Swedish Chisels – Full List
I like chisels made from Swedish steel. I come across Berg, Jernbolaget, and Beaver chisels frequently at local garage sales and have a nice mixed set that are my favorite users. All were manufactured in Ekilstuna, Sweden … the Swedish equivalent of Sheffield when it comes to steel tools and utensils.
Once I started looking into it, I found that there were many brands of chisels made from Swedish steel so I started compiling a list of them. The list is getting quite long now as you can see below. Now I enjoy spending spending some time gathering information and photos on these brands. It’s interesting to see who made what, but also very challenging. For me there are still way more questions than answers.
If you have information or good photos of these chisel brands (particularly decals, logos, and stamped brand and trademark info), please feel free to pass it on to me.
| Brand | Made In | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Arax | Sweden | |
| Agersta | Sweden | |
| Anchor and Fish | Sweden | |
| Anchorworks | Eskilstuna | Made by Jernbolaget |
| ASAB | Eskilstuna | Sold by Adolph Ståhls AB. |
| Aweco Product | Eskilstuna | |
| B&N | Eskilstuna | |
| Bahco | ||
| Beaver | Eskilstuna | |
| Beiger | Malmö | Exporter of Hellstedt, Kronan, Swedish Quality, and Toledo chisels. |
| E.A. Berg | Eskilstuna | Also made Shark Brand and Shark-O-Lite |
| Bison | Sweden | |
| Black Diamond | Sweden | |
| Bushman | Finland | |
| Carl Kämmerling or Kammerling | Sweden | See CK brand |
| Carpenter Brand | Eskilstuna | Sold by General Tools |
| Carter Hardware Co. | Sweden | |
| Castor | Eskilstuna | |
| CI Fall | Eskilstuna | |
| CK | Sweden | Sold By Carl Kämmerling or Kammerling |
| Craftsman (decal) | Eskilstuna | Has Diving Airplane blade stamp. |
| Crown, Arm, and Hammer | Eskilstuna | Made by Ståhlberg, L.F. & Co. |
| Deer Head | Sweden | |
| DEJO | Stockholm | See Stockholm brand |
| Diving Airplane | Eskilstuna | See also Craftsman |
| Elmo | ||
| Eskilstunasteel | Torshälla | Made Eskilstunasteel Garanti, Esteel and Gensco |
| Eskilstunasteel Garanti | Torshälla | Made by Eskilstunasteel |
| Esteel | Torshälla | Made by Eskilstunasteel |
| Fish and Diamond | Sweden | |
| Frinab | Sweden | Sold by Frick and Nilsson AB of Göteborg |
| General | Eskilstuna | See Carpenter Brand. Sold by General Tools. |
| Gensco | Torshälla | Made by Eskilstunasteel |
| Gold Seal | Lidköping | Made by Wallins-Scandia |
| Golden Tree | Sweden | |
| Hackman | Finland | See also Sorsakoski |
| Handy | Eskilstuna | |
| Hellstedt | Eskilstuna | |
| Hercules | Eskilstuna | |
| Homestrand | Sweden | |
| Import Export | ||
| Janport | Eskilstuna | |
| Jansson | ||
| Jernbolaget | Eskilstuna | |
| JNIJ | Netherlands | See also Nooitgedagt |
| Kamsa Tools | Sweden | |
| Krona | Sweden | Possibly made by Wallins |
| Kronan | Eskilstuna | |
| La Perdiz | Eskilstuna | Made by Berg |
| B. & O. Liberg | Rosenfors, Eskilstuna | |
| Linco | Sweden | |
| Lindstrom | Eskilstuna | |
| Mibro | Eskilstuna | |
| Mico | Eskilstuna | |
| Miltex | Sweden | |
| Muller | Germany | |
| Nomer | Eskilstuna | |
| Nooitgedagt | Netherlands | See also JNIJ |
| Norsa | ||
| Oberg | ||
| OK. | Sweden | OK followed by a “period”. |
| PAL | Sweden | |
| Rugol | Sweden | |
| Sandvik | Sandviken | |
| Scandia | Made by Wallins | |
| Seel Brand | Sold by K.C. Seelbach | |
| K.C. Seelbach | See Seel Brand | |
| Shark Brand | Eskilstuna | Made by E.A. Berg |
| Shark-O-Lite | Eskilstuna | Made by E.A. Berg |
| Skandia | Finland | See also Hackman |
| Skodco | ||
| Solliden | See also Waern | |
| Sorsakoski | Finland | See also Hackman |
| Stahl | Sold the ASAB brand | |
| Ståhlberg or Stahlberg | Eskilstuna | Made the Crown, Arm, and Hammer brand |
| STC or S.T.C. | Sweden | |
| G. P. Stenlund | Sweden | Made for G. P. Stenlund in Växjö |
| Stiletto | Eskilstuna | Made by Jernbolaget |
| Stockholm | Sweden | See also DEJO brand |
| Suicide | Eskilstuna | Made by Jernbolaget |
| Svalling | Eskilstuna | Sold by Eric Svalling AB of Eskilstuna |
| Svea | Sweden | |
| Svensson Brothers – Bröderna Svensson | Sweden | |
| Swallow Brand | Eskilstuna | |
| Swedish Quality | Sweden | Distributed by Beijers. Includes Toledo, Kronan, and Hellstedt brands. |
| SWICO | Eskilstuna | |
| Tecomaster | Eskilstuna | |
| Three Stars and Shark | Sweden | This is a retail brand found in Thailand. |
| Toledo | ||
| Torshälla Smide | Torshälla | |
| Vaco | Eskilstuna | Made by Jernbolaget |
| Viking | Sweden | Made by Ståhlberg or Stahlberg |
| Waern | Sweden | See also Solliden |
| Wallins | Lidköping | See also Scandia and Wallin |
| Wibeco | Sweden | |
| Edward Zinn | Eskilstuna | Made by E.A. Berg |
June 19, 2014 Update:
I continue to be surprised at the number of brands of Swedish chisels. I’m also still mystified about who manufactured many, if not most, of the brands and by the scarcity of information on this topic. I would love to hear from anyone who can provide some sound documented information on this.
