In the autumn of 1949, a pattern maker named Ashley Iles gave up his day job and set out on his own to make and sell woodworking tools.

He began by renting a small workshop in Sheffield for five shillings a week and ended up with a factory making carving and woodturning tools with a brand renowned worldwide for the finest quality handmade English woodworking tools.

Forged and ground by hand in the old tradition, Ashley Iles chisels still retain the desirable qualities that made Sheffield tools famous throughout the world. Their sublimely thin blades, excellent heat treatment and (correctly) fractionally concave backs make them a sheer delight for woodworkers of all skill levels to work with.

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