552 Chisel Talk "3 chisels to start with"

Over the years there have been a lot of questions from new woodworkers that keep coming up over and over. One of the most frequent is "should I buy a full set of chisels or just one or two?"
The easy answer is "YES get a full set" but that's not always the correct one.
In fact, if I had to rebuild my entire shop from the ground up and retool it, I'd probably avoid an entire set of chisels and instead concentrate on adding one or two high quality versions as needed.
In today's episode I share with you the advice I like to offer new woodworkers (and some experienced ones) when it comes to purchasing chisels.
With so many different tool manufacturers, sizes and even specialty chisels to choose from, it's hard to decide where to get started when buying your first (or next) chisel(s).
My advice is pretty simple, and it can easily transfer to other tools and accessories in your shop later down the road.
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[@danielgrabske3545]

As a carpenter I bought the stanley thru tang chisel in set , in construction work you never know what you will get in to. If your going to buy 3 chisels my as well buy a set.

[@olivepressdesign]

Thanks Matt. I appreciate your to the point and very helpful advice.

[@MrSafeTCam]

My first 3 chisels were a 1/2" and 3/4" to beat around, and thirdly a 1/8". You'd think a 1/8" would be one of the last chisels anyone would ever get, but for all of my 1/8" mitre splines and groove cuts, I've had to use the stock alternating top bevel blade in my table saw, because I can't find a good flat top grind blade in my area. This means every groove I cut has a small protruding hill at the bottom. My 1/8" chisel has been a life saver, using a hybrid approach I can cut a groove and make sure the bottom is square enough to accept a spline or a 1/8" panel. Not the best approach for everybody, and I use the other two chisels more often, but it's still helpful.

[@Mattsbasementworkshop]

I really wrestled with whether I 'd suggest the 1/8" or not. But in the end, I decided I just didn't use it as frequently as I thought I would over the years. But what you describe is exactly what I would expect to find it useful for.

[@billyjacks6223]

Super helpful video. Really appreciate the candor, it's refreshing

[@deezynar]

Good advice, Matt. You don't need many chisels, you just need a few sharp ones. That means you need sharpening stones right from the start.

[@DrCRAZYde]

A lower angle chisel is good for soft-wood, a old German furniture maker told me. He has 17 degrees on his chisels.

[@Mattsbasementworkshop]

+Christian L. leave it to a German to have a very specific bevel angle like 17º LOL

[@johnverreault9239]

Hey Matt, Great to see you getting back to doing some of the "old-style" MBW episodes that you used to do. Although the project builds are truly fantastic (and please don't stop making those), I was missing the "shop/tool talk" sessions that peppered the podcast over the years. Hope the new job is going well. Cheers John

[@Mattsbasementworkshop]

+John Verreault So far so good John! I'm exhausted but still excited.

[@jrmakawoody]

I have a set of the 4 stanley 750's, and one narex mortising chisel, they work out great for me. A definite improvement on the buck bros i had before. Great tips thanks for sharing.

[@williambranham6249]

Good review. It's hard to recommend on a short video unless you limit to a specific group of woodworkers-like beginners. As an intermediate level woodworker I still learned something new-like the bevel variation for different tasks. Thanks, Doc

[@Mattsbasementworkshop]

+William Branham I'm glad you found something in the topic! It wasn't until I was really struggling with the chisels dulling before I asked someone if they had a similar issue and they shared the tip.

[@Mitermikeswoodshop]

Great explanation Matt.

[@WesHamstra]

I have the same set of irwin marples. I love my chisels

[@Immolate62]

Stanley makes a Sweetheart set of four in 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and 1 inch for about $80. They are excellent and a pleasure to use without being ridiculously expensive. Or you could go the Paul Sellers route and get a set of el-cheapo Harbor Freight chisels. In addition to disdaining the impulse to buy high-end tools, Paul also advocates the use of standard chisels to cut mortises, and shows you how. I've cut many 3/4 by 5 through mortises on the massive legs for my workbench using that method, so I can speak to its effectiveness. I'm not trying to undermine Matt's advice, which I think is excellent. I just want to put out there that there is a super-cheap route that will work extremely well, so you don't have to wait until you can afford even a single high-end chisel.

