Henry Taylor registered chisels, my report


I recently had the set of four that I bought from Traditional Woodworker. On the
1" I gave it a great and thorough flattening and micro bevel on leather with two
grits, blue emery and then LV green 0.5 micron using (as Mr. Lee suggests) rendered
tallow in the leather (horse butt).

I got it "scary sharp" enough, no burs there, just extremely sharp... after which I ran
the cutting edge over the edge of a block of doug fir to see how smooth it would cut.

I wound up returning the set to tww in exchange for a couple of sharpening stones.

I could not believe how utterly chippy the steel is, just that run caused too much
metal to be missing from the cutting edge, to where it was about flat and no
"sharp" at all! That was a lotta hard work...

Me thinks maybe Sheffield has become a marketing campaign and not much more
than that. Weren't they famous for the quality of their steel?

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

I could not believe how utterly chippy the steel is, just that run caused too much
metal to be missing from the cutting edge

As I write this, I am putting on my flame proof suit.
God help me.

My profession has required me to use chisels for about 30 years now on
regular basis. I tried the methods of the SS people. I chanted. I
burned incense... I worked and worked and had some or the prettiest
mirror finishes on my chisels you could believe. Gorgeous. And yes,
unbeknownst to me why this is important, you could shave the hair off
your arm.

However, you could not mortise a hinge in a red oak door, or add a lock
to an aged Phillipine mahogany set either without tearing up the
beautiful, gorgeous, Gillette style edge.

In fact, my pedigreed chisels that I bought to spoil myself and
celebrate my craft didn't understand that they should have no problems
at all with today's hard pine jambs and door cores...

They chipped (in the oak) and literally rolled back the edges in all
the hard woods. By the way, these babies were the BEST in soft pine,
though.

These (Two Cherries, and the older Sheffield Marples - not the crap
they are making for Stanley and another German brand) turned out to be
more for looking at, sharpening, and arm shaving.

I baby my chisels. They have their own box in my tool box. I keep
edge protectors on them. I never let them get really dull. But the
pedigrees meant nothing in the field. I was so ****ed off at all the
money I spent on them I have traded them off, and use one of the last
Marples I have as a "beater" when I cut trim that may have a nail in
it.

Two things are wrong with these chisels, and the SS stuff IN MY OPINION
ONLY. First, the steel is not going to hold a "micro double bevel
edge". Period. And the second thing is that the SS edge is
impracticle for most use.

It may be great for the weekend guy that can spend hours honing,
rehoning, stropping and then shaving, but sometimes when you use a
chisel it dulls rapidly and you need a fresh edge rapidly. I do not
take a shop full of tools out to my jobs to hone, strop, polish and
test shave before re-use.

I have found the thinner, polished edges belong inside a shop somewhere
with someone that makes an occasional project or drawer set. In that
environment, regularly honing and stropping seems to be a part of using
the pedigreed chisels, and the edge maintenance is as much fun as the
project itself.

I wish big money bought quality, because I was sure one dumb, happy,
smug sombitch when I went to the job and hauled out the Marples. I was
by chance working with some other carpenters I knew that day, and I was
down right embarassed and was ready to pitch them.

After all the teasing I took for spending $$$$ for them, they laughed
their asses off at the Alfred E. Newman look the FIRST time I pulled it
out of a door edge from outlining the hinge profile.

Robert

wrote in
ups.com:

I could not believe how utterly chippy the steel is, just that run
caused too much
metal to be missing from the cutting edge

As I write this, I am putting on my flame proof suit.
God help me.

snip

After all the teasing I took for spending $$$$ for them, they laughed
their asses off at the Alfred E. Newman look the FIRST time I pulled
it out of a door edge from outlining the hinge profile.

Robert


Having heard the cautionary tale, I'm waiting for the "this is what you
should do, grasshopper" part. Every old carpenter I've ever met had a way
to do it, or the right tool to find for the job. After messing with the
new guy for a while.

I mean, that's the journeyman's job - to mess with the newbie, then teach
him how to do it correctly.

