Can you buy wooden chisel handles these days?

[Eric The Viking]

I'm tidying up. I've just found a small but chunky 3/8inch paring chisel that belonged to my wife's grandfather. It's seen a lot of use but still looks as if it would hold a decent edge, so I'd like to get it tidied up if I can, for use rather than as a museum piece.

It's the usual brass ferrule type of wooden handle, not split but rather clobbered at the back, and really I ought to either put a band round it or replace the handle altogether. I think it's oak, but it doesn't feel heavy enough - Ash possibly?

Can anyone recommend a source for chisel handles and parts therefore, at reasonable prices?

Cheers,

S.

 

[Smudger]

Try Ray Iles.
http://www.oldtools.free-online.co.uk/index.htm

The Old Tool Store
Whitehaven Farm
Boston Road
Horncastle
Lincolnshire
LN9 6HU

Tel: 01507 525697
Fax: 01507 523814
E-mail: [email protected]

Phoning is best.

 

[Racers]

Hi, Eric (we had a cat called Eric)

Is it an oval handle? it sounds like a mortice chisel not a paring chisel to me from your description.

You are a woodworker its a wooden handle, make a new one.


Pete

 

[heimlaga]

Chisel handles are easy to make.
The ferrules can be made from offcuts of thin walled iron or hard copper pipes. Those can be found in dumpsters at construction sites.
I make my chisel handles from birch because it is free but you sutherners have birch of inferrior quality so I recommend that you use use some other hardwood.

 

[big soft moose]

you could also try matthew at workshop heaven - when i was there yesterday he showed me a massive box of chisel handles - i dont think he normally sells them as is as they are for rehandling chisels for sale , but as an accomodating chap he might sell you a one off if you ask nicely.

 

[AndyT]

There's another way that's more fun...

browse on ebay or car boot fairs for beat up chisels with good handles to swap!

Thing is, the ones you buy will be just a bit too good to sacrifice for the handle, so you'll sharpen them up for use and start to enjoy having more than one nice old chisel. You'll want to find more, and start to appreciate the subtle differences between them.

And they don't even take up much room....!

 

[matthewwh]

Sounds like Andy's the man if anyone needs to borrow a dab of slope grease!

Eric, if you give me a call or better still pop me an email with a photo I'll see what I can find to suit your chisel.

[email protected]

 

[bugbear]

I'm tidying up. I've just found a small but chunky 3/8inch paring chisel that belonged to my wife's grandfather. It's seen a lot of use but still looks as if it would hold a decent edge, so I'd like to get it tidied up if I can, for use rather than as a museum piece.

I would test the edge holding before putting in potentially wasted effort. Older chisels were not tempered all the way to the tang-tip, or even the full length of the blade.

Marples launched a chisel which was (in the fifties IIRC), and made much of, with the slogan "good to the last inch".

So, quite often, old chises that are down to their last couple of inches are too soft to hold an edge, and the original users stopped using them at that point.

I suspect this is why I have only seen chisels used up below two inches on extraordinarily rare occasions.

BugBear

 

[lurker]

I'm tidying up. I've just found a small but chunky 3/8inch paring chisel that belonged to my wife's grandfather. It's seen a lot of use but still looks as if it would hold a decent edge, so I'd like to get it tidied up if I can, for use rather than as a museum piece.

I would test the edge holding before putting in potentially wasted effort. Older chisels were not tempered all the way to the tang-tip, or even the full length of the blade.

Marples launched a chisel which was (in the fifties IIRC), and made much of, with the slogan "good to the last inch".

So, quite often, old chises that are down to their last couple of inches are too soft to hold an edge, and the original users stopped using them at that point.

I suspect this is why I have only seen chisels used up below two inches on extraordinarily rare occasions.

BugBear

Perfectly correct old does not always equal good however its always fixable with a bit of hardening & tempering.

Eric give us a rough idea where you live. Maybe someone can help. Certainly if you are near me you can come & knock one up on my lathe or I'll make you one.

