you all prolly dont care at all but does any of you know a method to log back into an instagram account?? I stupidly forgot the account password. I love any tips you can give me!
@@LittleGreyWolfForge its a scam, 1 account posts that question, a second account answers it by giving someones username, a third account sings its praises of how good that person was. a victim reaches out to said person, gives them money, they run off with it. youtube's spam filter caught the last 2 messages, but not the first one, probably
Better than "duct tape" is "strapping tape" which is pliable but almost indestructible. It won't tear and will stay stuck without the "sticky" bleeding. It has just enough body to give a great feel while conforming to almost any shape! After applying to sandpaper you can also cut very narrow strips that will hold up if you need them!!
Your 'ring on the bit' to keep things level is an old trick that I was taught many years ago, it still works well but is not appreciated when I use it at work. I'm always told that those kind of tricks are outdated. I don't think - or rather - I know they are not outdated! Good to see you're keeping it alive.
I appreciate you doing double the the work to show us how to make these without a lathe and as usual all the information/explanations/jokes/resources you provide in you videos.
06:30 "a little less than a third of the stock thickness" For anyone that's interested, I did the ciphering and the guzzintas, and that translates to 0.293 times the stock thickness. So if your stock is 1.0625" (26.99mm) then your scribe lines should be at 0.311" (7.91mm) from the edge of the stock.
That came out lovely. A quick tip for when you need a (potentially harder) wood for handles is to look for rolling pins. Many are made from birch & even the really low cost ones hold up very well to abuse. It's harder to work a round to an even octagon though, so best for the lathe.
So, I got something for Rex to test with the cheap handles. I think the weird ring on the end is to stop the wood from splitting further than the ring. I remember my granddad's chisels had the same design, the end of the wood was smashed to heck, but no further than the ring. He wasn't a craftsman, and would use anything to beat on the end of a chisel, first hammer he grabbed, other tools, rocks. Also, once the end was all frayed, the ring is wedged in place. I'm sure it has a failure point, and energy loss once it is all frayed. But maybe it allows for cheaper handles for abusive work, out of any wood.
I bought these exact chisels about 6 months ago. I have been impressed with how durable the steel is. If I could find the same brand in a more sizes, I would buy them withou hesitation. My only complaint is the small handles. Great idea putting a London pattern handle on them Rex! When the new belt for my lathe comes in, I know what I'm doing during Christmas.
As Rex stated, they haven’t been sold for the last two yrs, I know because I contacted them in 2019, and this yr almost all the tools Aldi sold on an annual basis were not available.
Truly love your content and by no mean I'm blaming you for anything, thanks for the unvaluable work you do! Just a thought for us all: 4 chisels for 18 bucks can only mean a deep exploit of labour. Let's just think about it whenever we choose to buy somenthing.
I agree. A very important thing to keep in mind when it comes to any product we buy. There is no truly ethical consumption under capitalism, but we can all choose the lesser of those evils. Obviously not all inexpensive items are made by modern-day slaves, but if you can't find out who owns the products and where they're manufactured, then maybe it's not worth the risk.
I just got several old long handled sorbys from my dads neighbor they were his dads .am a joiner in 🏴and my marplesthat I have had since a apprentice in 92 are now a bit too short for some jobs but the sorbys are excellent much better steel and real nice to use an look after old tools
I picked these up a couple months ago after watching Paul Sellers reviewing the Aldi chisels. They were the closest ones I could find on amazon. I'm glad I now have a project to make them better! Great vid!
Hey rex, I've been wanting to make my shop and my tools look pretty so that I feel pretty by proxy, so I tried some woodcarving. I stink at it, and I haven't been able to learn well from other youtubers because they stink at teaching. I want to get better at carving pretty things like little flowers and leaves and cute geometry into handles or flat things, but I can't do anything more complex than a straight line. I don't know your experience carving wood, but I need something that isn't a master flooding me with information far beyond my skill level. Just something that can help a beginner get off on the right foot would be 🐀 cool
I had been debating how to improve the handles of my Aldi chisels ($6, BTW, and yes the last time I saw them in store was 2 years ago - I heeded Mr. Sellers and snagged a set). Now I know they just need new handles altogether!
Hi Rex, Those chisels are as good as you hope. I bought a set 3 year’s ago at a local Aldi here in the UK and they are now my go to bevelled chisels, taking over from a set of Stanley’s I’d had since 1976. They were originally bought for my youngest son but after trying them out for a short period he got the Stanley’s. Which he is well pleased with! Regards, keep safe.
