I picked up an old 1.25″ socket chisel on that online auction site, and lo and behold when I unboxed it, I noticed a definite bend in the tool. Put a straightedge against the back, and sure enough, theres a good 1/16th gap at the tip. Naturally doesn’t show up in the overhead shots of the front and back faces. The seller has offered a full refund.
So, I’m wondering if it’s still worthwhile to keep around. Might the curve-bend play any role in it’s use? I mean, I can theorize that the chisel would not track the line along which I push it. I think.
thanks,
JPL
Replies
Did you pay good money for it? If it were priced low enough, give it a try and if it doesn't work well. Make a nice wall ornament out of it. Seems like even with a bend it would still work for general tasks.
I have enough wall ornaments... :-)
The $ was good for a Greenlee - not as bad as the prices one sees for old Stanleys, Swans or Chas Buck/Bros. It fit a niche, ya know?
JP
Some guys will work with a sharpened spoon for a chisel, but I won't use a chisel that doesn't have a flat back.
I've got a whole set of Greenlee butt chisels that I bought as new old stock. They'd never been out of the box until I got them, and they were in horrible shape. It took me several hours of lapping, but I finally got all 5 lapped, bevels reground to square, and they are very fine chisels now. I like them for getting into small spaces where my longer chisels just won't work.
If I had one that had a bend in it and couldn't be flattened, I'd probably just sharpen it and use it for general hack work, like digging nails out of a log before milling, etc...If you already have this type of hackchisel :), then get your money back. I paid $40 for all 5 of my Greenlee's.
Jeff
Do you mean that the (nominally) flat portion itself is bent (that is, it's not just that the flat portion is out of line with the shank)? If so, I wouldn't keep it. Too hard to sharpen, and too hard to predict how it will act when you whack it.
-Steve
I suggest using it to cut bentgrass.
I believe some old timers bent their chisels like this on purpose so that the hhandles would clear a wood surface when paring - sort of a poor mans crank neck chisel.
Put a straightedge against the back, and sure enough, theres a good 1/16th gap at the tip.
JP
I would ask the seller for a partial refund and keep it as a troubled tool. See if you can get a return or partial return.
I have found socket chisels as wide as the one you describe and they were used to work tenons and mortises on timberframe jobs. Your problem is not that unusual. I have seen some that are what I call twisted a bit.
If the guy will give you a nice break, I would keep it and straighten it. I would not grind the 1/16 or more down. You might want to check your local area for some guys that are doing forge work. They can do some magic with the steel and maybe you could work some deal?? In the end, the back needs to be flat.
Good Luck
The chisel can easily be bent back without heating it, it got the bend without being heated.John W.
In a chunk of normal steel the bend will slightly work harden the material thus making it difficult if not impossible to bend it back without affecting the surrounding material, that is... putting a bend someplace else. Perhaps there's something about chisel steel that makes it behave differently. I'd like to hear your technique for unbending this chisel as I have a couple of my own that could use a good straightening out.
The safest approach would be to place it in a vise with two blocks on the concave side at the far ends of the curved section and a single block at the high point of the convex curve. Tighten gently and check. Repeat if need with a little more force. If the blade has a kink, it can't be straightened but in the case being discussed it sounded like it was just a gentle bend over the length of the blade and should be repairable. Most plain steels aren't that so prone to work hardening that the small bend being described should cause a problem. Looking at the original post he's got a wide chisel, so it may not straighten easily if it is also a short blade. Of course the other possibility is that the blade was ground away on the back to create the curve, in that case it won't straighten out properly.John White
Edited 2/11/2008 2:39 pm ET by JohnWW
Thanks all who replied - I'll try to post a pic later tonight...
jp
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