Patriarch

I'm waiting for the "this is what you
should do, grasshopper" part. Every old carpenter I've ever met

Hey... I'm still under 50! Well, just a few months...

I don't know that you should do this, but this was my solution after
trying many.

It just so happened that years ago when this happened, within a few
months one of the better ww magazines ran one of those "chisel
shootout" articles. They tested extensively using practicle cutting
including chopping and paring, ease of sharpening, how long they held
their edge and how much they cost.

The results are to the best of my memory, but the shocker was not the
winner, nor second place. It was third....

Sears.... yup, Sears.

Right there with the $40 - $60 a piece chisels were the Sears Craftsman
chisels at $25 a set of 6. Please remember they job this stuff out so
it may have changed by now.

I felt betrayed, like I had kissed my sister. Sears? I thought, why
not? At least I won't have a lot of dough in the chisels, and if I
don't like them I can either take them back or use them for beaters.

They are great utility chisels. I am not crazy about the handles, but
I love the price. The sharpen quite well, and hold and edge well. I
never shave with my tools, so I do not feel the need to look at myself
on the edge of any of my tools. I have a small utility 600 grit water
stone that stays with the chisels, and in a pinch I use 320 sandpaper
and a light touch on a piece of glass or granite to touch them up.

They are too short for some applications, but I am used to them now,
(still don't like the handles) and I shapen them all with the angle the
factory put on them which is more blunt than some would like. But the
edge lasts much longer. And the short length also gives you the
opportunity to do a little hand powered carving and touch up if you are
so inclined, something that is harder to control with longer chisels.

Also, I have noticed that I don't have a hissy fit when I nick a nail
or hidden knot that inevitably gaps a chisel. Sure, I swear a lot, but
then I can fix the edge easily with the whitestone grinder and the
waterstones. I am not in shock like I was with the pedigreed chisels
when I saw them gap toothed.

My remaining Marples paring chisel sees service about every 18 months
for a few minutes, then it goes back in its holder to be sharpened.

Robert

the first sharpening or two isn't a good indication of how a chisel
will perform down the road, in my experience. Henry Taylor is supposed
to be made from decent steel. my guess is that the edge got a bit of
shock in the factory heat treatment and once sharpening got through
that all would be well- I have seen that with Ashley Isles. I've never
used any Henry Taylor, so I can't comment directly about them.

I have a fair number of chisels, probably in the range of 50.
I keep a roll of stanley butt chisels for taking to carpentry jobs.
they get sharpened on site with a 400 grit or so diamond stone, and
when (not if) they get nicked I take them to the knife grinder (1" belt
sander) and finish off with the stone.
the better shop chisels stay in a drawer and get sharpened to a
better edge, variously according to the job at hand. rarely do I test
by shaving my arm, and rarely do I need quite that good an edge, but
when I do need it, it is available.

Marples are generally seen as a second or third tier chisel anyway, and
lately they have been in a bit of a decline.

I do a lot of shop work, doors, cabinets, and a lot of interior trim work.
My cheap blue handled marples serve me well. Haven't used a stone in a
decade, just a high quality flat file gives me as sharp an edge as I need.
Every once in a while it goes to the grinding wheel to re-profile and square
it.
Works for me.

Isn't it possible that they would work beautifully sharpened at a larger
angle? This might make them less effective for paring, depends on your
application I guess.

"CW" wrote in message
nk.net...
The fact that says "Sheffield" hasn't meant much in many, many years. Very
good stuff comes out of there. Seriously crappy stuff comes out of there.
You never know which it is until you buy it. Personally, I have gotten so
much Sheffield crap that the name, to me, says "do not buy me".
"AAvK" wrote in message
news:TWULe.1840$Us5.886@fed1read02...

Henry Taylor registered chisels, my report


I recently had the set of four that I bought from Traditional Woodworker.
On the
1" I gave it a great and thorough flattening and micro bevel on leather
with two
grits, blue emery and then LV green 0.5 micron using (as Mr. Lee
suggests)
rendered
tallow in the leather (horse butt).