I bought this same set in the Spring off Amazon too. Nice set and followed up with a very nice email from the sell to make sure I liked them and how grateful they were that I purchased them from them.
I have that very set of chisels and cleaned up the blades similarly to the way you did. The chisels sharpened up nicely and hold an edge pretty well. But I can certify that the handles suck. Two are already broken after only moderate mallet work, and the others are pretty battered on the ends. So I was encouraged to find this video, until I saw the lathe. Don’t have one, don’t intend to get one. “But Rex ...” I said to myself, when you channeled my thought and solved my problem. Now my quandary is whether I wait while I finish my new workbench or add yet another project to the 3 or 4 I already have going. Thanks for making my day, Rex! With the sole caveat about the handles I won’t hesitate to recommend these to the budget minded woodworker. Rob Cosman is probably having heart palpitations... Stu
If you have the option, they're generally not very big or thick, and Mountain Laurel makes EXCELLENT handle material once you've seasoned it... which you can do with an ordinary oven or dehydrator-box, depending on the over-all size of stock you wish to work with... ;o)
Hey Rex great video on chisel handles.I got off my lazy butt and made about 1/2 a dozen London pattern handles by hand. Resurrecting a few old chisels.Not hard for me as I have been professionally doing wood Work all my life.Even though I did not learn much a beginner would.Your not just a fine woodworker but an even better teacher.Unlike a professional who has dead lines your layed back aproach Is great for folk to enjoy the fun to be had wood working Keep up the great work.Thank you Richie from Australia
I have a 1/4" chisel probably made in the same factory. I don't use it as much as you do but it has served me well for the last couple of years. I'm not in the US and was able to find it very easily, so it's good news for international folks. I've also made plenty of handles in this manner, if you take your time you can get vey nice results. Thanks for sharing and take care!!
I've been using these chisels for a year and have been very happy. Bought them when I first started hand tool woodworking. Only complaint is the handles getting smashed to bits. That's why that ring is there btw haha
Thank you for the plans and thanks for the metric measurements I’m hopefully going to pick up a few old chisels over the holidays and make new handles if needed Brad from New Zealand
Dude the band at the end of the handle is to prevent splitting. There's this dude who has a channel called advoko makes, and you should totally watch his video on the forgotten art of wire clamping. I mean, it's not really "forgotten" so much as "cheap labor caused the decline of", but for anybody who enjoys making things on their own, it's a great bit of kit to carry around. A cheap roll of steel wire along with 2 super light solid tubes of metal and you've got a wire clamper. Oh and Advokomakes' vid on ways to use plastic bottles turned into wire is great as well. I wouldn't ever sell something that has supports made of plastic bottles, or at least I wouldn't sell anything that a *customer* can tell is made from plastic bottles, but I've used it again and again and honestly dollar for dollar there is no better alternative.
Cheers for the plans, Rex. I have a rag-tag collection of old chisels so when I get round to giving them TLC they'll get a set of matching handles thanks to you.
I've had some Aldi chisels for many years & they have held up very well, but I didn't realise the complexity of the traditional handle. I think I have a new project coming up. Thank you :)
Just purchased these chisels after watching. I have been casually keeping an eye out for a decent set of vintage chisels to make use of, but for this price and minimal tuning (and from what I can see, fairly good praise!) I really had no excuse. Thank you for the recommendation!
Great video. I love the exploration of how to get a thing cheap enough for someone on a tight budget and doesn't mind doing their own work to get a pretty good tool out of it.
When you started talking about woods to use, and you said you were in Ohio, I immediately thought of Osage. Then you listed Osage... I make a lot of replacement handles out of it. It's resilience, weight, and color please me greatly.
The London pattern got its name (obviously lol) from the busy London cabinet maker's who didn't have time to replace fancy handles, they just knocked out a quick parallel octagon and back to work. Yours turned out very nice though, well done. Another video ideal for you is replacing some awful plastic handles with wooden ones. My son gave me a set of marples, the blades are excellent but the horrible plastic and metal end caps are awful to use and I don't want to ruin them until I know they can be replaced successfully. Thanks for the video.
You may have talked about it before, but if you buy Silicon Carbide sand paper for your metal working it will do a better job and last longer than paper meant for wood. It is typically sold as autobody or car sand paper in the big box stores.
I bet you Rex would love the Narex chisels. You can purchase them without handles. You have inspired me to make my own handles. I love my lathe projects.
