The Beauty of Antique Tools

Don't expect these to be sharpened when you buy them—dealers say it's not worth the effort for them to do it before selling the items, as many buyers are particular about how they want their woodworking tools sharpened. You'll want to pick out a few different profiles, say a 1-inch beveled-edge chisel, a thin, rectangular-mortise chisel, a tapered paring chisel, and a gouge or two.

Norm Says: "There are a lot of jobs you can't do—like make a really clean hinge mortise—without a good, sharp chisel."