Stanley 5001's

[Kalimna]

Xy - thanks for the link, that's exactly the thread that prompted me to try rehandling.

Cheers,
Adam

 

[Graham Orm]

The yellow banded ones are the earlier tool steel type and the white banded ones have the chrome and are shinyer. I have quite a few of them and use them for work.There seems to be an inexhaustible supply on Ebay. Mine sharpen well and stay sharp. The handles take plenty of stick and are nice to use, especially when you want to change your grip, no ridges or lumps to negotiate. I've had one chip (Jacob you predicted this), but only one. I love 'em and certainly wouldn't change the handles.

 

[TrailRider]

Not what they were.
Not a proper bevel chisel, sort of a halfway house foobar firmer chisel. Embarased to say I bought some on line.
A friend has promised to surface grind some to have a more classic bevel side edge.
Reground one to be a skew.
Go look for some second hand ones. A clean flat face is all you really need and some grunt work with the stones.

 

[MikeG.]

Not sure who you are responding to, TrailRider. Most of the people in this 5 year old thread no longer post here.

 

[FatmanG]

5 years old thread Mike but still in abundance coincidence that I was just doing these whilst reading they were part of a job lot. Need some work but good practice to get right and sharp.

 

[MikeG.]

I reckon they're excellent chisels. There's some nonsense talked about decent old tools sometimes, particularly if they happen to have a plastic handle.

 

[FatmanG]

I reckon they're excellent chisels. There's some nonsense talked about decent old tools sometimes, particularly if they happen to have a plastic handle.

I bought a set of aldi chisels because Paul Sellers recommended them and paid twice as much as I should of. I then happened to use a Marples yellow and red plastic handled one day and it felt far superior to the workzone ones. I bought a full set of them and I'm sticking to them. Just out of interest mike how many chisels do you have or how many do you use/need? I think I've bought far too many.

 

[Trevanion]

I find I only ever use three chisels on a daily basis for actual woodworking, a 1/4", 1/2", and an 1".

 

[FatmanG]

I fell into the buy everything at once eager beaver job lots etc now im full up with hundred screwdrivers and other stuff I will never use. Ah well we live and learn.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I did have a bit of a clear out a few years ago and sold better part of a couple of hundred. I've still got too many.

 

[MikeG.]

.......Just out of interest mike how many chisels do you have or how many do you use/need? I think I've bought far too many.

I'm an absolute minimalist when it comes to tools*. I have a set of 4 plastic handled bevel edged Stanleys as my bench chisels, and a Marples (plastic handled bevel edged) 1-1/2". They live permanently on the bench (unless I am oak framing, when the 1-1/2" chisel goes out to play), and those 5 chisels do 95%+ of all the chisel work I do. I have a set of 4 Chinese wooden handled bevel edged chisels someone gave me in the 80s, and they're my building-site chisels. They're decent enough. I've recently bought a 3mm chisel and a 10mm chisel to fill in gaps in my bench chisel collection, old wooden handled jobs. I have a 1" (Stanley, I think, plastic handled) firmer rescued from a skip (and it's gorgeous), and the very first chisel I ever bought as an 18 year old.....a Stanley 5001 1/2". And that's it. Skew, mortise, paring, fish-tail.......all fine to have, I guess, but I don't need them, and I probably do more chiseling than most here. Here are the bench chisels and my new 3mm chisel in recent action:

*I'm sure everyone knows by now that I believe in skills not tools, and get frustrated that people try to get around their lack of skills by simply buying another tool.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Just be aware that if you buy a set of 5001s from anyone here cheap they might not be sharp.

 

[deema]

A delightful tool is a joy to use. I wouldn’t rehandle the 5001’s rather I’d sell them and buy some old beat up chisels of the brands already suggested. I’d also add Palm Tree, which can often be found for pennies.

I have a number of chisels I want to rehandle, it’s a ‘round t’uit’ job (I’m originally from Yorkshire!) when I’d do, I’m going to go for London Pattern handles, I have one or two, and they are an absolute joy to hold, look at and don’t roll off the bench. I have some apple, plum and pear stashed away seasoning for the day when the jobs ahead of me diminish and I’m looking for something to do.

I have a ‘few’ chisels, virtually all of them have been passed down to me by my father....who intern had them passed down to him by his father....by his grandfather. I’m from a long line of cabinet makers / master joiners hence the collection! With a good selection, I use probably two of three predominantly.
A 1 1/4”, 1/2” and a nice long pairing chisel are always close to hand.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes, there's an element of masochism involved in rehandling plastic handled chisels, especially when there are old ooden handled ones by scores of reputable manufacturers available cheaply (and even more cheaply with damaged handles). I have made a few London Patterns and have promised myself when the occasion arises I'll do some more. One good thing for doing your own is that you can graduate the size - I've a very large one on a large Isaac Greaves gouge. One thing to be careful of ( as Mike G. mentioned iirc) is that flats on the handle are parallel to the blade - it'll drive you nuts using it otherwise.

 

[Graham Orm]

I stuck a couple in the lathe a few years ago at very low speed with the blade in the chuck and the handle pinned tight by the tailstock. Going down the grits I was able to bring them up better than new. Like glass.