The 6 pack of wood handle ones from harbor freight would also be comparable to these. They do take some time to set up but Ive used them for at least 2 years now and they've help up pretty good. Oh and you can get them for around $8 😉
I bought a set of these chisels seven months ago. They've held up great thus far with near daily use. I didn't mind the handles too much, though mine do seem to have a better finish. I'll probably try making some new handles over the holiday break though. Thanks for all the videos!
This was one of my first sets of chisels I bought. I’ve since given them to another beginner. I actually sent this set to you Rex a few months ago! Glad you got to review them !!
These chisels are £47.15 plus £11.52 (approximately $79 US) postage on Amazon UK. Some seller from Istanbul, trying to make a killing with cheap chisels. I think it would be cheaper to buy from Amazon US and pay the postage to the UK. Great video by the way.
On the topic of keeping the center bore squared for the chisel, I also generally drill the holes first before carving the handle. This trick also works well if you're making a custom saw handle, cut the slot for the blade before you cut the final shape for the handle. That way if anything's off you can carve accordingly to correct.
The hoop on the end is supposed to keep the wood from splitting on the handle. Lots of videos on Japanese chisels for how to properly fit the hoop are available on youtube.
Harbor Freight has a six piece set for ten bucks from a quarter inch to one-and-a-half inch, and they have hardwood handles with chrome and vanadium blades that are beveled at 25 degrees. Over 800 positive reviews, and they are already very sharp straight from the package.
Thanks I really appreciate you showing how to make things without lathes or other things. I dont have those yet but i like to learn and create things. You teach really well, thanks
Tip for the sandpaper "polishing", stick some cheap duct tape to the back of the sandpaper to greatly reduce the chance that it'll tear if you use too much pressure.
As always, your timing is perfect! When I started out in the spring I picked up a set of the Narex chisels with the absurdly large handles. They’ve worked pretty well for me, but in the last few weeks I’ve been thinking about adjusting the handles to be more functional for me, and this is exactly the guide I needed.
Yeah, I just bought those for Rex's plane-making projects! 6 chisels up to 1.5" - apart from the labeling, they look identical. For $8 with a coupon, I don't mind the lack of a case, I can sew one up out of Tyvek.
I bought a set last year to add to sizes of the Aldi's. The steel looks to be the same but pretty "rough" and the handles are much worse!! A good project to work on!!
I'm actually a big fan of octagon shaped handles for tools and prefer to use them whenever possible. Fun story: When I made a wood sword for my nephew two years ago for a holiday gift, I made the hilt/ handle section octagonal with a single sided carving in the center for him to index it properly. His mom and dad asked why I did that and I told them " it helps him register subconsciously where the edge is based on touch. " since my nephew's dad is a marine, he appreciated that.
Drill the hole for the tang first, then turn the collar part otherwise the thing may not be concentric. Box is a very popular wood for handles in the UK.
Thanks!! Just restored an old 8mm chisel that was belong to my grandfather. I had to carve a new handle. My design was based on my narex chisels handles for the carving i used my narex chisel and Moraknive. That was my first restoration and my first real carving. Need recommendations on set of carving knife for beginners.
Tips on relatively simple craftsmanship. A very popular wood craft in Sweden and the other Nordic countries is "svepask". Many in Sweden have had to make a wooden handicraft at school. Have not seen anyone else do it except youtubers from Scandinavia and the Nordics.
I didn’t know you turned, so I didn’t know you wrote a book about it. I look forward to picking up a copy, because I know it will be no-nonsense and informative. 👍🏼
The way I fit file handles .... Heat the very last few mm of the tang to close to red heat then push the handle on. Holding the file give the handle a good firm tap on the bench. Plunge into water, handle down, and leave overnight. By doing this the tang burns a perfect fit on the handle and heats up any air in the wood. When the handle is plunged in water the air cools and draws water into the handle which makes the wood swell holding the file even more firmly.
Check that Craftsman screwdriver again. It's not an eight-sided handle. It's a six-sided handle. That lets you slip a good-sized box-end wrench over the handle to use as a lever to get some real torque into the situation for dealing with stubborn screws. Heh... I learned that just the other day 'cause someone posted a picture on Facebook. Kind of embarrassing: nearly 50 years of playing with tools and I NEVER noticed that. :D
Another great, informative video! Keep up the good work! I bought these back in March, and have used them fairly heavily, and will be tackling these handles soon - loving the added control given by the octagonal shape. I am super impressed by their edge-retention, and ease of sharpening - not as good as super premium chisels, but much better than off the shelf or other 'bargain' chisels. My only complaint is that these are more of a firmer-style rather than a true bevel-edge chisel. You're not going to be clearing dovetails with these. All in all, highly recommended.