[@ShannonRogers]

+Tom Holmes I agree that this is a viable route, but I have had quite a few students struggle with keeping mortises straight and square that was fixed as soon as they started using an actual mortise chisel. Its a fine line to walk between being frugal and selling your skills short. Long story short, but if you find yourself enjoying chopping mortises by hand, cut yourself a break and get a dedicated mortise chisel or two. Vintage ones are the best and can be had cheaply.

[@Mattsbasementworkshop]

+Tom Holmes Thanks for contributing to the discussion. I'll admit I'm a little biased to what +Shannon Rogers said. Yes YOU CAN GET started with an expensive set of tools and get great results. The only downside is the occasional hoop-jumping-through to continue getting those results. But when you're getting started, inexpensive is often the route you go, and there's nothing wrong with it. In fact, that's why I mentioned going with a higher bevel angle, it's one of the work-around's to dealing with a softer metal. I can think of some conversations with high-end woodworkers who talked about the crappy tools they dealt with in the early days and how much it makes them appreciate the one or two premium ones they own today. The key is not to become convinced a full-set (regardless of price) is a necessity. Thanks again Tom!

[@deezynar]

I prefer using guides along side the mortise to keep the chisel perpendicular and all the cuts falling within the marks.

[@Ivangomez-bo7vs]

irwin makes a 3 piece chisel set with a hard maple mallet for $40 at Orchard supply hardware.

[@TheShavingWoodWorkshop]

A lot of really great thought out advise Matt - For me they're like a potato chip, you can never have just one.. it's really an addiction :-) lol

[@Mattsbasementworkshop]

+The ShavingWood Workshop Yes it is!!!

[@Mattsbasementworkshop]

+Daynaleo1 I've heard that also, and more than likely it's probably the right answer, but then again there's all those stories of what the term "Jack" in Jack-plane mean also. This is a great example of where speculation (right and wrong) make for fun conversations.

[@Daynaleo1]

I heard BUTT CHISELS were for mortise get butt hinges, thus the short length and savings on steel for the product.

[@iamrocketray]

An English working carpenter would over the years grind away and sharpen his inch and a quarter chisel which he used to hang doors, using Butt Hinges. As it got shorter it became easier to chop out the hinge recess. So as they got shorter, they became known as butt chisels. It was only Americans that used the term Butt instead of arse, so you get the childish silly giggle whenever you say BUTT chisel around kids(and adults) who are exposed to American terminology worldwide through TV and Films. So Butt chisel isn't arse chisel(ha-ha) its Butt hinge Chisel. And as shorter chisels are easier to control they started selling them in sets.

[@JimDockrellWatertone]

I have too many chisels...........and I want some more!..........lol How typical is that?

[@Mattsbasementworkshop]

More common than you can imagine! I've been there, and felt that draw so many times LOL

[@68HC060]

Purchase a saw. You get so many chisels on a single saw blade. =)

[@qigong1001]

Hi, I just went to a swap meet and this guy had two "Marples" chisels. Looked like yours! They looked old, the handles were blue (almost like watercolor) and had a white stripe where the iron meets the handle. The handle shape was like a long skinny eggplant with nothing on the end. The blades looked dark grey. I offered the guy $4 but he wanted $10. I passed on it, because I just wasn't sure if they were a later Irwin model or the English model. It did not say 'made in England or Sheffield' or anything. Just said Marples. How the heck would I know if its the higher quality or the newer model that many frown on? Or does it really matter?

[@Mattsbasementworkshop]

+Slap Stick I feel your frustration, and unfortunately I can't answer your question at the moment. It's been so long since I've purchased them or any other chisel I can't tell you for certain how to tell the difference. I wish I could be of more help!

[@stevemcentyre1570]

What is the green reflection on your glasses? Good advise on the chisels.

[@Mattsbasementworkshop]

+Steve McEntyre my studio lights just off camera.

[@pizzleybear8562]

I subscribed for the beard

[@1943reb]

I would like to know how to sharpen my chisels and what kind of stone and where to get it.

[@Mattsbasementworkshop]

+1943reb thanks for the video idea