I got it "scary sharp" enough, no burs there, just extremely sharp...
after which I ran
the cutting edge over the edge of a block of doug fir to see how smooth
it
would cut.

I wound up returning the set to tww in exchange for a couple of
sharpening
stones.

I could not believe how utterly chippy the steel is, just that run caused
too much
metal to be missing from the cutting edge, to where it was about flat and
no
"sharp" at all! That was a lotta hard work...

Me thinks maybe has become a marketing campaign and not much more
than that. Weren't they famous for the quality of their steel?

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/



I have used a set of some 120 Henry Taylor carving tools for over 20 years
with few complaints . My tools are sharpened to the point that for the most
part I seldom use a mallet. For general use Ihave used the plane old marples
blue chip chisels and as far as the real dirty work goes where perhaps a
nail or two lurk then I use my trusty 1" stanley

The whole scary sharp bit has always amused me, the average quality
commercial furnituremaker has hundreds of edge tools ,sharpening these to
that degree leaves very little time to do anything productive ....mjh

On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 21:34:07 -0700, the opaque "AAvK"
clearly wrote:

Henry Taylor registered chisels, my report
--snip--
I could not believe how utterly chippy the steel is, just that run caused too much

I have the HT 1/8" veiner and it chips just LOOKING at it.
I was not impressed and won't be buying any more Taylors.
As worthless as it is now, I may take a torch to it and try
a re-harden/temper.


Me thinks maybe Sheffield has become a marketing campaign and not much more
than that. Weren't they famous for the quality of their steel?

Think "Buck" tools. What once was there ain't no mo.


---=====---
After all else fails, read the instructions.
---=====---
Website Design and Update http://www.diversify.com

On Mon, 15 Aug 2005 10:04:42 -0500, the opaque Patriarch
clearly wrote:

wrote in
oups.com:

After all the teasing I took for spending $$$$ for them, they laughed
their asses off at the Alfred E. Newman look the FIRST time I pulled
it out of a door edge from outlining the hinge profile.

Robert


Having heard the cautionary tale, I'm waiting for the "this is what you
should do, grasshopper" part. Every old carpenter I've ever met had a way
to do it, or the right tool to find for the job. After messing with the
new guy for a while.

Isn't this where they tell the guy to regrind to 35°? Then comes the
"Whatcha using a paring chisel on that mortising work for, boy?"


I mean, that's the journeyman's job - to mess with the newbie, then teach
him how to do it correctly.

That's what I've heard.


---=====---
After all else fails, read the instructions.
---=====---
Website Design and Update http://www.diversify.com

I mean, that's the journeyman's job - to mess with the newbie, then teach
him how to do it correctly.


Patriarch

Used to be. Was when I started. But like so many things, that has all
changed.

Unless it is to my immediate benefit, I am reluctant to take the time
to teach anyone anything that takes more than a few minutes. After
having several hundred employees over the last 25 years, the pattern is
the same 97% of the time.

I take time out of my day to show them how to do something like re-bore
a lockset into a door with the wrong backset for the lock, and if they
can do five of them in a row without screwing up they decide they are
the next Krenov. For this expanded knowledge base and now vastly
increased experience they ALWAYS think they need a raise.

It is a nut that can't be cracked. In the building boom economy of
South Texas helpers make a lot for what they do; training them cost you
and them money. So no dogging them around - no old hazing - no
establising turf. But if you don't train them you miss the off chance
of having a good employee for a few months. If you do they hold you
hostage for more money since they have all kinds of knowledge they
didn't have when you started them on the payroll. I literally have
guys that ask for really healthy raises every single month.

Now when I call on a couple of old carpentry buddies for us to make
some money together on a project, we dog each other pretty good when we
get a chance. That doesn't seem like work to me sometimes... working
with someone that has knowledge and their own tools is very satisfying.

On another note, I am surprised at all that have (pardon the pun) come
out of the woodwork on the scary sharp business. FWIW, I agree with
all that has been posted here... I just didn't expect to see it. I
thought I was going to be incinerated by the devotees of this method.

