Marples Wood Carving Chisel Set 6 Gouges Boxed with Leaflet Sheffield England

A boxed set of six Marples carving tools, hardwood handles with brass ferrules, in the original fitted box with the printed leaflet still inside.

Marples of Sheffield is one of the names that woodworkers still argue about, and the argument is always about when. The firm dates to 1828, and the old Sheffield made tools have a reputation that the later, post acquisition production never quite matched. People buy vintage Marples specifically because they want steel from before the change.

What is in the box is a carving set, not a set of bench chisels, and the difference is in the sweeps. A bench chisel is flat. Carving tools are ground to curves of varying radius, called sweeps, running from nearly flat to a deep U, plus V shaped parting tools. You do not buy one, you buy a range, because the whole craft is about choosing the tool whose curve matches the cut you want. That is why they are sold in sets and why a complete boxed set is the useful thing.

The brass ferrule matters more than it looks. A carving handle takes mallet blows and hand pressure and would split at the socket without it.

Still in the box, with the leaflet, with the sleeve. Most of these were opened, used hard and the box binned within a week.

Condition: Six tools, counted in the photographs, all seated in the fitted card tray. Blades are bright with light surface marking. Brass ferrules are sound and the handles are tight with no splits. The original printed leaflet is present. The box is complete with the printed sleeve, showing shelf wear, a retail sticker and a blue dot label. Edges not tested for sharpness.

Ships flat rate from Baltimore via FedEx, out the door within the stated handling time. I price shipping by size rather than by scale, since I work from photographs rather than a shipping scale. Combined shipping on multiple items. Returns accepted for 30 days.

Ten percent of every sale goes to a nonprofit providing humanitarian aid in Ukraine.

Packaging is reused. Boxes and padding come from what already passed through here, so the parcel will not look new but it will arrive intact. Nothing extra is included: no cards, no plastic sleeves, no filler.

I teach for a living. Sorting and researching these pieces is how I learn, and selling is what makes room for the next batch. If you know more about this one than I do, tell me. Corrections are welcome and I will update the listing.