Your channel is fantastic. You're humane, straight forward and unpolished-no frills style is refreshing, and you seem to touch on most aspects of a topic, and in an organized way, to give the viewer an easy way to interpret and make choices. Keep it up.
Thanks brother! You read my mind. I've done enough work to be glad I didn't buy a complete set of anything, and think my hand me down Stanleys will do just fine for most work. Paring and Butt is what I've been looking at, and this helps me spend wisely.
Good breakdown. I've never even seen a Blue Spruce in person, they look really nice. Of all my chisels I like the Robert Sorby handles the most, particularly on their mortise chisels. I have Veritas bench and butt chisels and I find the handles a little on the small side. One of these days I'll make some Sorby-esque octagonal handles out of boxwood for the Veritas.
Great video. I have blue spruce paring chisels and veritas bench chisels, seems to be a good matchup. Although the Blue Spruce look so nice and ready to use. They both are pricey compared to my Stanley’s. But there quality is what got me. Either one cannot go wrong
I like this. Great to go through the different sizes, styles. Good for those who don't know. There's so much choice these days. When I started out we got bevel edged and firmer. So I went with the (very rare now) Marples Gold Chip with Rosewood handles and the Robert Sorby firmer. I then went into the Japanese chisels in the mid 80s. Amazing difference. I've subscribed too 👍 Jamie
Nice video! I have a pretty full set of Blue Spruce from before Woodpecker acquired them; back when Dave Jeske was making them. Just wonderful tools. Perfect in every way and a joy to use. Just my recommendation, but start with a full set of bench chisels for regular use. These will get you further than the butt set, which will leave you short sometimes :) I added a set of dovetail chisels after that, which are fine for dovetails and precise paring work. I had two long paring chisels (not Blue Spruce) that I bought from an antique tool dealer. Real nice, but I never used them and retired them. I then added some Blue Spruce specialty chisels. Two sizes of fishtails and two very thin chisels. The last 2 are 1/32 and 1/16 and I use them for inlay and banding work. I don’t chop mortises by hand, so don’t own any mortising chisels, when I need something to whack on, I have a set of old Marples firmer chisels. …and some old Stanley 40s. Yeah, like most woodworkers with a few decades under my belt, I have too many chisels! Guilty. Not trying to sway you, just sharing my perspective for what it’s worth. Great choice with the Blue Spruce.
That is awesome! Thank you for sharing this is good to read for myself and others! I dont thunk I've ever seen a 1/32 chisel! That is crazy but also really cool! And 100% I went down the chisel rabbet hole HARD but now I think I've settled on this brand. Although I will still buy chisels when I see them out in the wild hahah
Super new to woodworking. Like super new! Can the butt chisel be used as a primary chisel for bigger wood projects such as table build or do butt chisels only pertain to smaller projects such as box making and other small items like that?
Great question! The butt chisel can also be for big projects. The only downside is the reach other than that, they can be your main users imo. Thats what I'm going to use the butt chisels for and then have a few others when I need the reach
Really appreciate the idea of sticking within one brand. And thanks for the sympathy for small hands! But seriously, good review of handle sizes, the comparison to (my) Lie Nielsen bench chisel handles was very helpful. I was looking at the Richter mortise chisels, then got the introductory sale email for the Bolivian Rosewood mortise chisels from Blue Spruce. Gulp ... Thanks, brother.
Ashley Iles makes great chisels! I loved their bigger handles till I learned I prefer smaller handles. I am more about comfort than steel strength then it comes to chisels. Within reason, some chisels don't hold an edge for crap, for those I don't care how comfortable they are, I'm not using them lol
I bought a bunch of old chisels, good brands, different styles. I decided I liked the firmer style with square sides for general use, I don't think anyone makes that type today. I have an old set of Marples Blue Chips for hitting harder up to full abuse - these are OK but the plastic is heavy so smaller sizes are unbalanced. I bought a set of Narex Richters unhandled and made my own apple handles, graduated just a bit in length and diameter so I can quickly tell chisel size. Those have the trendy thin sides that I am told I need for dovetails. I like the pigsticker style of mortise chisel and have several old ones. I have a set of 4 old Marples sash mortise chisels with unbreakable plastic handles with an excellent shape. These are kind of ugly but work well. I like the idea of trying different styles for a good fit.
This is great!! Thank you for sharing for myself and others! I love marples blue chips I had 2 full sets at one point because I got obsessed with chisels for a bit lol you are right about the smaller ones getting unwieldy!
