Wide bevel edged paring chisels

I am about to pull the trigger on a new deal that Lee Valley has going for Narex chisels.

Last time i got the mortise ones and i am very happy with them but missed out in getting the bevel edged paring chisels so i am not waiting this time.


Question i have is where are the very wide (2 inch chisels used). I am trying to decide between the set of 7 and set of 10.

These chisels are excellent value for money. I have read up on how the factory actually made them and their specific process for hardening which enables them to make a high quality blade for a lot less cost than the tradditional methods.

Any input would be appreciated. thanks

Rob, I have also been eyeballing them and telling myself that I don't need them, but the dark force is strong. So strong, that I emailed Lee Valley to confirm that they were true imperial sizes and not metric approximates. These look similar to a version of their bench chisels (8116) that is sold mainly in Europe, but also by Highland Woodworking. Those chisels are different in they have only metric sizes and a different shaped handle made out of hornbeam.

Oh, by the way Lee Valley did respond to my email and they are true imperial sizes. Have you heard anything that relates to how flat the backs are? I have gone through an extensive case of chisel back flattening in the past and never want to go through that again.

As for your question to what purpose the wider chisels sizes; they come in real handy for large paring jobs such as tenon faces and lap joints and of course for chopping huge dovetails.

I have a 2" firmer chisel. It's very old and unmarked, but has a great edge and I find it very useful. It's good for tenons, and for cleaning up lap joints. Part of its usefulness may have to do with length and mass, that you might not get with the Narex though. If you're getting a set, I'd say spring for the whole set. It's easy to spend someone else's money.

I hardly ever use a wide chisel, say an inch or more. I find that I can do what I need to do with narrower chisels. Also, because the cutting edge is so wide, it takes a lot of force to cut with a very wide chisel.

All that said, the LV deal is very good, if I remember right, it was under $10 per chisel which is quite a deal.

Mike

Thanks all for the advice i appreciate the feedback. Wish you all fell on the same side of the fence, you aint making it easy on me. I think a visual will be the fi.al arbiter.

sent from my Atrix

The only thing I've ran into in my limited woodworking experience that needed over 1" chisel was cleaning up the sides of a mortise/tenon. I never had too much trouble with a 1" chisel though.

Well i picked up my set and all i can say is Wow.
If you happen to be on the edge and need some paring chisels, Go for it on these and get the full set while you can for $85.
I held them in my hand before commiting and checked them out and wow that 2 inch baby is cool. Little bonus is the tip protectors they have a clever clip to hold them on.
They have flat backs too


sent from my Atrix