Paring chisels suggestions

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

chris watford

Established Member
Joined
22 Jan 2019
Messages
50
Reaction score
4
Location
hemel hempstead
I rather stupidly sold all my circa 1970's Sorby, leather washered paring chisels when downsizing.

I now need to buy a couple, either new or used. Any suggestions for new chisels please, preferably with the back ground flat, or a recommended used tool dealer.

Thanks

Chris
 
These are not made as well now as the vintage chisels. Back ground flat usually means a short rigid chisel that modern production methods deal well with, and as you can see by narex chisels - many are left fat to make them easier to manufacture (flexibility is too much nuance).

If you're in the UK (even if you're not), finding older chisels is a better idea.

If you insist on new, something like henry taylor is OK. Avoid anything that looks thick or bulky. Nothing new matches any of the decent older chisels (older meaning before chisels took on enough chromium to air harden easily - such chisels are generally shiny now).

I did have a set of marples chisels and they said something like "chrome vanadium" on them, they were old enough to still be thin and delicate, and they were OK. I've also had other marples chisels around the same time where half the set is literally unhardened. Sellers never seem to be able to tell you that before you get them (in the case of the set of 10 that I acquired, probably 2 are hardened properly, at least five are completely unhardened. Their shape and handles are pretty, though, so I have hardened the ones I like).

Purchase of good shape delicate old marples, IH Sorby, Ward (of course), etc, is perfectly safe. The new insistence on optical flatness on a chisel like a parer is overblown. The level of flatness that's important is enough so that you can reach the wire edge without having to lift the chisel. This is *close* to the modern standard, but not nearly as tedious or foolish in a chisel that bends while you're using it.
 
It's a while since I've mentioned it, but this could be a good time to remind folk of a useful note on the TATHS website. It lists the handful of real world old tool dealers still in business. Not a recommendation of any one in particular, but they should all be more reliable than a random eBay purchase.

taths.org.uk/tools-trades/notes-on-tools/33-rn03-list-of-old-tool-dealers-etc
 
New; for thin, delicate and with a little flex, Robert Sorby. For heavier and stiffer, Henry Taylor. Vintage; see above comments, but don't be too tied to one maker - there were many good ones.

Most people don't need many paring chisels (by which I mean the long ones), and they do tend to be spendy as chisels go, so it's worth taking some time to find the right one for you.
 
I have several of different sizes,ages and manufacturer.the one I mostly use is a cranked 3/4" Henry Taylor and I recommend you consider such a thing.It will allow you to work on flat surfaces as well as doing anything a straight chisel will do.
 
Modern Narex are thick and heavy compared to an old Marples or similar. I'd avoid them.
 
Many woodworkers will need a long paring chisel at some time. Unless you're a pattern maker you won't need more than one or two, but sometimes that extra long blade is just what a job requires.

Personally I'll often use "paring blocks" ie pieces of scrap wood cut at a particular angle as an aid to cutting a very precise and repeatable angle with a chisel. I showed a practical application of this for cutting mitred dovetails in this WIP,

how-to-cut-mitred-or-mitre-dovetails-wip-t112467.html

In that WIP I used a Japanese paring chisel, but I also have a couple of western style paring chisels. A cranked one from Bristol Design and a normal style one from Henry Taylor.
Chisels-Paring-01.jpg


The Bristol Design chisel required an awful lot of work to get the back acceptably flat. It now works well enough but I'll have more work to do in the future to keep it functional.
Chisels-Paring-02.jpg


The Henry Taylor paring chisel also required some work to flatten the back, but it was about 20 or 30 minutes rather than several hours. The Henry Taylor tool is still manufactured, in both cranked and flat paring configurations. Based on the one that I use I can recommend it.

Depending what you need a paring chisel for there are some work arounds that might save you the expense of buying a paring chisel in the first place.

If you just need a flat cutting tool for something like shaving down the last thou or two from a protruding dowel peg, then one option is to use double sided tape to attach a basic handle to a plane iron, like this,
Chisels-Paring-03.jpg


For use with the paring block I mentioned earlier it's worth remembering that a sash mortice chisel is normally much longer than a regular chisel . Here's a sash mortice chisel next to a regular bevel edged chisel so you can see how much longer the blade is,
Chisels-Paring-04.jpg


In fact when I'm out on site work or working on my boat (often without electric power), I won't have access to my panel saw or compound mitre saw, yet I'll often need a cut trimmed to a precise angle with a very clean finish. In these circumstances I'll often plane up a paring block from a piece of scrap and use the 5/16" mortice chisel photographed above. It's a good example of how a bit of ingenuity can allow you to complete quite complex jobs with a fairly minimal and portable tool kit.
 

Attachments

  • Chisels-Paring-01.jpg
    Chisels-Paring-01.jpg
    76.6 KB · Views: 900
  • Chisels-Paring-02.jpg
    Chisels-Paring-02.jpg
    65.9 KB · Views: 900
  • Chisels-Paring-03.jpg
    Chisels-Paring-03.jpg
    82.9 KB · Views: 900
  • Chisels-Paring-04.jpg
    Chisels-Paring-04.jpg
    80.3 KB · Views: 900
Pairing block? Saw off protruding dowel with a tenon saw as near as you can get without scratching the work and finish off with a fine set and sharp block plane. If you haven't got one a jack plane will do if it's not too big for the work piece.
 
Had you considered something like a chisel plane as an alternative? A formal chisel plane can be user-made in a weekend, usefully uses up some small hardwood scraps and can make use of existing cutting tools. Or you can go brutally simple: a plane iron flat-side down held by a welder's magnetic block can accomplish many of the same tasks.
 
