set of 750's for a bout $10 ea. and an everlast didn't bring much more. I have a hard time with sets of chisels and use a collection of singles witherby swan PEXTO and stanly there are even a couple Millers Falls. I suggest you just pick up singles in the size you need and if you like them keep them if not send them down the road. I have several sets like one chisel in the set and hate the rest.