Three-piece Irwin Marples bevel edge chisel set covering the three most-used woodworking sizes: 1/2", 3/4", and 1". Each blade is solid-forged chrome vanadium steel hardened to 58-61 HRC for long edge life, with bevel-ground sides that taper to a knife edge for reaching into dovetail corners and cleaning inside corners on dados, mortises, and rabbets. ProTouch composite handles are shaped for both hand-paring and mallet work, and each chisel has a steel strike cap that takes repeated mallet impacts without mushrooming. A good baseline kit for door-hardware mortising, hand-cut joinery, and general benchwork.

• Includes 1/2", 3/4", and 1" bevel edge chisels
• Solid-forged chrome vanadium steel blades, 58-61 HRC
• Bevel-ground sides reach into dovetail corners and inside corners
• ProTouch composite handles sized for paring and mallet work
• Steel strike caps for use with wooden or rubber mallets
• Three most-used sizes for general cabinet, furniture, and joinery work

Selection Tip: The 3-piece set covers the three sizes most general furniture and cabinet work demands: 1/2" for door hardware and most joinery, 3/4" for wider mortises and dado cleanup, and 1" for paring shoulders and removing wide waste. A solid entry-level kit; add a 1/4" for inlay work and a 1-1/4" or 1-1/2" for heavy timber paring as the bench grows.

Use Tip: A sharp chisel is a safe chisel - dull blades skate and force a heavier push that ends in a slipped cut. Hone to a 25-30 degree primary bevel with a 30-35 degree microbevel on a waterstone, diamond plate, or oil stone, then strop on green compound until the edge shaves cleanly across end-grain pine. Drive with a wooden or composite mallet for chopping, push by hand with both hands - one on the handle for force, one near the blade for control - for paring. Cut with the bevel down for paring shallow waste; bevel up for chopping vertical mortise walls.

Care: Wipe the blade with an oiled rag after each session and re-hone the moment the edge stops shaving end grain cleanly - touching it up takes 30 seconds, regrinding a chipped edge takes 20 minutes. Do not pry with a chisel, the blade will chip or snap; use a screwdriver or pry bar to lift waste. Store with leather edge guards, a foam strip, or in a wall rack with the cutting edge protected from contact with other tools.