 

[Dave S]

Yep, you can get them here.

 

[Eric The Viking]

I ought to show what I was asking about:

The squares are 1 cm, and the Marples is 1 inch for comparison.

I did a bit of cleaning/fettling of it last night before trying to get an edge on it (later today, if I get time). The handle came up better than expected. It has a hole/tear at the extreme end on the other side, but not any actual split as far as I can see. I still don't know what the wood is - the grain looks like Oak, but it feels too light, so I suspect it's Ash.

After all the kind thoughts above, I'm minded to stick with the existing handle for the time being, and to see how good the metal is before going further.

The blade says Ward Cast Steel and has the logo, but that's all. It's mortice style, only about 3/16 thick but obviously originally had a dovetail bevel at the extreme end (not all the way down like the Marples above it). Most of that bevel has been lost through use, and I won't restore it as the grinding is too tricky to get neat by hand. I've re-tempered chisels before with some success, so could do this one if it needs it.

It's also slightly bent, I think where the tang is enclosed behind the ferrule. You can see the bend (the ends curve up slightly in the pic).

The handle wood is straight though, as is the blade (although a bit pitted, as you can see), but the bend is just slightly too much to ignore in use, so I'll clamp up the handle carefully and apply a little gentle sideways pressure to see if I can take some of it out without loosening things up too much. I don't want to disassemble it unless I have to, as right now the ferrule is clean and tidy, and removing it would inevitably make a mess of it - copper pipe offcuts (I have lots!) wouldn't be quite the same!

Can anyone comment on Ward chisels? I'd guess they made a range of different qualities and that this one isn't of the highest grade.

Do y'all now think I'm wasting my time?

 

[bugbear]

I ought to show what I was asking about:

The squares are 1 cm, and the Marples is 1 inch for comparison.

I did a bit of cleaning/fettling of it last night before trying to get an edge on it (later today, if I get time). The handle came up better than expected. It has a hole/tear at the extreme end on the other side, but not any actual split as far as I can see. I still don't know what the wood is - the grain looks like Oak, but it feels too light, so I suspect it's Ash.

After all the kind thoughts above, I'm minded to stick with the existing handle for the time being, and to see how good the metal is before going further.

The blade says Ward Cast Steel and has the logo, but that's all. It's mortice style, only about 3/16 thick but obviously originally had a dovetail bevel at the extreme end (not all the way down like the Marples above it). Most of that bevel has been lost through use, and I won't restore it as the grinding is too tricky to get neat by hand. I've re-tempered chisels before with some success, so could do this one if it needs it.

It's also slightly bent, I think where the tang is enclosed behind the ferrule. You can see the bend (the ends curve up slightly in the pic).

The handle wood is straight though, as is the blade (although a bit pitted, as you can see), but the bend is just slightly too much to ignore in use, so I'll clamp up the handle carefully and apply a little gentle sideways pressure to see if I can take some of it out without loosening things up too much. I don't want to disassemble it unless I have to, as right now the ferrule is clean and tidy, and removing it would inevitably make a mess of it - copper pipe offcuts (I have lots!) wouldn't be quite the same!

Can anyone comment on Ward chisels? I'd guess they made a range of different qualities and that this one isn't of the highest grade.

Do y'all now think I'm wasting my time?

Ward stuff is excellent IME. What you've got is a "firmer" pattern chisel with an ash handle. I suspect the bevel edges were done by a user. It used to be a standard technique (it's in all the old books) to grind off the corners of the bevel arris to improve access, before bevel edges chisels were common.

It's easily long enough for my concerns about soft steel near the tang not to apply.

BugBear

 

[mahking51]

As per BB, absolutely TOP chisel!
Martin

 

[Eric The Viking]

As per BB, absolutely TOP chisel!
Martin

Thanks, BugBear too for the info. Worth persevering with, evidently.