Jacob":as0bppwf said:
Pairing block? Saw off protruding dowel with a tenon saw as near as you can get without scratching the work and finish off with a fine set and sharp block plane. If you haven't got one a jack plane will do if it's not too big for the work piece.
The paring blocks were not suggested for trimming dowel Jacob but for regulating angled cuts.
The picture posted of the block attached to the iron is suggested as an idea for dealing with trimming dowel.
Ed suggests the same thing in the post after yours but using a welding magnet.
Not being facetious, just for clarity.
Cheers
Chris
 
I bought four Sorby paring chisels about 15 years ago. Thin, flexible and take a nice edge, provided you use a paring chisel as intended: very much a finesse tool.
 
Bm101":lhfwjfol said:
Jacob":lhfwjfol said:
Pairing block? Saw off protruding dowel with a tenon saw as near as you can get without scratching the work and finish off with a fine set and sharp block plane. If you haven't got one a jack plane will do if it's not too big for the work piece.
The paring blocks were not suggested for trimming dowel Jacob but for regulating angled cuts.
The picture posted of the block attached to the iron is suggested as an idea for dealing with trimming dowel.
Ed suggests the same thing in the post after yours but using a welding magnet.
Not being facetious, just for clarity.
Cheers
Chris
OK.
But doesn't a block plane do exactly the same as a "paring block" but as a purpose designed tool?
What is a welders magnet? - new to me altogether. I use rare earth magnets for cleaning up oil stones and various other things but they keep getting lost. Found one attached to my wife's bike under a chain stay - it'd been on holiday in France before being noticed!
Maybe a welders magnet would be better idea?
 
Jacob":3by2o56r said:
Bm101":3by2o56r said:
Jacob":3by2o56r said:
Pairing block? Saw off protruding dowel with a tenon saw as near as you can get without scratching the work and finish off with a fine set and sharp block plane. If you haven't got one a jack plane will do if it's not too big for the work piece.
The paring blocks were not suggested for trimming dowel Jacob but for regulating angled cuts.
The picture posted of the block attached to the iron is suggested as an idea for dealing with trimming dowel.
Ed suggests the same thing in the post after yours but using a welding magnet.
Not being facetious, just for clarity.
Cheers
Chris
OK.
But doesn't a block plane do exactly the same as a "paring block" but as a purpose designed tool?
What is a welders magnet? - new to me altogether. I use rare earth magnets for cleaning up oil stones and various other things but they keep getting lost. Found one attached to my wife's bike under a chain stay - it'd been on holiday in France before being noticed!
Maybe a welders magnet would be better idea?

A block plane can't get into internal corners - a chisel plane or perhaps a bullnose plane would be a closer equivalent.
A welders magnet is a (most usefully switchable) strong magnetic bracket/clamp for holding components in place for welding.
e.g. https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/cht573- ... cw-switch/

:)
 
Rightly or wrongly, I have made a decision - A cranked paring chisel. Pondering over 3/4 or 1" bevel edged. I will try to sort a used Henry Taylor or equivalent or buy a new HT if this fails to materialise.

Thank you for all replies.

Chris
 
Best of luck with your hunt Chris. Dog-leg or cranked ones have always struck me as being a superb version to go for. Might be a bit odd to hold when honing but I'm sure one soon gets the knack!

While we're on the subject, anyone hone any paring chisels (or any chisel they use for paring) with a cambered edge? I've seen it on slicks a lot but not sure on an indoor chisel. It's something I've been meaning to try for ages and only got around to Sunday night.
 
Hope you find what you are looking for Chris as ED said.

Jacob":1rtpafbs said:
[]OK.
But doesn't a block plane do exactly the same as a "paring block" but as a purpose designed tool?
Horses for courses I would guess Jacob. I'm not speaking from experience and wouldn't pretend to having the skills to attempt this joint which is probably why I can't see how you could use a block plane here.
95XIEvz.jpg

(From Custards linked thread in his post above.)

But even I can see the need for a bit of specialisation and malleability of habit, process or practice. As I said before. Was just for the sake of clarity. Not pretending I know what I'm talking about. Anyone who reads this forum regularly will be under no illusion about the levels of my skill set lol. :roll:
Ps.
Zyzzyva.
"Zyzzyva, a genus of South African weevils found on or near palm trees, is the newest last word you'll find in the Oxford English Dictionary. Zyzzyva replaces the previous last word in the OED, zythum, an ancient Egyptian malt beer."

Sorry fella. Looks like I already had the last word. \:D/
Having said that.
All the best. As always.
Regards
Chris
 
chris watford":3p3rkqb7 said:
Rightly or wrongly, I have made a decision - A cranked paring chisel. Pondering over 3/4 or 1" bevel edged. I will try to sort a used Henry Taylor or equivalent or buy a new HT if this fails to materialise.

Thank you for all replies.

Chris

Chris, for pairing chisels my go-to are my Kiyohisa. What I especially like about their design is that the blades are slightly cranked, which allows the blade to sit flat ...

aaf531ed-3c39-486b-a197-51b0c6c3af78-zpsc9d6y6zp.jpg


This maker is no longer offering them, but there are others similar available ..

Kiyohisa.jpg


However, if you are dead set on cranked paring chisels, wait until Lee Valley release their Veritas versions. They have an interesting set due for launch, and they work very well.

Regards from Perth

Derek
 

Latest posts

Back
Top