I added another 13 brands of Swedish chisels to list above today. I’ve come across most of these new (to me) brands during the past 10 months and decided it was time to post an update. A couple of the brands, Gensco and Shark-O-Lite, were known earlier, but accidentally omitted from previous posts.
Agersta
Anchor Works (Jernbolaget)
Aweco Product
Black Diamond
Frinab
Gensco (Eskilstuna Steel)
Krona (not to be confused with Kronan)
OK. (with a period after “OK” ) 🙂
Seel Brand (K.C. Seelbach)
Shark-O-Lite (Berg)
Sorsakoski (Hackman)
Svea
*Thanks to my friend and fellow Swedish chisel fan, Randall Nelson, for bringing the Agersta, Krona, and Svea brands to my attention.
August 15, 2013 Update:
I added 5 new-found Swedish chisel brands to the list above and made a new post about them. Here’s a brief summary.
Castor Chisels – Eskilstuna, Sweden
General Tools (Capenter Brand) – Eskilstuna, Sweden
Homestrand – Made in Sweden
Swallow Brand – Eskilstuna, Sweden
Torshälla Smide – Torshälla, Eskilstuna Province, Sweden
I also discovered a photo of a Waern chisel with a plastic handle that had the Sollidan name and logo on it. The Waern stamp on the blade and the Solliden logo suggests some sort of relationship between the two, but I’m not clear on the specifics.
You have an impressive list of names. I have made a few connections that you may be interested in. The Stiletto brand is actually an American brand, but I have several Tools with that name that also have the Jernbolaget stamp, so was making them for the Stiletto Company, probably sometime in the late 40’s – early 50’s. I have also seen Stanley chisels that were made in Sweden from the same period. Also- Beaver brand (blue label) was made for sale in Canada, Castor (same label, but golden and in Spanish) probably for Latin America. Wallins seems to have been for sale in England and Toledo in Australia. Best- Randall Nelson
Thank you for your helpful and interesting comments.
I’ve seen Stiletto chisels with the Jernbolaget imprint on their blade, too.
I don’t recall seeing Stanley chisels that were made in Sweden and would love to know more about that.
Your observations on Beaver, Castor, Wallins, and Toledo match mine.
The Castor labels that I have seen are red and gold, with Spanish writing, and look a bit different from those on the Beaver brand chisels sold in Canada.
I’ve also noticed that the Beaver labels have a silver background on the tanged chisels and a gold background on the socket chisels.
The big mystery for me is the relationships between all these companies. Some people feel that they were all just 2 or 3 companies that made tools and sold them under many different labels, but that doesn’t make much sense- why compete with yourself for the same market? I have seen a lot of variety in the manufacturing styles from one brand to the next, in the forging and finishing of the steel and in the handle manufacturing. I wish I could find more historical info on this topic. Best- Randall Nelson
That’s the big mystery for me too, Randall.
I see so many similarities between brands and also so many variations. I’m hoping that somewhere, someone has a well-documented answer to this mystery.
Just another observation- I have never seen a chisel that was marked Vaco, but I have seen lots of yellow plastic handles on Bergs and Jernbolagets from the 50’s and 60’s that have Vaco on the handle. From what I understand, the main wooden handle factory burned in the late 50’s and that is when the plastic handles became common, whether red or yellow.
That’s interesting. I’ve seen “Vaco” imprinted on the yellow plastic handles of Jernbaloget chisels, but not on any Bergs, yet. I’ll add that to my notes.
Like you, I’ve never seen “Vaco” imprinted on any chisel blade.
When people mention Krona and Kronan chisels they seldom differentiate, but I am pretty sure they were two different brands, since they had different stickers on the handles. I have a Kronan that has a black, 3 pointed crown on the sticker and in fine print I believe it says “beaver brand 1950”. I have 1 Krona chisel, with a very faint sticker on the handle that is a black and white oval with Krona in white letters. The Kronan has a Berg style handle, including the finer ferrule, the Krona a Solliden style beech handle.