Thank you for specifying your hand size. I also have a smaller than average hand and feel like most handles (saws and chisels) are just a little too big.
@@BatCaveCreations I’d suggest trying to find the old Victorian octagonal handles or make some yourself. They are the most comfortable I find. Rex Krueger and Pask Makes have videos on them and I’m sure others do as well
@@clintoncox3887 Thank you!!!! and sorry for the delay i missed this reply :( I have since got a Robert Sorby Octagon handle to try out! I havent used it yet tho lol
You can use a mallet on a dovetail chisel. You just should not need to whack it very heavily. That's how much of the waste was/is removed. The bench chisel is the one you can give full force impact to. Butt chisels are a pain to sharpen on a Tormeck, because they run out of required length for the jig real quick.
Ooh very good point! I didn't think about when it's time to regrind the bevel on the butt chisels :( crap I know the grinder rest I have won't work I would have to modify or it or buy a diff one. Thank you for pointing that out!!
How are you supposed to use those dovetail chisels without hitting them? After I clear the majority of the waste with a coping/fret saw, I work back to my marking gauge line via chisel and mallet and then the last step would be pairing. The bench chisel profile wouldn't work nearly as well for working back to my line as the chisels with a specific profile tailored to dovetails
I think another advantage to the smaller handle for at least the bench chisels comes in when using a mallet. When I use my Narrex chisels-premiums not Richter- with a mallet the end of the handle seems like it is in a different zip code from the edge of the chisel. I don't have small hands, 3-3/4 in at the top of palm, but I like the way the regular BST bench chisel handles feel in my hand. I think the extra length would be too much most of the time.
Very interesting. As a knife user/collector I wonder about tang length; specifically about full tang for use with a mallet/hammer. I'd assume full contact on the tang with the mallet is much more accurate than a buffer of wood via a big bolster?
Idk if I would say more accurate but I 100% feel a difference hitting a full tang vs a 1/2 tang or socket chisel. I feel like it has more force and drive. Dare I say travel farther? I haven't tested that but that's just my experience lol
If you had to pick one between paring and dovetail chisel, which would you choose? I’m leaning towards paring to clean mortises but sounds dovetail chisels would also do the same?
Another great tool porn video! Thank you for this, Jamie! ❤ Two more questions, perhaps I missed it in the video: A) Can you actually change the handles yourself on these chisels? B) What are the bevel angles on the various types of chisels? Do these vary so e. g. the pairing chisels are more shallow and the mortise chisels have a steeper bevel? Keep up your work man! 😊
Thank you! This was a fun one and another geek out sessions for me haha To answer your questions A. No you can't change the handles yourself, you would order them in the size you want B. I didn't even think to check the bevel angles :( I'll mark it down and check when I'm back from Easter break tho!
I don't know why new manufacturers don't offer the handle shape of the Stanley Everlasting chisels with the stubby handle approaching an almost spherical shape. That style sits nicely in the palm when paring.
Any trouble in the Blue Spruce mortise chisel handle loosening up in use? I’ve had two of Blue Spruce mortise chisels loosen on me and had to tighten them. They didn’t replace the first on saying it should do that, but the second came also ended up loosening up too.
Ya it does lose up when if it twists in the mortise. :( I haven't noticed it loosening in just hittung but when it gets in the mortise and turns, it does for sure. It's one of the reasons I'm thinking about keeping the Veritas ones. I wish veritas has a metal but tho. You can really tell a difference with the wooden vs metal butt on a mortise chisel
@@BatCaveCreations ok that’s when it’s doing to me. When I’m leveraging and prying it out of mortise. Guess I’m glad it’s not just me. Would be nice if they’d just go to the solid handle with a metal cap instead of the threaded tang. I do love the blade it keeps an edge for a long time.
@nathanernst4122 i agree, I also wondered if a left handed thread would make a difference but I'm thinking it would still losen up with leverage. And ur right the steel is amazing. My only complaint is the handle loosening up. I don't want to use lock tight on it tho because what if I do need to take it apart for any reason. I don't see a need but that's how my brain works hahah
One thing to note that may make a difference with the BST mortise chisels is that they have parallel sides like the lie Nielsen's. The veritas has slightly tapered sides. Pro's and cons both ways I think, but I really like the parallel sides
100%! I deff wanna test that out because I have only really fully tested tapered sides so I want to set them both out more and more and make that a video too. Thank you!