Moments before you pulled out that Craftsmen screwdriver I also thought, "man that looks like a Craftsmen screwdriver handle". Love learning the history of the craft from you.
Harbor Freight sells a set that looks like those in their windsor design line. A six pc from 1/4" to 1-1/2" . The metal hoops seems to keep the end of the handle mushrooming, when you wail on it while cutting mortises.
Are we going to acknowledge how funny Rex actually is. I honestly spend a good amount of pause time laughing at his jokes so I don't miss anything. Just saying.
The first video I watched from Rex had me laughing so much I just had to subscribe. Get excellent entertainment as well as quality info and instruction.
For finishing tool handles I like either Birchwood Casey gunstock oil or minwax antique oil. Both leave a nice protective finish and both are a little “grippy” in hand.
I bought a set of these chisels, branded Libraton. I turned new handles using ash out of my firewood pile, copper ferrules and a brass ring at the butt end. They are a true bargain.
Hey Rex, if you want a very hard, resilient wood for handles you might want to give crape myrtle a shot. It grows in just about every yard everywhere south of the Mason Dixon line, but if you want a nice chunk I'll send you a piece.
I have screwdrivers with this shape, and have always been impressed with how good they feel and work. They can both slide in the fingers and provide grip.
Ha! I have a set of premium chisels but I recently bought a set of these to teach myself to sharpen free-hand, figuring I'd just toss them when I was done with them. But like you, I was impressed with them enough to keep them around as "beater" chisels and reserve the premium chisels for fine joinery & pairing. Not likely to go to the effort to carve new handles for them though 😉.
Thank you for the mallet video, I made one, witch is incredible. I just installed some threads on the staircase and the way the mallet worked it was like you've described it. You put it down and pick it up, and it's registering in the hand. Thank you again, have a nice Christmas.
“Everything is a hammer unless it’s a screwdriver, then it’s a chisel.” -some shade tree mechanic
you all prolly dont care at all but does any of you know a method to log back into an instagram account??
I stupidly forgot the account password. I love any tips you can give me!
@@kiandevin4855why on this video?
😂😂
@@LittleGreyWolfForge its a scam, 1 account posts that question, a second account answers it by giving someones username, a third account sings its praises of how good that person was. a victim reaches out to said person, gives them money, they run off with it. youtube's spam filter caught the last 2 messages, but not the first one, probably
@@techheck3358 oh i get it
For the polishing with strips of sandpaper: back it with duct tape and it will be less likely to rip!
🤯 holy crap, great tip
@@ian-duh, "Well 'Duh'!"
A tip so obvious that nobody thought of it ;-)
Better than "duct tape" is "strapping tape" which is pliable but almost indestructible. It won't tear and will stay stuck without the "sticky" bleeding. It has just enough body to give a great feel while conforming to almost any shape! After applying to sandpaper you can also cut very narrow strips that will hold up if you need them!!
Tried this and couldn't get the duct tape back to stay glued to my glass.
Your 'ring on the bit' to keep things level is an old trick that I was taught many years ago, it still works well but is not appreciated when I use it at work. I'm always told that those kind of tricks are outdated. I don't think - or rather - I know they are not outdated! Good to see you're keeping it alive.
I appreciate you doing double the the work to show us how to make these without a lathe and as usual all the information/explanations/jokes/resources you provide in you videos.
Honestly, I thought the hand carved one looked a bit better!
06:30 "a little less than a third of the stock thickness" For anyone that's interested, I did the ciphering and the guzzintas, and that translates to 0.293 times the stock thickness. So if your stock is 1.0625" (26.99mm) then your scribe lines should be at 0.311" (7.91mm) from the edge of the stock.
This is wild I just bought these chisels 2 weeks ago as my first chisels. So glad to know they're not hot trash
Thank you so much for the no lathe version!
Tip to new watchers: keep the volume down until after the intro. Other than that, take notes and buy the merch
I turn it up for the intro lick! In the guitar build video it is revealed that Rex plays the lick himself.
You can always tell what dogwood is by the bark
That came out lovely. A quick tip for when you need a (potentially harder) wood for handles is to look for rolling pins. Many are made from birch & even the really low cost ones hold up very well to abuse. It's harder to work a round to an even octagon though, so best for the lathe.
Really love the london pattern. I keep 5" long blanks laying around and carve them into handles when I'm bored or just hiding in the shop.
Brilliant as always. Half way through I was thinking there's no way you can make that handle without a lathe... loved the wedding ring trick too.
I cribbed that trick from James Wright. It works.