I don't know what many here use their chisels for, but they love buying
pieces of granite, glass, special polishes, cutting compounds, oxhide
strops, etc. for their chisels. Some of the threads have almost been
like watching kids find a new toy to play with; I even remember one guy
a couple of years ago telling here that he had put in for a copyright
(or something along those lines) for the name and system since he
thought he was the first to sharpen chisels with sandpaper.

To me that was kind of like "The Father of the Internet".

I was SHOWN by carpenters how to do that when I started full time in
1975... no telling how long they had been doing it. They reground if
needed on a belt sander, and cleaned up the edge on a piece of 220 or
240, which ever was available.

Before all the door mortising templates and router gizmos, we mortised
all hinges and door locks with hammer and chisel. UGH.
No thanks. But you learned how to sharpen and hone as needed in the
field and how to make a good working edge.

It wasn't Scary, but it was Surprising.

Robert

I have the HT 1/8" veiner and it chips just LOOKING at it.
I was not impressed and won't be buying any more Taylors.
As worthless as it is now, I may take a torch to it and try
a re-harden/temper.

Think "Buck" tools. What once was there ain't no mo.


You do some carving? I have that set of six Stubai bench chisels and they are
awesome quality. They hold an edge perfectly well and the steel is superior to
HT steel. I swear it, and they make a lot of carving tools.

Robert, do you know what a registered chisel is? They are not for construction
work or carpentry. Woodworking on a classic woodworker's bench for mortising,
it is a thicker flat sided chisel, no bevel edge and thinner than German mortisers.
I believe they are only made in England.

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

Yeah OK, but read my one reply to nailshooter.

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

Isn't it possible that they would work beautifully sharpened at a larger
angle? This might make them less effective for paring, depends on your application I guess.


As 'registered' chisels (mortise), they came with an original bevel of 30º, I kept it that
way and added a rounded micro bevel which was brought on by the leather stropping.
That should be perfectly fine.

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

The fact that says "Sheffield" hasn't meant much in many, many years. Very
good stuff comes out of there. Seriously crappy stuff comes out of there.
You never know which it is until you buy it. Personally, I have gotten so
much Sheffield crap that the name, to me, says "do not buy me".


I KNOW! This is rediculous. The word "Sheffield" means much to marketing
these days. I don't like being "duped" for my money. Anyone should feel that
way.

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

I have used a set of some 120 Henry Taylor carving tools for over 20 years
with few complaints . My tools are sharpened to the point that for the most part I seldom use a mallet. For general use Ihave used
the plane old marples blue chip chisels and as far as the real dirty work goes where perhaps a nail or two lurk then I use my
trusty 1" stanley

The whole scary sharp bit has always amused me, the average quality commercial furnituremaker has hundreds of edge tools
,sharpening these to that degree leaves very little time to do anything productive ....mjh

So you bought them 20 years ago, but what a lot of folks don't understand is that
companies will make decisions based upon reasons of economy and get farther
into the use of their good name for the reason of survival as a company while
keeping prices down for the customer.

Since then, it is no doubt to me that they lowered the quality of their steel, for the
above reasons. So this is what you run into these days.

Personaly I dare you or ANYONE to give Stubai chisels a run for the money,
because they use excellent steel, hardened.

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

AAvK wrote:

Henry Taylor registered chisels, my report


I recently had the set of four that I bought from Traditional Woodworker. On the
1" I gave it a great and thorough flattening and micro bevel on leather with two
grits, blue emery and then LV green 0.5 micron using (as Mr. Lee suggests) rendered
tallow in the leather (horse butt).

I got it "scary sharp" enough, no burs there, just extremely sharp... after which I ran
the cutting edge over the edge of a block of doug fir to see how smooth it would cut.

I wound up returning the set to tww in exchange for a couple of sharpening stones.

I could not believe how utterly chippy the steel is, just that run caused too much
metal to be missing from the cutting edge, to where it was about flat and no
"sharp" at all! That was a lotta hard work...

Me thinks maybe Sheffield has become a marketing campaign and not much more
than that. Weren't they famous for the quality of their steel?

You sure you didn't buy Marples? I had the same problem with the
edges crumpling. got some Sears (made in England) that hold up
remarkably well.

