Replies

1. 
   troys | Feb 23, 2008 06:16am | #1

   Very neat your chisels look great. Traditionalists might frown but I like the Japanese style handles with a metal hoop on the end. I replaced a handle on a Stanley 750 with one made out of an oak tree branch and put a metal hoop on the end and was pleased with the way it felt in my hands. I think they have the metal hoops at the Japan Woodworker although from the looks of things you could make those as well

   Anyway the chisels look great

   Troy

2. 
   philip | Feb 23, 2008 07:07am | #2

   Looks promising....How are you going to harden that D2 and to what degree?
   Can you tell us how you made the tapered hole for handle?
   If I were you, and especially as it looks as though you have taken great care over the metal work, I would not worry about "other designs" for the handles: come up with your own design after looking at as many examples as you can find.
   I look forward to seeing the finished item.

   Philip Marcou
3. 
   bigfootnampa | Feb 23, 2008 07:20am | #3

   Great looking chisel!  It appears to be a mortise chisel style and as such will work nicely with a fairly long handle.  It is definitely nice enough to deserve it's own custom turned handle. 

   I am not a fan of the metal hooped handles or the leather capped style either.  I just like a nice hardwood with a gently crowned top and smoothly rounded corner.  IMO red oak is ideal because of it's strong radial binder content (which makes it very resistant to splitting).  I like to use a plastic mallet to drive them and handle damage is rare.  I would make the handle slightly more than half the overall length.  Once you get down into the mortises a bit the work is mostly paring while prying against the ends of the mortise.  So the longer handles work comfortablyand require minimal mallet driving.

4. 
   derekcohen | Feb 23, 2008 07:47am | #4

   Hi Scott

   Very nice work! I am also curious to know how you made the socket.

   I use oval boltered mortice chisels and their handles are quite plain. They are also tanged, so not relevant here. However I did renovate a bunch of Ibbotson socket mortice chisels (collected over the years then sold after restoration ... so much for loyalty!).

   The Ibbotsons were all handle-less. When I was considering what to make, I went through the same dilemma as you appear to have - I like the shape of the Stanley/LN handle, but they are too short in my opinion. I tried one with a hoop, like a Japanese chisel, but it just looked wrong. Anyway I do not like hoops. What I ended up doing is turning a longer and thicker version of the Stanley/LN on the lathe. They came out so nicely that I almost did not sell them :) The wood is Jarrah.

   View Image

   View Image

   Regards from Perth

   Derek

1. 
   sbuoncristiani | Feb 23, 2008 01:31pm | #5

   Thanks for the great suggestions and responses.Phillip,
   The material I used is A-2 tool steel which is a air hardening carbon steel. I use an digital electric kiln to heat treat my tools I make. If you have questions about tool steel hardening, you should definitely check out some books on tool steel heat treatment or search for bladesmith resources. Heat treatment of tool steel is far too much to explain briefly. Techniques of knife making are virtually identical to woodworking edge tool making. I plan on hardening with a soak temperature of 1750-1800 degrees F which will bring to proper austenitizing temperature. After I will temper at 400F to bring the hardness to a rockwell 60-62. Cryogenic treatment is always an option but not necessary. You can email me with further questions if you're interested in making your own edge tools.The tapered hole was cut on a lathe where a taper for the lathe tool is set at an angle and it only requires some patients and finesse to reach the proper socket shape. The rest was cut on a mill. Machining the entirety of one chisel took about 3 hours to do a decent job. Derek,
   The Ibbotson chisels you've collected are very cool! Very different. I dig those handles you made for them. They are a little longer but maintain the 750 shape which I like. I think I'll be aiming to create some handles similar to yours. Thanks for the great photos. I'll post some more pictures when the set it done.Best Regards,Scott
   [email protected]