The Krona versus Kronan brand is interesting and new to me. I have yet to see a Krona chisel so far. I have seen the Kronan “Beaver” decal that you described and have photos of it. I have also seen photos of Kronan chisels re-branded for Beijers AB (Malmo Sweden – Representative Stanley F. Coffee). They both have the typical Kronan crown and “Eskilstina Sweden” stamp imprinted on the blade, but the Beijers decal is a circle surrounding a “B” sitting on top of an oval surrounding “Swedish Quality”. The circle and oval are red; the background is yellow.
More about the Stanley “Swedish” chisels- I only have one, a Stanley 160 socket butt chisel, with a Stanley label on the blade and “made in USA” on the blade. The blade could very well be a regular Stanley manufacture, since there is no typical Swedish style flare/rim at the top edge of the socket. But the handle is a dead-on Swedish handle, possibly Masur Birch. The other Stanley “Swedish” chisel from this late 40’s early 50’s era is the 161, which is the only tang chisel I think they ever offered. It is a dead ringer for a Berg, but is marked “made in USA” on the brass ferrule and is stamped Stanley on the blade. They only offered these for a few years and I have only seen one in good condition come up on ebay- I quit bidding at $78.00 and it kept gong to over $160. This was 3 years ago and I have not seen another. I did see a picture of one on Google images. Good luck!
Here’s another brand!
Golden Tree Brand
It looks like a red and gold label with beech handle, marked Best Quality and Eskilstuna. The glittery label looks like 1950s-1960s, similar to Beaver, Homestand, etc. This is the only example I’ve seen of this brand.
See ‘5 st Stämjärn enligt bild’ on T.
Best regards
That’s a new brand to me, Russ. Thanks for pointing that out. 🙂
It’s been a while since I’ve come across a new brand and I’ll add it to my list. I think you’re right about the date range.
Just bought the golden tree chisel that you talked about. if you want additional photos of it i can send it. The blade is stamped made in Sweden just like à lot of other brands.
Hi – I just found your site … I have sold several hundred Berg chisels over the years (eBay name Bergmedman) and I still have a bunch left that are of little value to collectors – but of course they are all of interest to users 🙂 I think GENSCO is short for General Steel Company – another iteration of the E.A. Berg line … I had a Stanley #141 I think? that had an E.a. Berg ferrule so clearly Berg made these for Stanley. I’m looking for a good source for masur birch …. I need to restore that last set of interesting Bergs that I own. Anyone know a source???
Hi, Tom … and welcome.
Several hundred Bergs … the mind boggles. 🙂
I’ve been looking for a good source of masur birch, too. It seems scarce and very expensive. If you or someone else finds a good affordable source, I’d sure like to hear about it.
Hi, I’m looking at a set of Miltex chisels that I’ve never heard of. I would appreciate any help or info. Thanks, Bill
Good Day,
I was browsing the web for info on chisels that I believe to be Swedish when I cam upon your site.
I find it very informative and will appreciate if you are able to assist me this a set of chisels I have. It has a paper label with what looks like a bird sitting inside a letter G. also has the words Qualitats Werkseug. On the metal it has the imperial size of the chisel and the emblem of bird sitting inside a letter G.
Thank you for this creating this site as I will be referencing it for info.
Regards
Jeff
Hi Jeff
That would be the German maker Gerhard vogel. So not Swedish. Vogel means bird in German.
The brand b.o.libergs rosenfors is made in sweden as well
I have one chisel and it look the same as berg
Hi, very interesting site. I have a 3/8″ chisel that I cant identify. Its a very typical Swedish style handle much like the Berg Tools. the lettering on the blade has been partly worn off so I can only see the ends of the words
….LEIN. ….IOKOPING. SWEDEN
Any Ideas?
Thanks
John
It sounds like a Wallin(s) chisel. The first word is likely “WALLIN” and the second word is likely “LIDKÖPING. For more information check out very bottom of this post:
https://galootopia.com/old_tools/chisels/swedish-chisels/wallins-chisels-2/
Regards.
Birch
Very interesting site. I have a box full of mostly unused E.A.Berg plane blades in different sizes. They are all laminated which in my head is a sign of good quality. For some time I thought that good quality chisels were laminated too, like japanese chisels. But after reading on this site im not so sure anymore.
Does anybody know of a chisel brand that is laminated except from the Japanese ofcourse ?
Lasse
hi looking at your web site I have some chisels that have a red label that just says Sweden and stamped on tool same Sweden cant seem to find any info any ideas thanks for any help
I have a half inch chisel with an elm handle and brass ferrule where it meets the tang. For whatever reason I’ve always thought it was Swedish, although I can’t be certain. The blade has what I can only make out to be the last part of a manufacturer or brand: ELSEG. Most of the letters seem to have been ground off, including some further indecipherable lettering beneath the above. Can any one throw some light on this mystery chisel? It is made of very good steel, hones to a good edge and stays sharp
It might be important to know that chisles and handles were sold separatley for very long. In a catalog from 1941 they are sold that way
Yes, you could get them with or without handles for many years. Plus, there were various styles of handles to choose from.