I need advice about how to tighten a loose chisel handle. The tang on my very favorite 1/2 inch wood chisel has come slightly loose from the wooden handle. Probably because I use it so much. I can pull it out aoubt a quarter of an inch and probably could pull the whole thing out of the handle but I didn’t want to do that unless I was sure about how to reseat it. Can you glue these things or apply something to make the wood swell up around the tang? The chisel is part of a very nice set of woodworking chisels. It is banded with metal at the top and bottom of the handle. It is not a socket chisel.
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Replies
Judd, you indicated your chisel is a tang type with a brass ferrule?
Since the tang is tapered and has loosened it's grip, you can temporally remove the ferrule and cut off 1/8" from the handle. replace ferrule and drive the chisel back on the handle.
Check first if the hole is deep enough (if not, drill about 1/4' deeper with a bit smaller than the narrow end of the tang.
After placing the blade into the handle, tighten the chisel to the handle thusly:
Grasp the assembled tool firmly (And horrizontly) in your outstretched fist and smack the handle forward with a mallet or plastic hammer
One or two whacks will reseat the handle. Stein.
Glue or wood filler can't cut it. Nothings tighter than a taper in a taper.
I always favored socket type chisels after getting too many fingers pinched by loose handles OUCH!
Edited 6/7/2004 11:00 am ET by steinmetz
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