"Registered" firmer chisels

[nabs]

I looked at some old catalogues from the turn of the 20th century to find out what a "Registered" firmer was. The Howarth catalogue from 1884 lists firmer, bevel edge firmer, and registered chisels.

No pics but the first clue is that it is only offered handled and the description mentions 2 ferrules

Mathieson (around 1900?) shows a chisel with a hoop on the end of the handle and a thick neck. The image refers to a "Ship chisel" (suggesting rougher work?) but the subsequent price list refers to "strong ship or registered chisels":

Marples 1928
two ferrules + a leather washer

so there you have it - "registered" means a stout firmer chisel with an extra hoop to prevent splitting and an optional shock absorbing leather washer. Around the start of the 20th century at least it seems the key chisel names are:

* Firmer = general purpose chisel (with option for bevelled edges)
* Registered = heavy duty firmer
* Mortise = stout chisel with a oval bolster and handle (aka "pig sticker")
* sash mortise = light weight mortise chisel with round bolster
* paring = long and thin (bevelled or flat)

these are all nicely illustrated in the 1925 Melhuish catalogue - not sure I am allowed to share a screenshot so here is the link:
http://www.toolemera.com/catpdf/melhuish1925CAT.pdf

now we just need to know what the rest of these are:

 

[AndyT]

Thanks for that.

We've certainly lost a lot of the variety that used to be available.

That's an impressive list at the end - whose catalogue is it from?

(But I should point out that it doesn't include two which I have never seen in the flesh - the Astragal Chisel and the short-lived Roller Coverer's Chisel. )

 

[nabs]

Marples 1921

The two you mention are most intriguing!

 

[swagman]

nabs; others would argue with your definition of a Registered Firmer Chisel.

http://www.thebestthings.com/newtools/sorby_framing.htm

A Heavy Duty Firmer Chisel does seem the more appropriate terminology. IMO

Stewie;

 

[AndyT]

You see argument, I see agreement!
The listing you link to shows a picture of the sort of chisel Nick is talking about.
Ok, it explains what a registered chisel is, for the benefit of its 21st century US target audience, but they are the sort of chisel often called 'registered'.

 

[WoodMangler]

these are all nicely illustrated in the 1925 Melhuish catalogue - not sure I am allowed to share a screenshot so here is the link:
http://www.toolemera.com/catpdf/melhuish1925CAT.pdf

Just an aside - my very first lathe is in this catalogue, PDF page 153 - "Melhuish's Treadle Lathe for Wood or Metal". I built a small steam engine on it, a Reeves 'Trojan'. A treadle lathe is an excellent way to learn the importance of keeping your tools sharp.

 

[matthewwh]

As I understand it the term 'Registered' refers to the sides being at 90 degrees to the face with no bevels, hence you can have a bevelled firmer or a registered firmer.

Firmer describes a carpenter's chisel for heavier work, shipwrights and framers would have been similar in shape but bigger.

 

[JohnPW]

nabs; others would argue with your definition of a Registered Firmer Chisel.

http://www.thebestthings.com/newtools/sorby_framing.htm

A Heavy Duty Firmer Chisel does seem the more appropriate terminology. IMO

Stewie;

There's no argument about what is a registered chisel, it's just that that particular website prefers a more descriptive name.

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

As I understand it the term 'Registered' refers to the sides being at 90 degrees to the face with no bevels, hence you can have a bevelled firmer or a registered firmer.

Firmer describes a carpenter's chisel for heavier work, shipwrights and framers would have been similar in shape but bigger.

That is what I have always thought, don't know where I picked up this idea so could be wrong. I wonder if the link above with an alternative explanation is from Sorby or the shop that's selling them. Either could be right or wrong but I would be more inclined to accept the definition if it came from Sorby rather than the retailer.
Paddy

 

[swagman]

Firmer Chisels also taper in thickness.