Dave

You sure you didn't buy Marples? I had the same problem with the
edges crumpling. got some Sears (made in England) that hold up remarkably well.

Dave


No not Marples, these are (were) "registered" chisels, for mortising by hand
on a woodworker's bench. I have a 5/8" Marples bench chisel with a boxwood
handle, it will take niks super easy, from doug fir! That's pathetic.

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 21:34:07 -0700, "AAvK" wrote:


Henry Taylor registered chisels, my report


I recently had the set of four that I bought from Traditional Woodworker. On the
1" I gave it a great and thorough flattening and micro bevel on leather with two
grits, blue emery and then LV green 0.5 micron using (as Mr. Lee suggests) rendered
tallow in the leather (horse butt).

I got it "scary sharp" enough, no burs there, just extremely sharp... after which I ran
the cutting edge over the edge of a block of doug fir to see how smooth it would cut.

I wound up returning the set to tww in exchange for a couple of sharpening stones.

I could not believe how utterly chippy the steel is, just that run caused too much
metal to be missing from the cutting edge, to where it was about flat and no
"sharp" at all! That was a lotta hard work...

Me thinks maybe Sheffield has become a marketing campaign and not much more
than that. Weren't they famous for the quality of their steel?

I've tried any number of brands of chisels over the years and have
always come back to my black handled Stanley's.

They are not made any longer but you may be fortunate enough to find
some on the resale market.

I've accumulated twenty or so of these and this has allowed me to turn
some into paring chisels, while keeping the bulk of them as they came.

They were sold to schools and cabinet shops until some years back,
when they were discontinued.

The steel is excellent, having a Rockwell hardness of C59-61, and they
take and hold an edge very well.

I've a Sorby slick that has given good service in heavy work, and a
couple of thirty year old Taylor cranked paring chisels that are very
nice - but the day to day work is done by the Satanlys.

Tom Watson - WoodDorker
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (email)
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/ (website)

I was SHOWN by carpenters how to do that when I started full time in
1975... no telling how long they had been doing it. They reground if
needed on a belt sander, and cleaned up the edge on a piece of 220 or
240, which ever was available.

I was an electromech, and rarely used chisels, but when I did they had
to be sharp. I didn't have oilstones or any carpenters type of hones,
so they were ground on the angle grinder and sharpened on waterproof
paper with a drop of cutting compound to avoid the dust.This was in
1959/60. Onsite nowadays I still use the same method.

- but the day to day work is done by the Satanlys.


"Satanlys" BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA... Thanks Tom. I needed that
giggle!

Those black handled Stanleys are no doubt #40 everlasts, yes they are excellent
steel and they sell for very high prices on eBay, albeit with plastic handles and
metal striking caps. Good choice! But could you please read the rest of the thread?

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

"AAvK" wrote in message
news:YjuMe.4203$Us5.2967@fed1read02...

- but the day to day work is done by the Satanlys.


"Satanlys" BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA... Thanks Tom. I needed that
giggle!

Those black handled Stanleys are no doubt #40 everlasts, yes they are
excellent
steel and they sell for very high prices on eBay, albeit with plastic
handles and
metal striking caps. Good choice! But could you please read the rest of
the thread?

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

I've pretty much read the thread. I'm just shaking my head.

I have blue handled marples, Stanley 40's, Stanley 750's and an assortment
of others. I keep a diamond lap on the bench and when a chisel needs
touching up, about 30 seconds takes care of it.

I'd rather work wood than search for the ultimate chisel. OBTW, the blue
handles were used to build two hand made rocking chairs, chopping over 40
mortises in each. I know your supposed to use registered chisels for such
work, but it's really not required.

Now when it comes to hand saws, I have three LN Independence saws. Oh well!
Like the old farmer said when he kissed the caw, it's just a matter of
taste.

I've pretty much read the thread. I'm just shaking my head.

Yeah... folks don't read everything as added up to a conversation and they
interject info from a lost standpoint.

