NAREX 1/2" Skew Chisels

[Robson Valley]

Narex® Skew Chisels - Lee Valley Tools

I'm a sucker for skew chisels. I like to make stop cuts in carvings with a knife (like the Moor large Chip knife). Then I follow around one, or both, sides pushing a skew with my thumb.
Weight/mass about 4.5oz/130g, length 10+ "
Max handle diameter 1 5/16" and flatted to 1 3/16", they don't roll around.
Bevel is 25 degrees, the pitch is 40 degrees

As delivered, the corners of the tool shafts were very sharp, I felt obliged to knock those down with 1500 grit paper. They are not carving sharp by any means. All my tools are test-carved in one single piece of western red cedar that I've been using for years. 1000 then 4000 then honing made a difference but the Cr-Mn steel is hard enough that I'll need to do several more sessions. Then, I guess that they will hold a good edge for quite a while in soft wood. That's a plus.
For making curved grooves and for shaving surfaces, I find them acceptable. I have a WIP relief carving in 1 x 12 x 18" pine and have just used them a little in that.
If anything, I don't like the 25 degree bevel, 20 degrees would be more comfortable to push or pull.
So, they're just $24.50 per pair. Good entry level stuff.

[ajcoholic]

I have a set of Narex chisels as my "shop" or hack chisels - the ones I use to clean glue, cut on plywood or throw in my toolbox to take on the job site (I also have an old set of good chisels that only touch clean wood).

I have reground a few of the Narex ones into skews, it makes it easier to get into corners to clean up stop dadoes, etc. They seem to be pretty good steel, like you say. Good deal for the price I'd agree.

AJC

[davidinsarasota]

I have to admit I like the look of them. I don't see any major problems other than the steel looks a bit thick. I would definitely take the bevel down to 20 or so. The handles look great. The Czechs may be a good med/high quality, low cost answer to the gap between best quality/expensive and low quality/cheap that exists now. I'd like to see one dismounted to see how the shoulder and tang are formed.

[Robson Valley]

Got out my micrometer:
1" back from the apex of the bevel, the Narex are 1/8" thick, moreso at the handle. I have big hands and I like the fat handles. Another tuning and they're carving quite well. Aside from the 25 degree bevel, they soon could be my "go-to" pair.

I own a pair of the LV no-name "economical" skews which came with pitted steel and a 20 degree bevel. 1" back from the apex, they are 3/16" thick. Very slippery finish on the handles so that got some 220 grit paper = just fine now. They carve really well, once I got them tuned up.

In neither case do the ferrules at the ends of the handles make them look particularly "bash-worthy." One Narex ferrule is loose, don't know if that matters, not concerned for how I use them.

[Robson Valley]

My knot-buster firmer chisels needed oil stone work quite badly. So, decided to take the Narex skews down from 25 degrees to 20 degrees bevel. At $24.50/pair, worth the experiment.
Lots of effort, hard steel. Good. 1000 then 4000 grit water stones then honing.
As I like to push skews around curves with my thumb, they are now like good knives in cheese.
Leave a nice, glassy surface in the wood.
Bargain but they need work.

[Robson Valley]

Well, it's today. -33C outside my front door again.
I did it = bought a second pair of NAREX 1/2" skews from Lee Valley.
Why?
Relieve carving WIP in pine. The 20 degree/reworked NAREX skews sank into the wood and took so little pressure to move that I nearly chopped off a couple of corners!!!!!
Plan:
Pfeil makes skews but just one side. I'll keep that NAREX as a spare. The othe rone, I'll joint & square off then make a 1/12 carver's stop chisel from it. Gotta love Rc59.

[Robson Valley]

I now own a NAREX 1/12 carving chisel, made from a skew. From CrMn hard steel and $12.25.
1. High speed stone grinder, slowly and carefully jointed the metal (aka squared off the end).
Nice bucket of snow from outside the door for cooling but I didn't burn it.
2. With my 10 degree angle guide, took both sides down with a stationary disk sander.
I have a Pfeil 1/8 at 20 degrees and like it.
3. In reflected light, the squared off edge was disappearing so I quit, deciding to do the last of it on bench stones. I could do little more on the disk and I was concerned again that I'd cook the thing and have to start over.
Like many firmer chisels, the left and right top edges had been beveled as well. I can see a remnant of that but just for stop cuts, not terribly noticeable. . . . and, I can turn that around to face waste wood if really necessary.

[Donsexton]

I don't have that brand but I am and have always been a fan of right and left pairs of bent skews I cant carve without them.

[Robson Valley]

Don:
Lee Valley sells them at $24.50 a pair. I would not have bought a second pair unless the steel was really good. The first pair, I cut back to 20 degrees, they are just lovely for those shallow shaving cuts. . . . . . hence pair #2. Pushing skews around with my thumbs, 25 degrees is too big to push the wood open. The handles are a good size for big hands, matte finish, with flats so they don't roll all over the bench. As I measured, 1/8" thick, 1" behind the bevel. I'm thinking that I might chop the other one off 2" and make a stubby skew. I could use that.

BTW, I repaired the edges of a dozen Sorbey lathe tools for owner #2. He used them for the first time the other day. Very content with my workings.