My favorite chisel chipped after 4 days on a kitchen remodel in Boise

I picked up a new set of bench chisels from a brand I never tried before. On day 4 of cutting mortises for cabinet hinges, the tip snapped off clean. I ended up grabbing my old beat up stanley from the truck and finished the job. Has anyone else had a tool fail that fast, or did I just get a lemon from a bad batch?

2 comments

2 Comments

nelson.finley5d ago

I mean, was the chisel actually cutting clean mortises or were you maybe prying with it a bit? I've seen guys snap brand new chisels when they start leaning on them sideways instead of just letting the edge do the work. Not saying you did that, but a lot of times it's how you're using it, not the tool itself.

david8215d ago

I guess I see it a bit different - a decent chisel shouldn't snap from normal mortising work even if you're a little rough with it. The steel quality matters a lot and some brands just have issues with heat treating or brittleness right out of the box.