>This is a small tool chest I built at a workshop at NBSS, over 12 days last fall. I've spent a lot of time since then on hardware, finishing, lining drawers, and building trays. I just finished building the tray for marking and measuring stuff, which fits into the top drawer over the chisels. Outside dimensions are roughly 12x12x18.
I've managed to fill three drawers. And I have some stuff in the left hand drawer. (a few scrapers, a burnisher, and a calculator) But that drawer isn't yet completely filled.
Of course, now that I'm a full time student there, I have to build yet another, much larger tool chest. So, more space to fill, I suppose.
>The case is mahogany, and the drawer fronts are made of curly sugar maple that had been tapped for syrup.
Personally, I like both the LN and the swiss... now, I haven't had the LNs for as long, and it's been my expereince that the steel is usually better a little bit back from the edge when they're brand new, because most manufacturers buff them out a bit, which can draw off some of the heat treatment. At first, the swiss seemed a little soft, but after a while they proved to hold a very good edge. I haven't taken the LNs back too much yet, so time will tell.
All that said, I think I like the balance of the LNs a litte bit better...
>Well, honestly there are times when I wonder if I really needed something better. Don't get me wrong, I love the feel and balance of the LN stuff, and I actually do have some japanese chisels, too, and they are fantastic. But the swissmade chisels are made with some very nice steel.
In my researches, the only real difference I found between the regular european style and the Japanese style, in terms of care and treatment, etc, is that Japanese chisels are happier when they're not being put on a bench grinder. There are a lot of reasons why, but there are a lot of things that happen. For one, the steel heats up a lot faster when you grind it. For another, once you've burned it, they never seem to be entirely happy. Japanese chisels are still alrgely hand forged, from two different metals, which makes them a much different animal from a single chink of blade steel that was cast, shaped, and heat treated/tempered. There are clearly some differences in the steel as a result of the hand forging, and the laminated construction. Heating these finely made tools right back up to a nice toasty hot in an effort to turn them to dust in a timely fashion...
Well, I'm sure my opinion is clear on that. The set I burned on a grinder clearly isn't happy as a result of the grinding. Or, maybe I just need to wear them back to the good steel again, but after using em to cut dovetails in white oak, I managed to chip one of them pretty severely, whcih shoudln't happen, hard as oak can be. It's going to take some work to get it back to where it should be, but by the time I get it there, the hollow grind should be worn away, so that's just as well, I suppose. That said, when they're happy, they do seem to hold an edge remarkably well. If you have, or don't mind buying a slow-speed water wheel grinder, like a tormek, to do the hollow grind, or if you're fine sharpening them by hand with a flat grind, like I do, then I say go for it, japanese chisels are also fantastic, and they have a good feel to them, much like the Lie-Nielsens.
My ability to write all of that is a result of my wanting to know more about other any other options, and wanting to see if there was something better, and once in a while I stil drool over shiny new stuff. I learned on Marples Blue chip, (which was great for learning to sharpen, since I had to do it constantly) graduated to the Swiss, and I also now have the LNs, a couple different kinds of japanese chisels, some old stanleys 720s and a 750 or two, a couple of buck bros...
In the end, after all my searching, and trying new stuff, I could only really come to one conclusion. I spent a lot of money.
In the meantime, IMHO, I honestly think that if I had to do it again, well... I guess even still, I'd probably still want to see for myself if the grass really was greener. But for now, for me, (and it may just that I'm still a rank beginner) I think I should have spent more time sharpening and working with the swissmades. That is, instead of spending that time earning the money that was only spent on yet another set of nice chisels. I should have spent my time using the chisels I had to do woodworking, which is the point of all of this, really. I'd have spent less time tuning up new sets, and more time tuning up my own skills, and the results would show in my work. And really, the work is pretty much the point of having the tools in the first place.