@@BatCaveCreations same until I got the blue spruce ones. I had two different brands on tapered ones. Narex were ok, but the tapers were all different. Veritas was considerably more consistent, but I wanted to try parallel sides myself and so far prefer them
@Thanatos1941 I'm honestly going to be sad if I like the BS ones more lol I love the full set of veritas and they are Discontinued. I worked alot to invest in those just to do it over again haha
@Thanatos1941 because it is expensive and difficult to get PMV-11 in that beefy of a chisel. To keep it straight, not crack, ect. :( I am hoping they at least make A2.
If you’re worried about nerve damage in your palm get a bigger handle and take the pressure out of the palm. Sharpen better and choke up. I bet you get more control and better cuts
I'm not worried about nerve damage cus I don't feel alot of pressure there but everytime people see me holding a chisel like that the comme ts fly about nerve damage so I had to plug it hahaha
Your channel is fantastic. You're humane, straight forward and unpolished-no frills style is refreshing, and you seem to touch on most aspects of a topic, and in an organized way, to give the viewer an easy way to interpret and make choices. Keep it up.
Thank you so much!!! This is great to hear and 100% what I aim for. I appreciate you taking the time it is great to hear feedback!
This is the primer on chisels I didn't know I needed. Thank you!
Thank you!! Glad it helped!!
Thanks brother! You read my mind. I've done enough work to be glad I didn't buy a complete set of anything, and think my hand me down Stanleys will do just fine for most work. Paring and Butt is what I've been looking at, and this helps me spend wisely.
Great!!! I am happy to hear it!!
Which Stanley's do you have?
@@BatCaveCreations Not sure, carbon steel with yellowing clear handles and orange accents...if not Stanley, maybe Case?
@B.A.Bassangler ooh those don't ring a bell. The yellow does but not the orange. Imma have to Google that, they sound interesting!
This was very helpful as did not the names of the different types of chisels. Thank you.
Thank you! I am happy it helped!!
Good breakdown. I've never even seen a Blue Spruce in person, they look really nice. Of all my chisels I like the Robert Sorby handles the most, particularly on their mortise chisels. I have Veritas bench and butt chisels and I find the handles a little on the small side. One of these days I'll make some Sorby-esque octagonal handles out of boxwood for the Veritas.
I have held the octagon handles but I dont think I ever used them. I will keep an eye out for one because I am curious now lol thank you!
Great video. I have blue spruce paring chisels and veritas bench chisels, seems to be a good matchup. Although the Blue Spruce look so nice and ready to use. They both are pricey compared to my Stanley’s. But there quality is what got me. Either one cannot go wrong
Fully agree!!! Thank you!!!
I like this. Great to go through the different sizes, styles. Good for those who don't know. There's so much choice these days. When I started out we got bevel edged and firmer.
So I went with the (very rare now) Marples Gold Chip with Rosewood handles and the Robert Sorby firmer. I then went into the Japanese chisels in the mid 80s. Amazing difference.
I've subscribed too 👍
Jamie
Oooh Marples Gold that is awesome! Deff keepers!
I am excited to try Japanese chisels I have a few on the way to try out.
And thank you!!
Nice video! I have a pretty full set of Blue Spruce from before Woodpecker acquired them; back when Dave Jeske was making them. Just wonderful tools. Perfect in every way and a joy to use. Just my recommendation, but start with a full set of bench chisels for regular use. These will get you further than the butt set, which will leave you short sometimes :) I added a set of dovetail chisels after that, which are fine for dovetails and precise paring work. I had two long paring chisels (not Blue Spruce) that I bought from an antique tool dealer. Real nice, but I never used them and retired them. I then added some Blue Spruce specialty chisels. Two sizes of fishtails and two very thin chisels. The last 2 are 1/32 and 1/16 and I use them for inlay and banding work. I don’t chop mortises by hand, so don’t own any mortising chisels, when I need something to whack on, I have a set of old Marples firmer chisels. …and some old Stanley 40s. Yeah, like most woodworkers with a few decades under my belt, I have too many chisels! Guilty. Not trying to sway you, just sharing my perspective for what it’s worth. Great choice with the Blue Spruce.
That is awesome! Thank you for sharing this is good to read for myself and others! I dont thunk I've ever seen a 1/32 chisel! That is crazy but also really cool! And 100% I went down the chisel rabbet hole HARD but now I think I've settled on this brand. Although I will still buy chisels when I see them out in the wild hahah
Super new to woodworking. Like super new! Can the butt chisel be used as a primary chisel for bigger wood projects such as table build or do butt chisels only pertain to smaller projects such as box making and other small items like that?