I have blue handled marples, Stanley 40's, Stanley 750's and an assortment of others. I keep a diamond lap on the bench and when a
chisel needs touching up, about 30 seconds takes care of it.

I started out on SS, worked great for the quality of sharpness but it takes a
long time, then I bought the two Norton water combo stones... heh... they
take only a little less time to use. Not a huge advantage. I recently bought
a dmt diasharp 600, awesome quick!

I'd rather work wood than search for the ultimate chisel. OBTW, the blue handles were used to build two hand made rocking chairs,
chopping over 40 mortises in each. I know your supposed to use registered chisels for such work, but it's really not required.

Yes I figured that eventually. All the mortise work for my bench trestle I did with
forstner drilling and my Stubai bench chisels. I have an M-BC 1/8" I havn't used
yet.

Now when it comes to hand saws, I have three LN Independence saws. Oh well!
Like the old farmer said when he kissed the caw, it's just a matter of taste.

I am curious about those, how long does the sharpness last with constant work?
Do they lose sharpness quickly? They mention it is Swedish steel hardened to
RC 51-52???

I have a sandvik chisel (swedish), almost as bad as the marples with the boxwood
handle. Niks too easy in soft wood with knots.

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

--
"snip. I have an M-BC 1/8" I havn't used
yet.

Now when it comes to hand saws, I have three LN Independence saws. Oh
well!
Like the old farmer said when he kissed the cow, it's just a matter of
taste.

I am curious about those, how long does the sharpness last with constant
work?
Do they lose sharpness quickly? They mention it is Swedish steel hardened
to
RC 51-52???

Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

They hold up well. It was a year before I sharpened the first one (the
dovetail saw). It took a while to work up the courage to sharpen it myself.
I've sharpened it 3 times IIRC. I think I'll send it back to LN next time. I
never set the saw down on the bench without the tooth guard they send with
it. I use the camilla oil to protect it from rust. The dovetail saw was used
on both rocking chairs.

I found out what a good saw is and what it will do by buying the first saw.
I now have both carcass saws.

I have been able to bring other saws I have close to the performance (but
not quite) now that I have confidence to sharpen them. I highly recommend
the Tom Law video that LN sells.

You mean they actually think that increased skill an experience should be
compensated for? What ingrates. Don't they realize that they should work for
you for the lowest wage possible? Don't they realize that their place in
life is to make money for you disregarding their own lives? What a bunch of
losers.

wrote in message
oups.com...
I mean, that's the journeyman's job - to mess with the newbie, then
teach
him how to do it correctly.


Patriarch

Used to be. Was when I started. But like so many things, that has all
changed.

Unless it is to my immediate benefit, I am reluctant to take the time
to teach anyone anything that takes more than a few minutes. After
having several hundred employees over the last 25 years, the pattern is
the same 97% of the time.

I take time out of my day to show them how to do something like re-bore
a lockset into a door with the wrong backset for the lock, and if they
can do five of them in a row without screwing up they decide they are
the next Krenov. For this expanded knowledge base and now vastly
increased experience they ALWAYS think they need a raise.

It is a nut that can't be cracked. In the building boom economy of
South Texas helpers make a lot for what they do; training them cost you
and them money. So no dogging them around - no old hazing - no
establising turf. But if you don't train them you miss the off chance
of having a good employee for a few months. If you do they hold you
hostage for more money since they have all kinds of knowledge they
didn't have when you started them on the payroll. I literally have
guys that ask for really healthy raises every single month.

Now when I call on a couple of old carpentry buddies for us to make
some money together on a project, we dog each other pretty good when we
get a chance. That doesn't seem like work to me sometimes... working
with someone that has knowledge and their own tools is very satisfying.

On another note, I am surprised at all that have (pardon the pun) come
out of the woodwork on the scary sharp business. FWIW, I agree with
all that has been posted here... I just didn't expect to see it. I
thought I was going to be incinerated by the devotees of this method.

I don't know what many here use their chisels for, but they love buying
pieces of granite, glass, special polishes, cutting compounds, oxhide
strops, etc. for their chisels. Some of the threads have almost been
like watching kids find a new toy to play with; I even remember one guy
a couple of years ago telling here that he had put in for a copyright
(or something along those lines) for the name and system since he
thought he was the first to sharpen chisels with sandpaper.