@@RexKrueger Oh, we know ;^)
I use over sized washers as I don't have a wedding ring
@@footplate0 make one
Rex mate your unbridled enthusiasm for woodworking is what keeps me coming back
Boiled Linseed Oil can also be used as a finish for the handles.
So, I got something for Rex to test with the cheap handles. I think the weird ring on the end is to stop the wood from splitting further than the ring. I remember my granddad's chisels had the same design, the end of the wood was smashed to heck, but no further than the ring. He wasn't a craftsman, and would use anything to beat on the end of a chisel, first hammer he grabbed, other tools, rocks. Also, once the end was all frayed, the ring is wedged in place. I'm sure it has a failure point, and energy loss once it is all frayed. But maybe it allows for cheaper handles for abusive work, out of any wood.
I bought these exact chisels about 6 months ago. I have been impressed with how durable the steel is. If I could find the same brand in a more sizes, I would buy them withou hesitation. My only complaint is the small handles. Great idea putting a London pattern handle on them Rex! When the new belt for my lathe comes in, I know what I'm doing during Christmas.
FYI: In the US, you can only get the chisels at Aldi's the week of Father's Day. That's the only time they sell them now.
Hah! Great tip, thanks!
As Rex stated, they haven’t been sold for the last two yrs, I know because I contacted them in 2019, and this yr almost all the tools Aldi sold on an annual basis were not available.
They have been available around Father's Day in my area for the last 2 years. I always buy several sets and send them out to guys who can't find them.
@@Anthony-H In Australia, I've been waiting nearly 3 years and still no sign of them coming back.
You are one of the most inventive individuals I've ever seen.
I have watched many wood working series over the years. I’ve bought dvd’s, magazines and books but have never seen the wedding ring trick 👍
Truly love your content and by no mean I'm blaming you for anything, thanks for the unvaluable work you do! Just a thought for us all: 4 chisels for 18 bucks can only mean a deep exploit of labour. Let's just think about it whenever we choose to buy somenthing.
I agree. A very important thing to keep in mind when it comes to any product we buy. There is no truly ethical consumption under capitalism, but we can all choose the lesser of those evils.
Obviously not all inexpensive items are made by modern-day slaves, but if you can't find out who owns the products and where they're manufactured, then maybe it's not worth the risk.
A great addition to my point, for sure needed.@@r1n8k
Screw drivers are where I first saw that London pattern. Thanks for the video
I'm ready for the 1 year follow up on these chisels.
I got an ebay bargain chisel with that general handle. An old, long Sorby that was in good shape. A total joy to use.
Thanks, Rex. More good stuff.
I just got several old long handled sorbys from my dads neighbor they were his dads .am a joiner in 🏴and my marplesthat I have had since a apprentice in 92 are now a bit too short for some jobs but the sorbys are excellent much better steel and real nice to use an look after old tools
I picked these up a couple months ago after watching Paul Sellers reviewing the Aldi chisels. They were the closest ones I could find on amazon. I'm glad I now have a project to make them better! Great vid!
Those are really beautiful handles.
Agreed.
Your commitment to budget AND ergonomics for handtools is absolutely legendary.
Hey rex, I've been wanting to make my shop and my tools look pretty so that I feel pretty by proxy, so I tried some woodcarving. I stink at it, and I haven't been able to learn well from other youtubers because they stink at teaching. I want to get better at carving pretty things like little flowers and leaves and cute geometry into handles or flat things, but I can't do anything more complex than a straight line. I don't know your experience carving wood, but I need something that isn't a master flooding me with information far beyond my skill level. Just something that can help a beginner get off on the right foot would be 🐀 cool
I don't know jack about carving, but james wright does!
I had been debating how to improve the handles of my Aldi chisels ($6, BTW, and yes the last time I saw them in store was 2 years ago - I heeded Mr. Sellers and snagged a set). Now I know they just need new handles altogether!
Hi Rex, Those chisels are as good as you hope. I bought a set 3 year’s ago at a local Aldi here in the UK and they are now my go to bevelled chisels, taking over from a set of Stanley’s I’d had since 1976. They were originally bought for my youngest son but after trying them out for a short period he got the Stanley’s. Which he is well pleased with!
Regards, keep safe.
I bought this same set in the Spring off Amazon too. Nice set and followed up with a very nice email from the sell to make sure I liked them and how grateful they were that I purchased them from them.
