Chisel set

[mtodd]

Hello everyone,

I'm still getting started and slowly building up my collection of tools. I'm getting close to finishing off my first classical guitar neck with traditional Spanish heel with the tools at the guitar making school. I'm thinking about purchasing a set of 6 of Luban chisels for $99:

Sizes included: 6 mm, 10mm, 12 mm, 16mm, 19 mm and 25 mm
Blades: CRV Steel
Hardness: RC 59-63
Handles: Bubinga

Does anyone who has experience with Luban chisels think this is a bad idea? It'll be an internet purchase (I don't think I can purchase anything similar locally) so I won't be able to see before purchasing. I had intended to get some old ones at a market but I haven't found anything yet and gumtree sales of old English chisels seem to be a bit pricey anyway.

Cheers,
Matt

[kiwigeo]

They seem to get a reasonable review: https://www.woodworkforums.com/f152/lub ... els-171165

What is your sharpening method?

[nkforster]

I bought a set when I first moved here and was still waiting for all my tools to arrive. Decent chisels.

[mooshalah]

Yeah, I like these chisels.

I bought a set of long handles and the set with stubby handles about 8 years ago, when they were really cheap, and I've been using them, and have been happy with them ever since.

It's definitely NOT a "bad idea". It's a GOOD idea!

As for sharpening, I sometimes use stones and sometimes diamond plates. Both methods are fine, and all the chisels sharpen well and hold their edges as one might expect them to do.

The Bubinga handles look pretty, feel good in the hand and are perfectly adequate; the only problem I have is that because they feel and look so good, I'm loathe to hit them with a metal hammer if and when I need to, and so I always only use a plastic-headed hammer.

Frank

[mtodd]

They seem to get a reasonable review: https://www.woodworkforums.com/f152/lub ... els-171165

What is your sharpening method?

Hi Martin,
Thank you very much for the link. So far I have only sharpened plane blades with a veritas honing guide and 800 & 1200 grit water stones. I’ve also got the narrow veritas chisel honing guide so I’ll give that a go.
Cheers,
Matt

[mtodd]

I bought a set when I first moved here and was still waiting for all my tools to arrive. Decent chisels.

Hello Nigel,
Thank you for the comment. It’s reassuring to know you have found them to be decent. Just as an aside, I really enjoyed your interview on the Luthier on Luthier podcast.
Cheers,
Matt

[mtodd]

Yeah, I like these chisels.

I bought a set of long handles and the set with stubby handles about 8 years ago, when they were really cheap, and I've been using them, and have been happy with them ever since.

It's definitely NOT a "bad idea". It's a GOOD idea!

As for sharpening, I sometimes use stones and sometimes diamond plates. Both methods are fine, and all the chisels sharpen well and hold their edges as one might expect them to do.

The Bubinga handles look pretty, feel good in the hand and are perfectly adequate; the only problem I have is that because they feel and look so good, I'm loathe to hit them with a metal hammer if and when I need to, and so I always only use a plastic-headed hammer.

Frank

Thank you Frank. It definitely seems like they are worth it for my first set of chisels. I do agree that the Bubinga handles are very nice. Maybe I need to get started on my diy wooden mallet project.
Cheers,
Matt

[nkforster]

Glad you enjoyed the podcast. Michael does a good job.

The Luban chisels are not for hitting. They have no hoop on the end. So don't hit them. If you want a chisel to hit, buy one for hitting. Japanese chisels with an iron hoop can be hit.

As for sharpening - I like this jig the best:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQfl3kSju3y/

[J.F. Custom]

The Luban's are one of the better chisels coming out of China, though as Nigel mentioned, they are not designed for hitting - you risk splitting the handle. That is the job of a ferrule, or something a little more robust such as a butyrate plastic or similar. Luban built themselves up as reasonable Chinese copies of other tools, primarily Lie Nielson, Clifton etc and have improved over the years.

Old tools tend to fetch pretty outlandish prices these days and is risky unless you know what you are looking at, or for. There are plenty of other options, depending on your budget. There is Narex from Czech Republic; Kirschen (Two Cherries) from Germany; Pfeil from Switzerland; Sorby from UK; Veritas from Canada; Blue Spruce from USA, a whole host of Japanese variants from tradesman sets with plastic handles, to quality traditional sets in various laminated steels, to handcrafted damascus steel pieces of art...! And more.

Just some food for thought.

Cheers,

Jeremy

[Dave M]

Just for info I bought a Narex chisel some time back and it was OK though a bit soft, but a second one is quite poor. Too soft to hold an edge for long.

What I do like to do is have several versions of the most used sizes so I don't have to break of and sharpen when in the middle of a task.

[seeaxe]

Just for reference I bought a set of 4 basic chisels (marples, plastic handles) in 1976, still using them. They work well enough.
Looking at the same thing now they cost two or three times as much as your Luban ones!.

[asgilbert]

Hi, I add this only because the discussion on chisels gets to hard and soft in terms of edge retention.
Done some hardness testing in my shop with a rockwell tester and find Irwin, Narex, Robert Sorby and a Japanese set I bought from Southern Tone Woods are all in the vacinity of 60HRC (within 1 or two points). I am pretty sure the edge retention has more to do with the alloying elements in the Steel. The japanese set and the RS seem to hold the edge best IMHO but I am not a guru on that part of life, however in terms of hardness I can assure you they are all within kooey.
When we get our spectrometer in a month or so will do a spark on the four brands and post results. Will also do a sub zero treatment on the same to see if it produces an increase in hardness or in edge retention.

[Steve.Toscano]

Food for thought.....
When i started my hobby of guitar building i went out and bought a bunch of the chinese made handtools mainly being chisels and planes: luban, woodriver, and other no name stuff etc.

Many years on i have none of these tools left, with the exception of 1 plane (a woodriver thats been upgraded with a lee valley breaker and blade).
They all got replaced with better quality gear, mostly veritas, lieneilsen, and HNT gordon.

So that's saying something about the chinese stuff.

I have about 20 Narex chisels that is designated to student use. THey cop a beating day in day out and are still going strong. So if you're after exceptional quality and low cost chisels, Narex are the go. I think they were around $25 each.