Great question! The butt chisel can also be for big projects. The only downside is the reach other than that, they can be your main users imo. Thats what I'm going to use the butt chisels for and then have a few others when I need the reach
Really appreciate the idea of sticking within one brand. And thanks for the sympathy for small hands! But seriously, good review of handle sizes, the comparison to (my) Lie Nielsen bench chisel handles was very helpful. I was looking at the Richter mortise chisels, then got the introductory sale email for the Bolivian Rosewood mortise chisels from Blue Spruce. Gulp ...
Thanks, brother.
Thank you! I am happy it helped!!
I got that email too and it is very tempting hahah
Great video thanks for sharing
Have you looked at Ashley Iles chisels? They seem to be very well respected across the pond. Thanks for sharing!
Ashley Iles makes great chisels! I loved their bigger handles till I learned I prefer smaller handles. I am more about comfort than steel strength then it comes to chisels. Within reason, some chisels don't hold an edge for crap, for those I don't care how comfortable they are, I'm not using them lol
@@BatCaveCreations Thanks, man.
I have three styles of chisels: dull, duller, and absolutely useless.
Thanks for the reminder that I have a lot of sharpening to do.
Hahaha trust me if these weren't new I would be hitting the stones too! I don't sharpen near as much as I should lol
I bought a bunch of old chisels, good brands, different styles. I decided I liked the firmer style with square sides for general use, I don't think anyone makes that type today. I have an old set of Marples Blue Chips for hitting harder up to full abuse - these are OK but the plastic is heavy so smaller sizes are unbalanced. I bought a set of Narex Richters unhandled and made my own apple handles, graduated just a bit in length and diameter so I can quickly tell chisel size. Those have the trendy thin sides that I am told I need for dovetails. I like the pigsticker style of mortise chisel and have several old ones. I have a set of 4 old Marples sash mortise chisels with unbreakable plastic handles with an excellent shape. These are kind of ugly but work well. I like the idea of trying different styles for a good fit.
This is great!! Thank you for sharing for myself and others! I love marples blue chips I had 2 full sets at one point because I got obsessed with chisels for a bit lol you are right about the smaller ones getting unwieldy!
I found that my half in but chisel was the tool I always reach for. So much so that I have several in diiferent tool kits.
Ooh I’ve been waiting for this one
Me too! 😆 😂
Thank you for specifying your hand size. I also have a smaller than average hand and feel like most handles (saws and chisels) are just a little too big.
100% agree!!!! Comfort is one of the main reasons I pick the tools I do. I don't want to be uncomfortable using tools lol
@@BatCaveCreations I’d suggest trying to find the old Victorian octagonal handles or make some yourself. They are the most comfortable I find. Rex Krueger and Pask Makes have videos on them and I’m sure others do as well
@@clintoncox3887 Thank you!!!! and sorry for the delay i missed this reply :(
I have since got a Robert Sorby Octagon handle to try out! I havent used it yet tho lol
Thanks, Jamie. Best wishes from Norway. (PS. This was pure toolporn. I have a BS 3/8" dovetail chisel and I love it.)
Haha 100% it was! I am impressed with the dovetail chisel also I never knew what they were all about till I got this one
@@BatCaveCreations My best wishes for the Easter and I am looking forward to more good videos.
@@finniunker860 thank you and happy Easter!!!
You can use a mallet on a dovetail chisel. You just should not need to whack it very heavily. That's how much of the waste was/is removed. The bench chisel is the one you can give full force impact to. Butt chisels are a pain to sharpen on a Tormeck, because they run out of required length for the jig real quick.
Ooh very good point! I didn't think about when it's time to regrind the bevel on the butt chisels :( crap I know the grinder rest I have won't work I would have to modify or it or buy a diff one. Thank you for pointing that out!!
How are you supposed to use those dovetail chisels without hitting them? After I clear the majority of the waste with a coping/fret saw, I work back to my marking gauge line via chisel and mallet and then the last step would be pairing. The bench chisel profile wouldn't work nearly as well for working back to my line as the chisels with a specific profile tailored to dovetails
The dovetail would be for the final clean up of the joint but I did see one commenter say that you can hit the dovetail chisel just not as hard
I think another advantage to the smaller handle for at least the bench chisels comes in when using a mallet. When I use my Narrex chisels-premiums not Richter- with a mallet the end of the handle seems like it is in a different zip code from the edge of the chisel.
I don't have small hands, 3-3/4 in at the top of palm, but I like the way the regular BST bench chisel handles feel in my hand. I think the extra length would be too much most of the time.
