'pig sticker' mortice chisels

[Yorkshire Sam]

I hope you will forgive this stupid question but ....

I have never handled or even seen (other than on ebay) a pig sticker mortice chisel. I assume that being a mortice chisel it takes some rough handle and not a little bit of hammer ... has the handle got built in strengthener or is it just the large size that gives them the strength... I never seem to see them with damaged handles ... I have been thinking about buying one or two on ebay but they inviarably go for quite a sum, which at the moment I can better spend elsewhere.

 

[marcros]

They are just a solid lump of chisel. The handles do get damaged- normally from incorrectly using a hammer instead of a mallet and chipping a lump off. The metal part itself is much bigger in cross section and can take some welly.

The next time you have some morticing to do, try one. I like using then- they are, in my opinion, easier to keep straight. They shouldn't be that much money if you are patient. 5 or 7 quid plus postage. Should be far cheaper than decent firmer mortice chisels new. Look for Addis, ward, sorby, most things labelled warranted or cast steel.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Marcros has pretty much covered it, so I can only add a snippet or two. A lot of furniture m/t work is in 3/4" stock or thereabouts, so using the rule that a mortice should be as near as possible 1/3 the stock thickness, you can do a lot of furniture work with just one size of mortice chisel - 1/4", which are quite commonly available secondhand. Joinery work may call for a couple of larger sizes, but not many people need smaller ones. You don't need to be too prissy about sharpening since you're going to whack it and not precision pare with it, and a slightly higher bevel angle than usual - say about 35 degrees - can help with edge retention, especially when working harder woods.

They do crop up sometimes on Ebay without handles, and rehandling isn't desperately complicated. Derek Cohen did a good how-to on his blog ( http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRestor ... hisel.html ). Derek uses a native Australian timber since that's what he had; beech would be the preferred timber in the UK (relatively cheap, easily available, hard and capable of taking some heavy mallet abuse) but one of mine has an ash handle and seems none the worse for it.

 

[wizard]

I often find them at car boot sales for £1.00 got this one without a handle for 50.p

 

[MMUK]

Is that a Millers Falls leccy drill you have in bits there wizard? 350w model? Not seen one of those for years....

 

[wizard]

Yes it is, needs a chuck and a bolt for the end cover, just bought it for £5.00 not had much use, also have one of their very old big ones. Just looked and its 510w.