On Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:19:11 -0400, Bill
wrote:


I bought a set of Irwin Marples (Blue Chip/Bevel edged) chisels a while
back. Supposedly, they can be used with mallet as well as by hand.

Assume I wish to do M & T joinery in soft wood.

I just noticed some Norex "mortising chisels" on sale (5 for $45) and
was curious whether they would offer me something more that I need, or
whether they would be redundant for my current purposes.

Thank you for your thoughts.

Bill

I think the Narex are a great value.

I have some Marples Blue Chips. You can use the Marples with a mallet
but they aren't the best choice for mortising if you do a lot.

If you want to try chopping mortises in softwood with your Marples, by
all means do it. You should be able to get a respectable result, with
practice.

One advantage of the motise style chisel is that it won't twist as you
are chopping the mortise. And as you chop with the mortise chisel, and
lever out your waste, you won't need to spend time paring the
sidewalls if you chop and lever correctly. There are plenty of
examples on the Net for how to do that.

Compared to the steel in the Narex, the Marples edge will degrade
faster (according to published comparative tests, and assuming the
Narex mortise chisel steel is as tough or tougher than their bevel
edge chisel steel).

You should think about what sizes of chisel you need for hand
mortising. The general rule is the mortise width should be the same as
wall on either side. If you are working with 3/4" wood, you almost
always want the mortise to be 1/4", and each sidewall will be 1/4".

Maybe you should also have a 3/8" for working in 1" wood (or the
closest metric equivalent). The others in the set may never get used.

Another good option is to purchase one really good mortise chisel that
you need now, say the 1/4". And then if you ever need a 3/8", get it
then.

Besides Sorby, Lie-Neilsen makes great chisels. 1 LN chisel will cost
more than the whole set of Narex chisels.
http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?sku=mc_set