To me that was kind of like "The Father of the Internet".

I was SHOWN by carpenters how to do that when I started full time in
1975... no telling how long they had been doing it. They reground if
needed on a belt sander, and cleaned up the edge on a piece of 220 or
240, which ever was available.

Before all the door mortising templates and router gizmos, we mortised
all hinges and door locks with hammer and chisel. UGH.
No thanks. But you learned how to sharpen and hone as needed in the
field and how to make a good working edge.

It wasn't Scary, but it was Surprising.

Robert

They hold up well. It was a year before I sharpened the first one (the
dovetail saw). It took a while to work up the courage to sharpen it myself. I've sharpened it 3 times IIRC. I think I'll send it
back to LN next time. I never set the saw down on the bench without the tooth guard they send with it. I use the camilla oil to
protect it from rust. The dovetail saw was used on both rocking chairs.

I found out what a good saw is and what it will do by buying the first saw. I now have both carcass saws.

I have been able to bring other saws I have close to the performance (but not quite) now that I have confidence to sharpen them. I
highly recommend the Tom Law video that LN sells.

I was interested because I have read that 'warrented cast steel' (of old) is a
standard RC 60... thought that would be better, to buy old Disstons instead.

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

I was interested because I have read that 'warrented cast steel' (of old)
is a
standard RC 60... thought that would be better, to buy old Disstons
instead.

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

I have old Disstons. They are nice, but they don't compare with the LN saws.

I wonder if the poster whose gouge chipped too easily was cutting in and
cutting out, or cutting in and lifting out?
--

Who me? The OP? If so... it's just exactly as I described.

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

On 15 Aug 2005 09:11:27 -0700, wrote:

I'm waiting for the "this is what you
should do, grasshopper" part. Every old carpenter I've ever met

Hey... I'm still under 50! Well, just a few months...

I don't know that you should do this, but this was my solution after
trying many.

It just so happened that years ago when this happened, within a few
months one of the better ww magazines ran one of those "chisel
shootout" articles. They tested extensively using practicle cutting
including chopping and paring, ease of sharpening, how long they held
their edge and how much they cost.

The results are to the best of my memory, but the shocker was not the
winner, nor second place. It was third....

Sears.... yup, Sears.

I picked up one of those recently, and it's actually pretty
impressive- IIRC, it was $11.99 for the 1.5" one I got, and it
sharpened to a razor's edge in about 5 minutes right off the bat, and
has held that edge pretty well after quite a lot of hard use. Nice
handle on it that actually fits my hand, and a good thick blade. I
figure that's good enough for me, and I was planning on getting a
whole set of them. I'm surprised to hear the really expensive ones
perform so poorly...

Stanley is the other surprising performer- I've got a set of them that
I just use for rough carpentry use, and they're awfully tough. Used
one of them to chip ceramic tile off concrete yesterday (misplaced my
cold chisel), and the edge actually held up pretty well, considering.
No nicks or bent-over edges, and it was actually still sharp enough to
whack some corners off from framing lumber cleanly. Those things have
been used for everything a chisel should never be used for (opening
paint cans, chipping rough edges off durock, prybars, you name it) and
they hold up awfully well.

I have old Disstons. They are nice, but they don't compare with the LN saws.


Then I suspect with a performance issue, it would be the thickness of the blade,
and the shape and grinding of the teeth.

But I have this really unusual saw, just to mention it, I found it in a thrift shop
for like $3 or so... the blade is 0.021" thin, 2-1/8" depth of cut and 18" of teeth,
'bout 10 tpi and a ferruled gent's handle. No name either but very unusual these
days. The end was messed up so I cut off 1".

--
Alex - newbie_neander in woodworking
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site: http://www.e-sword.net/

On Tue, 16 Aug 2005 16:06:49 -0700, "AAvK" wrote:

But could you please read the rest of the thread?


....sigh...


Tom Watson - WoodDorker
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (email)
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/ (website)