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I'm looking at getting some chisels to start to do some inletting work and glass bedding. Any suggestions on what to get. Also which stones should i get for sharpening.

I looked at getting these. Do you think this will be good to start with?
http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-pc-Carving-Chisel-Set/G8083


Thanks for the help

I know nothing about the quality of those, but the shapes of the tips should give you a pretty good start on what you need. I inherited about 100 quality English made carving tools and chisels that were made around 1900 (great grandfather was a full time wood carver/carpenter). Excellent quality and every shape you can imagine, but I usually only use three or four of them when doing a glass bed on an inletted stock. If you run into a time when you need a shape you don't have it is not difficult to grind an old file or screwdriver to the shape you need to get it done. You might also look at Woodcraft and Rockler stores online if the quality is important, but you get what you pay for.

For sharpening, this beats stones because it is easier, faster, less messy and fairly in expensive. And for that reason you will use it more, force a dull chisel less, and ruin fewer jobs.

Most of the serious folk make their own chisels.

I buy mine from trackofthewolf.com or places like leevalley.com, flea markets and where ever old tools are found.

I have a couple of sets of these Millers Falls chisels. They haven't been made in many years, but they show up regularly on ebay, and the steel is really high quality. Great for inletting.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-SET..._DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c2e07ce4e

Clemson

Consult a good stockmaking book. Before I started some carving I did some research and with some patience ended up with a good supply of mostly European made gouges, chisels, and planes mostly from Ebay. I'm not near a major city, and one will not find quality tools in box stores. Maybe some crude rasps and such, but for crossing files and gouges one has to look a bit.

For sharpening - some carbide stones for initially roughing in an edge and the highest grades of Arkansas oil stones for finishing them up.

Truly sharp tools are a real pleasure to use.

A great endeavor, but one absolutely needs an abundance of patience. If one finds himself hurrying or forcing work, back off and come back later.

In the course of my job hardly a day goes by that I don't use a chisel, or a hand plane. I quit using natural stones and or Japanese water stones for sharpening and now use only diamond technology. I do use an old 3"x12" black hard Arkansas stone for putting that last polish to an edge if I'm feeling particularly anal about it.

As far the OP's question re: the Grizzly chisels- if the steel is any good in them they should be fine, as there are some useful shapes and sizes there. The key word are 'if the steel is any good', which is a crap shoot from that supplier. My philosophy in general is to buy either the best quality chisels (usually European or Japanese), or antiques.

Of the chisels I have, the crank-neck versions are the most useful, and of my gouges those with the bevel on the inside of the curve ("in-cannel") seem to give me the most precise cut. Reliable source for both has been Japan Woodworker, but they are pricey and I will only buy one or two at a time.

I also am moving from water stones to diamond coatings for sharpening.

I have bought a lot of good using chisels and planes from eBay. There are a number of good names to look for, Witherby, James Swan, Greenlee, Sheffield, the old Stanleys, Marples, Miller Falls, Buck Brothers. These are names that come to mind. Often you can find a good set of carving chisels fairly reasonable, although you may do better price wise on individual pieces and chose just the chisels you need. I use waterstones for sharpening but the diamond stones are great as are the Arkansas stones. I've even used varying grades of sand paper on a scrap of granite counter top (do a search for scary sharp method).

I have a lot of Grizzly power equipment and am pleased with it. I cannot speak to the quality of their hand tools but suspect they are all imports. Rockler, Woodcraft, Garrett-Wade and many other woodworking supply businesses offer similar sets of carving chisels. I've done business with all three and was satisfied, but haven't used any of their chisels.

Mart

The edges on the tools in the photo might be a little thick for what you will be doing. Good steel doesn't need to be thick to resist breaking. Thinner tools will make precise cuts much easier and can still take a beating. Mine were hand made in 1974( forged thin and properly heat treated ) and are still going strong. Good tools are the best investment you can make. I agree with the quality already mentioned about the European tools and have no experience with the Japanese tools.

Excluding saws for roughing out, here's the bulk of mine.