NarexCzech Steel Dovetail Japanese Style Chisel 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 813507-19 (1/4)

This is a very nice chisel. I love the look and feel of it. Works really well after a quick sharpening/honing session.

Really like this chisel. Sharp right out of the package, holds edge good. Dovetail shape is useful for cleaning up dovetails but like it overall more than other profiles. For the money, can't beet Narex chisels. Good steel, decent handle, reasonable price.

used for dovetails and sheering. Seems to hod edge well and is great for dovetails

The steel seems to be pretty good, the chisel (1/4") takes a good edge. Unfortunately, the blade is bent to the point that the tool is not fit for purpose, and flattening would not leave much steel behind. The "Japanese style" groove in the back is, in fact, a gimmick which would cause the tool to have a short life (there is not much edge you can sharpen away).In addition, the sides of the blade do not come to a point, but have about 3/64" of a flat - better than a full thickness chisel, but still there to bruise your dovetails.I give it two stars in the hope that I just got a bad one, and in recognition that other than the defect and the design of the groove, it's a nice tool and would be pretty good with those issues fixed.I really wanted to like this tool, as I like the Narex mortise chisel, but it's going back.

If you think this chisel will be perfect for chopping and paring dovetails....you'll be wrong. Just like ordinary bench chisels, this has 1-2 MM flats ground into their sides, which will mar any dovetail that you use them on. I ended up regrinding the chisel to eliminate almost all of this bevel using a jig I created for the purpose. Otherwise, this is a perfectly fine chisel. The workmanship is more than adequate and the steel takes a good edge when sharpening.

I purchased the 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 versions of the chisel. These chisels feel good in my hand, seem well balanced and the finish on them is very good for the price of the tool. I have several other Narex Chisels and I have not been disappointed with the fit, the finish or the overall performance of the tools. The chisels came with a light coating of clear lacquer that cleaned off very easy. I checked the flatness of the back with my 1000 grit water stone and then moved up through 4000 / 8000 and the backs polished to a mirror with a very minimal effort. I then turned it over and polished the bevel on the 4000 and made a very small micro bevel to raise a wire burr and then tested it on end grain pine to take a very thin, clean full length shaving. I was up and running with these products in about 15 minutes.

Ooooh, I love these chisels. They cut wood like butter. It’s so satisfying. My dovetails went from looking like an Englishmans’ teeth to a great game of Tetris- like when you stacked up 4 rows of blocks and the long one pops up next?!! -Oooh baby it tingles way deep in my OCD. I DID have to run them over my diamond plate once but only once and now they could cut glass.

As mentioned in at least one other review, this is not a true dovetail chisel. It is really just a normal Japanese chisel with 2mm flats on the sides. Because of this, I can't give it a high rating.This is not to say it's a bad chisel, though. I own many Narex bench chisels that are great, and this one is no different. Unfortunately, it is just falsely advertised. If you're looking for a budget chisel specifically for dovetailing, you're better served by the standard Narex bench chisels, as they are almost half the cost and have smaller flats on the sides. For reference, the picture attached shows a standard 1/2" Narex bench chisel on the left and the Japanese-style one on the right.

The tool was not the exact size needed for the work we have undergo. We would need a smaller one. We bought the article in confidence we could return it for exchange in that case. Unofrtunately, it not eligible for returns! At 100$ CAD, we are not happy with that. It should be clear on the description that it is not exchangeable nor refundable.