I have that very set of chisels and cleaned up the blades similarly to the way you did. The chisels sharpened up nicely and hold an edge pretty well. But I can certify that the handles suck. Two are already broken after only moderate mallet work, and the others are pretty battered on the ends. So I was encouraged to find this video, until I saw the lathe. Don’t have one, don’t intend to get one. “But Rex ...” I said to myself, when you channeled my thought and solved my problem. Now my quandary is whether I wait while I finish my new workbench or add yet another project to the 3 or 4 I already have going. Thanks for making my day, Rex! With the sole caveat about the handles I won’t hesitate to recommend these to the budget minded woodworker. Rob Cosman is probably having heart palpitations... Stu
Yep the discourse page is the best. Ive learnt so much.
Since you posted this for Patron, I’ve made 7 handles, 5 more to go, but I have to get some more big leaf maple, ran out :O
If you have the option, they're generally not very big or thick, and Mountain Laurel makes EXCELLENT handle material once you've seasoned it... which you can do with an ordinary oven or dehydrator-box, depending on the over-all size of stock you wish to work with... ;o)
Hey Rex great video on chisel handles.I got off my lazy butt and made about 1/2 a dozen London pattern handles by hand. Resurrecting a few old chisels.Not hard for me as I have been professionally doing wood
Work all my life.Even though I did not learn much a beginner would.Your not just a fine woodworker but an even better teacher.Unlike a professional who has dead lines your
layed back aproach Is great for folk to enjoy the fun to be had wood working
Keep up the great work.Thank you
Richie from Australia
I have a 1/4" chisel probably made in the same factory. I don't use it as much as you do but it has served me well for the last couple of years. I'm not in the US and was able to find it very easily, so it's good news for international folks. I've also made plenty of handles in this manner, if you take your time you can get vey nice results. Thanks for sharing and take care!!
I've been using these chisels for a year and have been very happy. Bought them when I first started hand tool woodworking. Only complaint is the handles getting smashed to bits. That's why that ring is there btw haha
Thank you for the plans and thanks for the metric measurements I’m hopefully going to pick up a few old chisels over the holidays and make new handles if needed Brad from New Zealand
Dude the band at the end of the handle is to prevent splitting. There's this dude who has a channel called advoko makes, and you should totally watch his video on the forgotten art of wire clamping. I mean, it's not really "forgotten" so much as "cheap labor caused the decline of", but for anybody who enjoys making things on their own, it's a great bit of kit to carry around. A cheap roll of steel wire along with 2 super light solid tubes of metal and you've got a wire clamper.
Oh and Advokomakes' vid on ways to use plastic bottles turned into wire is great as well. I wouldn't ever sell something that has supports made of plastic bottles, or at least I wouldn't sell anything that a *customer* can tell is made from plastic bottles, but I've used it again and again and honestly dollar for dollar there is no better alternative.
I love Advoko! Really cool guy.
Cheers for the plans, Rex. I have a rag-tag collection of old chisels so when I get round to giving them TLC they'll get a set of matching handles thanks to you.
I've had some Aldi chisels for many years & they have held up very well, but I didn't realise the complexity of the traditional handle. I think I have a new project coming up. Thank you :)
You're a good human, Rex. Enjoyed this one.
Fantastic job there REX very educational and well explained. I never get people who give a thumb down in such educational videos
This is one of your best and most practical videos yet.
That wedding ring trick alone was worth the ticket.
Get the Harbor Freight chisel set. Same steel, handle, and you get a 1-1/4 & 1-1/2 for the same price. They work great after a little rock tune up.
Love the London handle, your hand finished 1 was tops in my eyes.
Just purchased these chisels after watching. I have been casually keeping an eye out for a decent set of vintage chisels to make use of, but for this price and minimal tuning (and from what I can see, fairly good praise!) I really had no excuse. Thank you for the recommendation!
Love the handle design!!
I will probably make a few practice handles for files! And I can also experiment with sizes!
Great video. I love the exploration of how to get a thing cheap enough for someone on a tight budget and doesn't mind doing their own work to get a pretty good tool out of it.
When you started talking about woods to use, and you said you were in Ohio, I immediately thought of Osage. Then you listed Osage... I make a lot of replacement handles out of it. It's resilience, weight, and color please me greatly.
The ring trick for drilling is golden. Thanks.
the ring at the end provides inward pressure, lowering the chance of splitting.
Thanks for this, Rex! My dad gave me a set of Marples chisels about 35 years ago. Now I am interested in using them!
