Skip to Content
Hand tools · Chisels

Which Chisels Should I Buy First?

Start with four bench chisels, about ¼", ½", 1", and 2", in steel you’ll actually sharpen. At Fells Hardwood Supply in Hutto we recommend Veritas PM-V11 or Lie-Nielsen when you want buy-it-for-life, Narex when budget is tight, and Suizan wood chisels (WC family) as an approachable Japanese option when that line lands in the store.

Bench set first

Those four sizes cover most furniture and casework: paring, chopping waste, and cleaning shoulders. Skip the full 10-piece wall until you’ve worn edges on the sizes you reach for every week. On a strict budget, defer the mortise chisel until you know you’ll chop traditional mortises by hand.

Premium, budget, and Japanese options

  • Premium / buy-it-for-life. Veritas PM-V11 or Lie-Nielsen. They hold an edge longer and need less babying once set up.
  • Budget. Narex is acceptable, but plan more time flattening backs at the start and more frequent honing.
  • Japanese / approachable. Suizan wood chisels (WC sizes from about ⅛" through larger bench widths). We are an authorized Suizan dealer. Chisels are secondary to their saws and are coming soon. Ask what’s arriving rather than assuming shelf stock.
Mortise chisel (~⅜"). Essential only if you chop traditional mortises by hand. Optional early: dedicated paring or dovetail chisels. Japanese profiles are often the cost-effective path for those specialties once the bench set is sharp and trusted.

Student vs buy-it-for-life

Students can learn on Narex or a partial set if they commit to sharpening. Upgrading later to Veritas or Lie-Nielsen makes sense when the steel, not the skill, is the bottleneck. Don’t buy premium and leave it dull. Don’t buy budget and skip flattening.

What mistakes waste money on chisels?

Buying twelve sizes before four sharp ones. Skipping back flattening. Using a rubber mallet on soft handles forever without learning to chop. Assuming “Japanese” automatically means better. Geometry and heat treat matter. Suizan’s role here is approachable Made-in-Japan steel when it arrives, not mystique.

Do I need Japanese and Western chisels?

No. One coherent set you can keep sharp beats two half-maintained sets. Add a Japanese specialty profile later if a Western bench chisel fights a particular cut. Not because a video said you must.

Recommended hand tools · Sharpening · Suizan · Saws

Fells Hardwood Supply, Hutto, TX. We serve Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, and the greater Austin metro.