Narex chisels and Workshop Heaven
Today I’ve been preparing for the dovetail days over the weekend and also the beginners course that starts next Saturday.
On the first day of the beginners course we sharpen and fettle planes and chisels. For those who have no tools I have to provide some to work on. I like to buy old record and Stanley 5 1/2 planes from ebay for the plane fettling. But finding suitable chisels has been more difficult, so I thought I would try a set of Narex chisels from Workshop Heaven. Matthew Platt, who runs this execellent business, recommends them as the best economy chisel on the market. I received a set of four from Matthew today and must say I am very impressed. Generally I don’t like chisels with striking ferrules, they often seem uncomfortable, but these have a good balance and feel right in the hand.
Some economy chisels can take ages to fettle up ie lapping the machining marks and flattening the back and regrinding. I tried fettling the 6mm chisel and had it cutting as shown in the picture less than 5 minutes. Matthew says these chisels are ground with a slight concavity in the back, this makes lapping easy. The true test of a chisel is how long will it hold a good edge, I haven’t used it enough to tell you that, but I am optimistic. At £30 for the set I think they are excellent value.
I am always impressed with the service from Workshop Heaven, they really know their tools and communicate an enthusiasm for them. I hope Matthew doesn’t mind me saying that I hope they do not grow too big, because then they may lose that commitment to quality which is so uncommon nowadays.
If you like what you've read or know someone who would,
please help me spread the word by using the buttons below
Thankyou, Chris.