The London pattern got its name (obviously lol) from the busy London cabinet maker's who didn't have time to replace fancy handles, they just knocked out a quick parallel octagon and back to work. Yours turned out very nice though, well done. Another video ideal for you is replacing some awful plastic handles with wooden ones. My son gave me a set of marples, the blades are excellent but the horrible plastic and metal end caps are awful to use and I don't want to ruin them until I know they can be replaced successfully. Thanks for the video.
Yes, I got a set of these a couple years ago and like them for general use.
You may have talked about it before, but if you buy Silicon Carbide sand paper for your metal working it will do a better job and last longer than paper meant for wood. It is typically sold as autobody or car sand paper in the big box stores.
I bet you Rex would love the Narex chisels. You can purchase them without handles. You have inspired me to make my own handles. I love my lathe projects.
The 6 pack of wood handle ones from harbor freight would also be comparable to these. They do take some time to set up but Ive used them for at least 2 years now and they've help up pretty good. Oh and you can get them for around $8 😉
Got mine in 89. Still work. Good steel. Decent temper. Sloppy grind and polish. From china of course.
I bought a set of these chisels seven months ago. They've held up great thus far with near daily use. I didn't mind the handles too much, though mine do seem to have a better finish. I'll probably try making some new handles over the holiday break though. Thanks for all the videos!
This was one of my first sets of chisels I bought. I’ve since given them to another beginner. I actually sent this set to you Rex a few months ago! Glad you got to review them !!
Hello Rex
I bought some Norex chisels with out handles. Using ash and your handle drawing I made a nice set of chisels,,, thanks to you.
Mike
I don't even DO woodworking and I keep watching these videos!
I very much enjoyed the video. Thanks for the free plan for the handle. I was able to print it right off the order form. Have a Great Day!
Woodwork for human is amazing, please continue it!
Grebstk is a polish brand, I guarantee it!
These chisels are £47.15 plus £11.52 (approximately $79 US) postage on Amazon UK. Some seller from Istanbul, trying to make a killing with cheap chisels. I think it would be cheaper to buy from Amazon US and pay the postage to the UK. Great video by the way.
Thanks for the video. I’ve owned Craftsman screwdrivers for more than 50 years and never recognized the design of the handle.
On the topic of keeping the center bore squared for the chisel, I also generally drill the holes first before carving the handle. This trick also works well if you're making a custom saw handle, cut the slot for the blade before you cut the final shape for the handle. That way if anything's off you can carve accordingly to correct.
15:55 is the best part of this video by far....
The hoop on the end is supposed to keep the wood from splitting on the handle. Lots of videos on Japanese chisels for how to properly fit the hoop are available on youtube.
Harbor Freight has a six piece set for ten bucks from a quarter inch to one-and-a-half inch, and they have hardwood handles with chrome and vanadium blades that are beveled at 25 degrees. Over 800 positive reviews, and they are already very sharp straight from the package.
Thanks I really appreciate you showing how to make things without lathes or other things. I dont have those yet but i like to learn and create things. You teach really well, thanks
Tip for the sandpaper "polishing", stick some cheap duct tape to the back of the sandpaper to greatly reduce the chance that it'll tear if you use too much pressure.
As always, your timing is perfect! When I started out in the spring I picked up a set of the Narex chisels with the absurdly large handles. They’ve worked pretty well for me, but in the last few weeks I’ve been thinking about adjusting the handles to be more functional for me, and this is exactly the guide I needed.
Harbor Freight sells a similar set for around $10. Decent starter set of Chisels.
Yeah, I just bought those for Rex's plane-making projects! 6 chisels up to 1.5" - apart from the labeling, they look identical. For $8 with a coupon, I don't mind the lack of a case, I can sew one up out of Tyvek.
I bought a set last year to add to sizes of the Aldi's. The steel looks to be the same but pretty "rough" and the handles are much worse!! A good project to work on!!
I'm actually a big fan of octagon shaped handles for tools and prefer to use them whenever possible. Fun story: When I made a wood sword for my nephew two years ago for a holiday gift, I made the hilt/ handle section octagonal with a single sided carving in the center for him to index it properly. His mom and dad asked why I did that and I told them " it helps him register subconsciously where the edge is based on touch. " since my nephew's dad is a marine, he appreciated that.
Drill the hole for the tang first, then turn the collar part otherwise the thing may not be concentric. Box is a very popular wood for handles in the UK.
I need to make so many handles and sharpen so many saws! Too much to do and too little time🤦♂️
I am in the same boat buddy
Oh man same here.
Pick one task, ignore everything else, and do it. When it's done, pick another task, and do it.
Craig Clapper my task: find more saws!
