Narex is the chisel maker most woodworkers point to first. Its Richter line is often called the best wood chisels on the market, and some woodworkers even say it surpasses Lie-Nielsen, one of the best-known premium names [1]. Still, the best wood chisels for you depend on your budget and the kind of work you do. You may also find this useful: What Wood Is Best for a Cutting Board? Species, Grain and Glue.
If you want one place to start, the Narex 6-piece set offers a good balance of utility, quality and price per chisel [2]. That matters because a set you can afford and sharpen well will do more for your joinery than a pricier tool that sits in a drawer.
Below, you’ll find the premium makers worth paying for, the best value picks, and which brand fits a beginner, a furniture builder or a weekend DIYer. Related reading: Best Wood Glue for Furniture: 5 Picks for Builds and Repairs.
Which brands make the finest chisels?
The finest chisels come from a small group of specialist makers: Barr Specialty Tools, Crown Hand Tools, Hirsch, Iyoroi, Lie-Nielsen and Narex all show up on the shelves of serious woodworking retailers. [3] Narex is the outlier in that list because it covers both value sets and premium lines, while the others focus on higher-end tools.
What sets these makers apart
Each of these brands has a different strength, so the “best” one depends on the work you do most:
Barr Specialty Tools makes heavy chisels that suit timber framing and big structural joints, where you drive the tool hard with a mallet.
Crown Hand Tools has a long English toolmaking tradition, and its chisels are a good fit if you like a classic pattern.
Hirsch is a German maker known for sturdy bench chisels that handle general furniture work.
Iyoroi makes Japanese chisels with a hard, thin cutting layer. They suit paring and fine fitting.
Lie-Nielsen is the U.S. benchmark that many woodworkers measure other premium chisels against.
Narex makes chisels at several price levels, so you can step up to its better lines without leaving the brand.
Who should buy a premium chisel
Premium chisels make the most sense for fine joinery and for hobbyists who work in the shop every week. Hand-cut dovetails, mortises for furniture and paring a tenon to a snug fit all reward an edge that stays sharp and a back that is flat from the start. If you chop a few hinge mortises a year, you probably won’t notice the difference.
The tradeoff: cost
These chisels cost more than hardware-store sets, and you pay for steel quality, fit and finish more than for extra features. That cost pays off when you chisel often. You spend less time flattening backs and resharpening, and more time cutting clean joints. For occasional use, put the money toward a good sharpening setup instead.
What are the best chisels for the money?
For most people, the best value comes from either the Narex 6-piece set for furniture work or DEWALT short blade chisels for everyday DIY. Which one fits you depends on whether you’re cutting clean joints or knocking out rough carpentry.
Narex 6-piece set: value pick for furniture and joinery
The Narex 6-piece set balances utility, quality and price per chisel well. [2] That matters if you’re building furniture, because you get a full range of widths without paying premium-brand prices for each one.
The blades are chrome-manganese steel, and the set is made in the Czech Republic. [2] In practice, this is the set to reach for when you’re paring tenon cheeks, cleaning out mortises or fitting drawer joints. Expect to spend some time sharpening and flattening the backs before first use, as with most mid-priced chisels.
DEWALT short blade chisels: everyday DIY and rough carpentry
DEWALT short blade wood chisels are an inexpensive pick, with one listing at $12.99. [4] At that price, you won’t worry about tossing one in a toolbox or using it to chop out a hinge mortise in a door jamb.
The short blade gives you control in tight spots, like trimming a strike plate recess or cleaning up a notch in framing lumber. These chisels aren’t meant for fine furniture joinery, but they handle the rough jobs a homeowner runs into most often.
Match chisel sizes to your joints before buying a big set
A bigger set isn’t automatically better value. The chisels you need should match the size of the dovetails you plan to cut. [5]
For example:
Project | Chisel widths that fit |
|---|---|
Small dovetails for a jewelry box or small storage box | 1/8 inch or 1/4 inch [5] |
Larger dovetails for furniture | 1/2 inch to 1 inch [5] |
If you mostly build boxes, a couple of narrow chisels may serve you better than a 12-piece set full of sizes you’ll never touch. Start with the widths your next project calls for, then add others as your work grows.
Which chisel brand should you buy?
Buy for how you’ll actually use the chisel, not for the most famous name. If you’re starting out or building furniture, get the Narex 6-piece set, because it gives you a good balance of usefulness, quality and price per chisel [2]. It covers the paring and chopping you’ll do on drawers, tables and cabinet joints.
If you chisel most weekends and cut fine dovetails, step up to Lie-Nielsen or another premium maker such as Barr Specialty Tools or Crown Hand Tools [3]. For rough DIY jobs like notching a door for hinges or cleaning up framing, a DEWALT short blade chisel does the work [4]. Your next step is to choose two or three sizes that match your next project, then add more as you need them.