I've just ordered a shedload of fine grade wet+dry from Axminster (can't easily get it round here any more, it seems), and an Axminster 'sharpening rest' for the grinder. Hope to get it sorted over the w/e now.

I'm going to try the 'scary sharp' method for a change, instead of the double-sided Norton stone I've used in the past or the cheap diamond plate-things I use on the kitchen knives (from Toolstation). they do cut well (as do the knives afterwards), but I had a nasty shock with the most recent set I bought, discovering the medium-grade plate had a few diamonds proud of the rest and was therefore dangerously useless.

Happily I noticed before wrecking a plane iron, but it serves me right for being cheapskate about it I guess. If Scary Sharp doesn't do it for me and I go back to diamond plates, I'll go for a proper name brand rather than S-----line...

Thanks once again for all the advice and offers of help.

 

[mr grimsdale]

I ought to show what I was asking about:

The squares are 1 cm, and the Marples is 1 inch for comparison....

Marples also an excellent chisel.
Whats wrong with the handle on the old one it looks OK to me?
Whatever you do I'd keep it away from a power grindstone as blued steel seems to be the biggest problem with old tools. Sometimes takes quite a bit of (hand) grinding to get into hard steel.

 

[bugbear]

I ought to show what I was asking about:

The squares are 1 cm, and the Marples is 1 inch for comparison....

Marples also an excellent chisel.

Well, usable, at least.

Excellent has quite a specific meaning, and one which a modern Marples doesn't achieve.

BugBear

 

[mr grimsdale]

Excellent has quite a specific meaning, and one which a modern Marples doesn't achieve.

BugBear

They aren't as interesting as some old craft made objects but if you just want it for woodworking then 'excellent' is the word - i.e. better than most, including old wooden handled ones by and large.
I've got several, and some Stanley 5001s. They are well made with good steel, hold an edge, very durable well shaped handles and a pleasure to use.
What else do you want?

 

[studders]

MY old Stanley 5001 set was fantastic, bought it about 15 years ago. Sadly I rather 'abused them' and only have one left.
I threw the Modern Marples (Yellow/Red Handles)I bought in the bin. They were absolute rubbish.

 

[bugbear]

Excellent has quite a specific meaning, and one which a modern Marples doesn't achieve.

BugBear

They aren't as interesting as some old craft made objects but if you just want it for woodworking then 'excellent' is the word - i.e. better than most, including old wooden handled ones by and large.

Not in my experience - and I've used a wide variety of chisels. Comes of being a bit of a tool buff ;-)

The modern, mass manufactured chisels generally perform poorly in both initial edge, and edge retention, compared to some older brands. In particular (to pre-empt the next obvious question), I would rate I. Sorby, Ibbotson and Ward + Payne as excellent.

I do have some modern, mass produced chisels - for when extant wood with dirt and paint on needs to be worked

BugBear

 

[Eric The Viking]

I like my Marples ones too.

The one incher has seen little use (I have a delightful Record 90 rebate/thumb plane, which I love dearly), but the half-inch and 1/4-inch are a little bit shorter than when Mr. M sent them out into the world.

They're about 28 years old now. I rarely use a mallet: in softwoods, if they're not sharp enough for the heel of my hand, they're not sharp enough. They've had little use in recent years, but I'm hoping to rectify that, forthwith.

You can't really tell from the photo, but I got a nice mirror finish on the business end of the Marples ones with the mop on my grinder, so I'm hoping all of them (set of four plus an odd 1/2-inch paring chisel) will come up well once I start on sharpening properly.

On the Ward one, the handle has a 1/8 blind hole near the end and a bit of tearing around it, as if someone started drilling it then stopped after 1/8 inch or so. I intend to fill it, as I can't see any obvious split, and there should be no reason to use a mallet on a chisel that size, if it's sharp enough.

I've been using Briwax on the handle of the Ward and it's come up pretty well so far (the paper towel still gets dirty so it's not thoroughly clean yet either). I'll fill the hole etc., then see how much I can make it shine!