Arno 467863 Solid Steel French Timber Framing Slick Chisel 35 mm (1-3/8 Inch) Wide x 14 Inches Long RC 58-60 PVC Dipped Handles

This is a somewhat unusual tool, but I really like it. Instead of a conventional tang-in-handle design, this chisel is a solid piece of steel with a dipped rubbery foam over the back half of it. This foam extends quite a ways down (much too far for my tastes, I cut mine back right away) and back over the end of the handle. In use, you will promptly remove it from the end by striking it. The chisel can be struck with whatever you want though, as the back is steel. If you are using a wooden joiner's mallet it will beat the heck out of it, but it does't seem to hurt my nylon mallet any, and I like that I can strike it with a steel hammer without worrying about damaging it. The edge arrived in really decent shape, the factory did a nice job with it and I did not feel compelled to lap it right off the bat. The steel seems good, it has held and edge great so far, but time will tell. County of origin is France.The length is adequate and the handle shape appropriate for working larger timbers. I bought this to use as a timberframing slick (of sorts), I am doing my first timberframe building. I wanted to get a feel for how it went with a chisel this size before investing in something even larger and much more costly. I have having good success with this for basic timberframe joinery in extremely green (milled the previous day) red pine. I am doing the coarse work with power tools and just using this for cleanup/fine-tuning and in blind mortises.Compared to a fine woodworking chisel, this is a much coarser tool. It is heavy and the handle doesn't allow the same level of control. If you are looking for generalist chisels, I would steer you towards the outstanding Narex product. But if you are getting into some big work (timberframe, boat, etc) or know you need a hard-use tool, this seems to be well suited to the task and represents a fantastic value. I was not familiar with the Arno brand before buying this, but I would definitely buy more of this series of chisels.This is a fairly preliminary review, I have only worked this for a week so far. I'l update the review if my impressions change over time.

Amazing chisel which I’m sure will suit timber framers perfectly, but it was way to long for my needs. I didn’t realize it was 14” long when I bought it, but that’s my mistake.

This 1-3/8" wide all steel, plus thin handle cover, chisel is most often purchased for heavy use. For me, it fills a size gap in the four similar Peyron all steel chisels that I already had. Both are hotly competitive French brands. But, the Arno chisel is sharper than any other chisel that I have ever purchased, including three variations of Narex and several dozen other woodworking chisels. The Arno cutting edge gives every indication of being hand sharpened and hand honed, including the final bright sheen at the extreme quarter-inch cutting end. I am less enthralled about the thin rubberized handle cover which seems of dubious long term durability. But that is a very minor caveat. If you need a heavy duty chisel that will take much pounding, then this should be on your evaluation list.

I could not buy a chisel of this size and quality cheaper anywhere else, I have looked. It is sturdy, sharp and we'll made right out of the box usable. I am very happy with the purchase and recommend this to anyone looking for a framing chisel.