slick?

[caroleb]

Any ideas what this is?

Caz

PS I know its a chisel.

 

[Mr_P]

Socket chisel with woodworm.

scroll down to catalogue image

http://www.old-woodworking-tools.com/in ... es/025.htm

 

[wizard]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slick_(tool)
got one of them

 

[bugbear]

Looks like a (big, obviously) morticing chisel, used for timber framing.

Slicks are bigger, but less massively built, and are used (surprisingly) for fine trimming.

BugBear

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Well, apart from being current or past woodworm food.....

It's a socket chisel. Can't see from the photo whether the blade is thin or thick - both sorts existed. Since the handle is hooped, I'll guess the blade is quite thick - about 3/8" to 1/2", and laminated (you may have to give it a really good cleanup to see the join between toolsteel and wrought iron). They were made for heavy work on such things as construction, millwright's work, shipwrighting, railway wagon building and the like. Probably went out of fashion very late in the 19th century. (The thin-bladed ones were favoured by patternmakers among others, but wouldn't have the looped handle, being for fine paring.)

It's not a slick. They had wider cutting edges (up to about 4"), thinner blades and longer handles (pushed from the shoulder). They were intended as paring chisels, though the sort of paring was heavy-duty by modern standards - same sort of trades as above. A bit like an adze for holes and slots.

 

[caroleb]

it is 620mm long, and weighs about a kilo. 20mm thick blade near the socket.

I have a large bruzz but this is big.

 

[wizard]

i still think its a slick with a cut off handle

 

[bugbear]

i still think its a slick with a cut off handle

Slicks are much wider;

http://barrtools.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?S ... y_Code=SLG

BugBear

 

[wizard]

It says 20mm thick not wide

 

[caroleb]

Wizard is right, the blade is about 15mm thick near the handle. I did say 20, and indeed it is 20mm as it runs into the socket, but the fattest part of the blade proper is about 15mm. This is its measurement on the useable part of the blade nearest the socket. It tapers, quite gently, to around 8mm at the pointy end. It is 42mm wide along the entire length of the blade. The socket has a small mark on it where I think it has been folded around a former (for want of proper term) on the anvil and joined together. I believe the mark is the joint, or at least where the joint is.
It is a real beast - as I said I have seen slicks and chisels of all sorts, including framing tools, and this is not quite like any other I have seen in 20 odd years of looking. I have consigned it to the safe (mums house) where it will remain until I discover it is a priceless sword or something. :lol: (funnily enough if you sharpened the edge along its length you would have something approaching a short sword!!)

Having googled slicks and socket chisels I am left with the feeling this may not have been a factory made tool. It is certainly very well made, and a quick run over the diamond stones (which was not easy) reveals it takes a wicked edge.

Shame I am unable to determine its exact purpose, I am left wondering if it is a paring chisel for cleaning up rather large and deep mortices (mortii??) in timber frames.

Thanks anyway folks.

Caz

 

[wizard]

this is a slick and malculm the ferret

 

[zb1]

Looks like a standard 1 1/1" socketed framing chisel. Slicks are usually 2 1/2" - 4" wide with a cranked socket and sometimes a slightly convex bottom so you can use it on timbers longer than the blade. Also slicks don't have ferrules as they are not struck, they are pushed.

 

[wizard]

Mine is 2” wide convex bottom, with a cranked socket, the shipbuilder i bought it from said it was a slick, he had a bigger one but would not part with it. the total length is 26 ½ inches

 

[caroleb]

Wizard
Indeed - that is what I know as a slick. Mine is very different really - but it is certainly not an ordinary socket chisel. The hoop at the top of the handle is almost certainly a more recent addition, although it still looks very old. In any event - the framing chisels I have are not like this one, slightly different scale. It sounds like I may have a genuine authority visiting this weekend, so I will recover it and ask his opinion! 8)

Wizard - you are a gent ; thanks for your help

Caz