New Stanley Premium Chisels

[Songololo]

While searching for chisel info, I came across an entry in the Woodworking Magazine blog about the planned new line of Stanley premium chisels (http://www.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/CategoryView,category,Chisels.aspx).

http://www.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/content/binary/WEB_Chisel-b.jpg

http://www.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/content/binary/WEB_Stanley-1pc-Chisel-a.jpg

To summarize what was said in the article:



similar to the Everlasting (http://www.wgtoolco.com/everlasting.html) line from 1911-1942
blade, head and shank from one piece of solid steel
high-carbon steel hardened to 59-62
sizes: 1/4", 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1-1/4" and 1-1/2"
$17.99 to $19.99 each
available November 2008?

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

It's not quite the same as an Everlasting chisel, though. More like a Perfection screwdriver, in fact.

[PeterSibley]

If they got to Australia at anywhere near that price I would be quite tempted .I use the yellow plastic handled Stanleys at work , they last indefinitely , but pretty certainly aren't pretty ! I think this lot would stay in the workshop along side my Marples .

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Blue handled Stanleys for taking around; a nice set of Marples stays at home along with a good number of "bought at car boot sale" old Sheffield chisels. I find it useful to have some sharpened to a flatter angle and polished on a white Arkansas stone for cutting excess caulking rubber and some for rough work, etc.

[merlinron]

the good ole' stanley yellow handled steel tops have been the standard of the industry for years and have resided in my tool box for 30 years. they've always served me well on the job. i also have a few bucks that are virtually identical.
that said, they aren't the finest there is by a long shot, but good enough for most work with proper care and sharpening. biggest gripe about them is length.... they could be longer, but they are more or less a good "utility" grade chisel.
it will have to be seen if the new stanleys will be a step up in quality or just a re-designed wanna be......i do like thier looks.

[Jim Ledger]

The yellow handled Stanleys are good for doing rough work, cleaning out putty and caulking, chopping out chunks of wood, and if they're still sharp enough, chopping in a hinge mortise.

But thats about it, and the reason is not the steel, it's the shape. The butt chisel has a very limited usefulness for many tasks, plug paring, for instance. If the plug isn't near the edge of the board, the chisel can't do the job simply because the blade can't be brought down to lay on the work. For chopping down with a hammer, the butt chisel works well, but a longer chisel, like a framer, will be more accurate and easier to use. Their small size makes them easy to pack into a box of tools, a big plus, which is offset by the fact that you can't get two hands on one.

Make it out of the finest steel, it'll still be a putty cleaner, although, a nice one.

[merlinron]

jim,
if you have a good look at the new stanleys, thier geometry isn't much different than the old steel tops as i talked about. hence my wondering if they will be just a re-designed steel top, with a higher price tag and prettier dandles. the jest of my post was that the look to me to be just the same chisel more or less with a pretty hair-do....why pay for the pretty handles... sort of thought. the old stanleys can be made plenty sharp if you know what to do. i have several that will shave oak cross grain with hand pressure and will hold thier edges as well as most. as i said, they lack length, albeit for obvious reasons, as you stated.



.........one more thing... why would you scrape paint or caulk with a chisel?

[Bob Smalser]

The real thing....a glorified butt chisel designed to be indestructible in school shops.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/5090019/336905951.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/5090019/336905936.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/5090019/336905967.jpg

Of all the new ones of reasonable price I got to test for magazines, I liked these the best, although they required a bit of honing:

http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=toolshop&Product_Code=IL-100-10.XX&Category_Code=

http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/prodimg/il/big/IL-100-10XX_big.gif