footprint bevel edge chisel

[lurcher]

doe anybody have any experiance with the footprint red handled chisels .
i got a 5 pice set from the boot sale for £5.00 and wow i have sharpnd them and today was dovetailing in some pitch pine and they just cut and cut and cut . they seem to be very well made and as good as my marples shamrock branded set so if you come about some try them you may well get a nice suprise i did.

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

Yes, they are excellent and I'm not sure why they don't get the praise they deserve. I'm not sure they still make them, since Footprint had troubles a few years back, but when the were made, they were always a bit cheaper than Stanley, Marples et al, but I'm my opinion slightly better. The cutting edges seem to last ages without chipping and the lands were nice and narrow for dovetailing. I have mentioned them in old posts as a good buy.

Henry Tailor Diamic brand chisels are good steel too. I know they make BE chisels but have no experience, but I do have some firmers which have fabulous edge retention characteristics. I wish these British brands got a lot more good publicity, as they are great tools. I would have either of these brands over the later Stanley or Irwin (pah!) offerings any day of the week.

Mike.

 

[Jacob]

Yes Footprint excellent.
Mind you most chisels are - it's not rocket science.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes, I've a wooden handled inch and a half bevel edge that is one of my most used. I've a set of firmers that I promised to the young lad next door after I've cleaned them up - I paid a whole quid for the four. They're the blue handled ones. Were the Diamics Taylor or Aaron Hildick that made them before Taylor bought them out? I've a few wooden handled ones of each that are excellent chisels.

 

[woodbrains]

Yes, I've a wooden handled inch and a half bevel edge that is one of my most used. I've a set of firmers that I promised to the young lad next door after I've cleaned them up - I paid a whole quid for the four. They're the blue handled ones. Were the Diamics Taylor or Aaron Hildick that made them before Taylor bought them out? I've a few wooden handled ones of each that are excellent chisels.

Hello,

Relatively recent Henry Tailor ones. I'm sure the Hildick were better finished but the Tailor Diamic is very, very good steel.

Mike.

PS Jacob, you might not think it is rocket science, but the science behind the metallurgy involved in edge tool manufacture is an awful lot more complicated than it might seem. It is very easy to make terrible tools and I think hard to actually get it just right. The footprint ones are surprisingly good. Modern Stanley's are surprisingly poor, considering the time they have been at it!

 

[n0legs]

Yes, they're great. Mine are the firmers.
Some were my grandfathers and then by hook and by crook I sought out others to make up a usable set. The steel is a treat and as you've noticed they hold an edge very well. For me the handles are one of the biggest pluses, very comfortable.

 

[JimB]

Lucky devil. I just have one an eighth inch.

 

[Jacob]

Funny how fashions change. 5 years ago no chisel was good enough unless it cost more than £50! Footprint and other makes were derided at only £3 or so each on ebay!
Ignore fashions; if in doubt always buy the cheapest - its the least expensive way to make mistakes!

 

[MarkDennehy]

I've got three of the footprint firmers from ebay; lovely things though I did manage to destroy a handle chopping mortices with them, but replacement handles are easy.

 

[Billy Flitch]

Yes footprint have allways been the victim of tool snobery. I was issued with a set of footprint firmers in my Apprentices tool kit way back in the 60's. They took a good edge and hold it well,there's not much more you can ask from a chisel really.

The original handles where made out of beech and painted black with a yellow capping on the end, I stand to be corected on this but think they where one of the first to introduce plastic handles. I think Butol was the name and they had the same shape as the wooden handles.

What I have noticed is that over time they can get a brown stain in the plastic and then it bubbles up and if you store them next to each other say in a chisle roll the next handle will get it also, so just keep your eye out for that.

Back in 2008 footprint sold there ovens for making chisels and aranged a loan with the bank to buy more moden ones and then the crash happend and the bank renaiged on there promise.Which left Footprint with no means of making chisels. But you can still buy footprint chisels today but made by whom or where I just dont know.

 

[AJB Temple]

These were my first chisels, bought for me by my dad, when I was about 14. This is sadly some while ago (3 decades). Still going strong But a bit shorter now!). Take a great edge. Indestructible. I still use them.