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At some stage I may be able to do a review - I only have preproduction versions with a variety of handle sizes and blade steels. What I can say is that these are the best mortice chisels I have used. My go to chisels have been Ray Isles, which are excellent. Where the Veritas shade the RI is in the blade design. The Veritas are slightly deeper, with more side registration near the bevel end. The lands are sharp front and back. These features translate into more control and smoother walls. I obtained great results from both A2 and PM-V11.
Regards from Perth
Derek
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08-13-2016, 05:32 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-13-2016, 05:33 PM by Rich's Woodcraft.)
I agree with Derek on these being the best mortise chisels I have ever used. Testing both steels to see if I could hurt them was a fool's errand, they both seemed to be indestructible. This included yards of pounding in some of the hardest woods I had in the shop - neither type showed any signs of wear.
The large chisel body with only a slight taper makes it easy to control in the mortise and does not rotate easily, the taper provides just enough clearance even in deeper crevasses. The curve makes clearing the "choppings" out easy as pie.
The handle design is one built for many years of service, the maple handle and steel ring make it very difficult for this to deform in use - believe me I tried!!
I do not think you will be disappointed whatever size or steel you choose, regardless, these will be the last mortise chisels you will ever buy!!
Richard Wile
Bedford, Nova Scotia
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I wonder how the A2 ones compare to LN mortise chisels. The Veritas A2 ones run about the same as LN, and the PM-V11 ones run about $40 more.
Still Learning,
Allan Hill
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Hi Allan
One difference: The LN blades are parallel sided, while the Veritas are relieved.
As with all chisels, try (if possible) before you buy.
Regards from Perth
Derek
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Hi -
A few comments....
Two Steels - as some have pointed out, A2 is a good choice for mortise chisels. The PM-V11 is also good, though the cost is significantly higher, and for good reason: the blank of raw PM-V11 steel for a 1/2" mortise chisel costs us than a completely finished and handled 1/2" mortise chisel made from A2. Both are good value given the amount and complexity of machining. We could not stick with only PM-V11 for these chisels - we knew there would be sticker shock! We are committed to using PM-V11 in all of our chisels, including the next new chisel design, which should be heading for pre-production soon.
Bevel - You'll note the rounding on the heel of the bevel on these chisels, a finishing touch that has been "lost" to recent production. It really helps when levering out waste in a mortise.
Handles - these have subtle flats perpendicular the back of the chisel; a tactile cue for the orientation in use.
It's a solid design, and another good choice among the others out there!
Cheers -
Rob
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08-19-2016, 12:31 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-19-2016, 12:40 PM by bdog01.)
I ordered the 3/8" in pv11. I think the pmv11 will be a good mortise chisel metal. you do not need a razor sharp edge for mortising so inherently less sharpening, but a2 may chip more (micro chip). I will see how pmv11 holds up.
*edit: didn't see the a2 posts (getting used to new site). Sounds like a2 is not a problem.
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(08-19-2016, 12:31 PM)bdog01 Wrote: I ordered the 3/8" in pv11. I think the pmv11 will be a good mortise chisel metal. you do not need a razor sharp edge for mortising so inherently less sharpening, but a2 may chip more (micro chip). I will see how pmv11 holds up.
*edit: didn't see the a2 posts (getting used to new site). Sounds like a2 is not a problem.
I ordered an A2 version. I'm not concerned about micro chipping. As long as your bevel angle is high enough, there shouldn't be a problem. The Lie-Nielsen mortise chisels are A2, and there are a lot of knife makers that offer A2 blades. Never really had a problem with chipped edges on my LN bench chisels either, which are also A2.
I would argue that sharper is better for all cutting tools. For sure, you abuse a mortise chisel more compared to a bench chisel, but a sharper mortise chisel will still penetrate deeper into the wood, perhaps requiring fewer strokes to accomplish the same task compared to a duller chisel. No, you don't need a 13,000 grit edge, but I sharpen my mortise chisels pretty much the same way as my bench chisels. YMMV
Still Learning,
Allan Hill
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I obtained great results from both A2 and PM-V11. I do not doubt that the PM steel is better, however I found that the A2 just kept on going, and I never could discover the duration each held an edge. For all practical purposes, either should hold an edge through the longest morticing session you choose to endure.
Regards from Perth
Derek