Very very good point! I never fully thought about that but that explains why the bigger chisels are more difficult for me to use also! Thank you!!
Very interesting. As a knife user/collector I wonder about tang length; specifically about full tang for use with a mallet/hammer. I'd assume full contact on the tang with the mallet is much more accurate than a buffer of wood via a big bolster?
Idk if I would say more accurate but I 100% feel a difference hitting a full tang vs a 1/2 tang or socket chisel. I feel like it has more force and drive. Dare I say travel farther? I haven't tested that but that's just my experience lol
If you had to pick one between paring and dovetail chisel, which would you choose? I’m leaning towards paring to clean mortises but sounds dovetail chisels would also do the same?
If I could only pick one it would be dovetail. They are long enough for most applications and are more comfortable for smaller reach operations
Never took you as a butt man, but chisels bring out our true selves.
They're all nice chisels.
Hahaha I always look forward to your comments!!!
I’m afraid they’re going to change the Optima chisels and I’ll miss out. I love the bevel stopping before the neck.
I hope they don't change them! I like them alot!!!
I frequently find myself reaching for butt chisels for the fine control
Another great tool porn video! Thank you for this, Jamie! ❤
Two more questions, perhaps I missed it in the video:
A) Can you actually change the handles yourself on these chisels?
B) What are the bevel angles on the various types of chisels? Do these vary so e. g. the pairing chisels are more shallow and the mortise chisels have a steeper bevel?
Keep up your work man! 😊
Thank you! This was a fun one and another geek out sessions for me haha
To answer your questions
A. No you can't change the handles yourself, you would order them in the size you want
B. I didn't even think to check the bevel angles :( I'll mark it down and check when I'm back from Easter break tho!
I don't know why new manufacturers don't offer the handle shape of the Stanley Everlasting chisels with the stubby handle approaching an almost spherical shape. That style sits nicely in the palm when paring.
That is also true the everlasting line has great handles!!
Any trouble in the Blue Spruce mortise chisel handle loosening up in use? I’ve had two of Blue Spruce mortise chisels loosen on me and had to tighten them. They didn’t replace the first on saying it should do that, but the second came also ended up loosening up too.
Ya it does lose up when if it twists in the mortise. :( I haven't noticed it loosening in just hittung but when it gets in the mortise and turns, it does for sure. It's one of the reasons I'm thinking about keeping the Veritas ones. I wish veritas has a metal but tho. You can really tell a difference with the wooden vs metal butt on a mortise chisel
@@BatCaveCreations ok that’s when it’s doing to me. When I’m leveraging and prying it out of mortise. Guess I’m glad it’s not just me. Would be nice if they’d just go to the solid handle with a metal cap instead of the threaded tang. I do love the blade it keeps an edge for a long time.
@nathanernst4122 i agree, I also wondered if a left handed thread would make a difference but I'm thinking it would still losen up with leverage. And ur right the steel is amazing. My only complaint is the handle loosening up. I don't want to use lock tight on it tho because what if I do need to take it apart for any reason. I don't see a need but that's how my brain works hahah
One thing to note that may make a difference with the BST mortise chisels is that they have parallel sides like the lie Nielsen's. The veritas has slightly tapered sides. Pro's and cons both ways I think, but I really like the parallel sides
100%! I deff wanna test that out because I have only really fully tested tapered sides so I want to set them both out more and more and make that a video too. Thank you!
@@BatCaveCreations same until I got the blue spruce ones. I had two different brands on tapered ones. Narex were ok, but the tapers were all different. Veritas was considerably more consistent, but I wanted to try parallel sides myself and so far prefer them
@Thanatos1941 I'm honestly going to be sad if I like the BS ones more lol I love the full set of veritas and they are Discontinued. I worked alot to invest in those just to do it over again haha
@@BatCaveCreations that's honestly surprising. Do you know why they decided to discontinue them?
@Thanatos1941 because it is expensive and difficult to get PMV-11 in that beefy of a chisel. To keep it straight, not crack, ect. :( I am hoping they at least make A2.
Isn't that curly maple 🍁 beautiful 😍
Yes!!!
If you’re worried about nerve damage in your palm get a bigger handle and take the pressure out of the palm.
Sharpen better and choke up. I bet you get more control and better cuts
I'm not worried about nerve damage cus I don't feel alot of pressure there but everytime people see me holding a chisel like that the comme ts fly about nerve damage so I had to plug it hahaha