Thanks!! Just restored an old 8mm chisel that was belong to my grandfather. I had to carve a new handle. My design was based on my narex chisels handles for the carving i used my narex chisel and Moraknive. That was my first restoration and my first real carving. Need recommendations on set of carving knife for beginners.
Tips on relatively simple craftsmanship. A very popular wood craft in Sweden and the other Nordic countries is "svepask". Many in Sweden have had to make a wooden handicraft at school. Have not seen anyone else do it except youtubers from Scandinavia and the Nordics.
What a brilliant video. Thank you Rex.
Purchased the very same chisels myself a month or so ago and I like them, also my very first chisels.
Same here ... waiting to see how Rex thinks they hold up.
Brilliant work.
Thanks from London England 👍💪😎🏴🙏
I didn’t know you turned, so I didn’t know you wrote a book about it. I look forward to picking up a copy, because I know it will be no-nonsense and informative. 👍🏼
The way I fit file handles ....
Heat the very last few mm of the tang to close to red heat then push the handle on. Holding the file give the handle a good firm tap on the bench. Plunge into water, handle down, and leave overnight. By doing this the tang burns a perfect fit on the handle and heats up any air in the wood. When the handle is plunged in water the air cools and draws water into the handle which makes the wood swell holding the file even more firmly.
The fact that screwdriver handles were London patterned blew my mind 🤯
Check that Craftsman screwdriver again. It's not an eight-sided handle. It's a six-sided handle. That lets you slip a good-sized box-end wrench over the handle to use as a lever to get some real torque into the situation for dealing with stubborn screws. Heh... I learned that just the other day 'cause someone posted a picture on Facebook. Kind of embarrassing: nearly 50 years of playing with tools and I NEVER noticed that. :D
if you can find them, i find brass nutcaps to be perfect ferrules!
Another great, informative video! Keep up the good work! I bought these back in March, and have used them fairly heavily, and will be tackling these handles soon - loving the added control given by the octagonal shape.
I am super impressed by their edge-retention, and ease of sharpening - not as good as super premium chisels, but much better than off the shelf or other 'bargain' chisels. My only complaint is that these are more of a firmer-style rather than a true bevel-edge chisel. You're not going to be clearing dovetails with these. All in all, highly recommended.
Moments before you pulled out that Craftsmen screwdriver I also thought, "man that looks like a Craftsmen screwdriver handle". Love learning the history of the craft from you.
Harbor Freight sells a set that looks like those in their windsor design line. A six pc from 1/4" to 1-1/2" . The metal hoops seems to keep the end of the handle mushrooming, when you wail on it while cutting mortises.
SKIP AHEAD AND MISS OUT ON 4 MINUTES OF YOU?! NO THANK YOU GOOD SIR!
Are we going to acknowledge how funny Rex actually is. I honestly spend a good amount of pause time laughing at his jokes so I don't miss anything. Just saying.
I apprecaite that very much. I always try to be funny.
Yeah, Rex is funny.
Funny looking.
Jkjk I crack up at his dad jokes on the regular
The first video I watched from Rex had me laughing so much I just had to subscribe. Get excellent entertainment as well as quality info and instruction.
For finishing tool handles I like either Birchwood Casey gunstock oil or minwax antique oil. Both leave a nice protective finish and both are a little “grippy” in hand.
I bought a set of these chisels, branded Libraton. I turned new handles using ash out of my firewood pile, copper ferrules and a brass ring at the butt end. They are a true bargain.
After I seen this months ago made London pattern handles for my Chisels that are antique 🤘🏼
Hey Rex, if you want a very hard, resilient wood for handles you might want to give crape myrtle a shot. It grows in just about every yard everywhere south of the Mason Dixon line, but if you want a nice chunk I'll send you a piece.
I have screwdrivers with this shape, and have always been impressed with how good they feel and work. They can both slide in the fingers and provide grip.
Unless they’re too big for the hand trying to grip them. I have that problem with most tools.
The tape as a depth stop on your backsaw is a great silent tip.
Ha! I have a set of premium chisels but I recently bought a set of these to teach myself to sharpen free-hand, figuring I'd just toss them when I was done with them. But like you, I was impressed with them enough to keep them around as "beater" chisels and reserve the premium chisels for fine joinery & pairing. Not likely to go to the effort to carve new handles for them though 😉.
Having just bought some cheap chisels for my flooring project...this was great timing!
Thank you for the mallet video, I made one, witch is incredible. I just installed some threads on the staircase and the way the mallet worked it was like you've described it. You put it down and pick it up, and it's registering in the hand. Thank you again, have a nice Christmas.