 

[nabs]

As I understand it the term 'Registered' refers to the sides being at 90 degrees to the face with no bevels, hence you can have a bevelled firmer or a registered firmer.

Firmer describes a carpenter's chisel for heavier work, shipwrights and framers would have been similar in shape but bigger.

it was a similar comment by cheshirechappie that started my rather cursory investigation. I had a vague idea that it would somehow be connected to having a reference surface, but then when I looked at the catalogues it was pretty clear that "bevelled firmer" refereed to the familiar profile still popular today and that "registered" refereed to a stout construction with a distinctive second ferrule on the handle. This of course does not mean that the term did not also refer to sides being at 90 degrees to the face (rather than slightly tapered).

... but then I wondered what would be the purpose of that shape would be - I can't claim to understand chisel geometry, but for what it is worth here is what I came up with for firmers:

* blade thinner at the tip than the handle: compromise between effort ( smaller wedge shape) and strength
* face wider at the tip than the handle: provide some wiggle room to adjust direction of cut from left to right
* sides tapering slightly towards the back so that the face (flat side without bevel) is slightly wider than the back: help reduce chance of chisel binding in the cut
* distinctly bevelled face and sides (c.f Matheison pic above): makes it easier to get into corners

* sides being at 90 degrees to the face: ??

I am afraid these are all highly theoretical as I am not a woodworker - it would be very interesting to hear from people who know what they are talking about

 

[swagman]

The following photo shows a W Marples & Sons Boxwood Handled (Tanged fit) Firmer Chisel next to an I & H Sorby Heavy Duty (Socket fit) Firmer Chisel (hanging sheep logo). Both blades taper in thickness, but note the difference in length.

 

[nabs]

The following photo shows a W Marples & Sons Boxwood Handled (Tanged fit) Firmer Chisel next to an I & H Sorby Heavy Duty (Socket fit) Firmer Chisel (hanging sheep logo). Both blades taper in thickness, but note the difference in length.

on socket chisels:
The Mathieson catalogue distinguishes socket chisels from socket firmer chisels, and I see the same distinction in an undated (<1920?) Flather catalogue (available from THATS). Hooped handles like yours are an option on both.

The catalogues also distinguish between bright and blued sockets - is this something to do with polishing or hardening I wonder?

The only obvious difference between the socket firmer and plain old socket seems to be the neck is more slender (and shorter?) in the firmer.

Now I look at the Flathers catalogue I see that the other difference between "registered" and ordinary firmers is the connection to the tang - the neck of the firmers narrow to a hexagonal or rounded bolster where as the registered version simply widen out to a round surface that the handle sits on - presumably this is a stronger arrangement (although less visually appealing than the rather elegant firmer arrangement.

My interpretation is that "firmer" is your general purpose chisel (for relatively) light weight work. If you want to pay a bit more and do a lot of dovetailing and the like you can get a bevel profile firmer. You have a choice of handle connections - socket or tanged - and you have to pay more for the socket version (but it is easier to replace the handles?).

If you do a lot of pounding you can go for a heavy duty socket connection or pick the registered chisel (round neck, no bolster) both of which are available with ash rather than beech handles and an extra hoop on the handle if you are really going for it.

Mathieson

Socket chisels unhandled: 16/6
“” ash handled and hooped 20/

Socket firmer chisels Unhandled 16/
"" blued sockets , beech unhooped – 19/s
blued sockets , ash hooped – 20/
“” all bright, unhandled 18/
“” all bright, beech unhooped, 21/
“” ash hooped 22/


Flather and Son
socket firmer chisel, beech, 22/9
"" polished 27
Socket chisel blued 23
"" bright 25

 

[swagman]

Can any member post a side profile photo of a bevel edged Firmer Chisel.

Stewie;

 

[nabs]

Can any member post a side profile photo of a bevel edged Firmer Chisel.

Stewie;

not a very good picture I'm afraid , but here is an old Marples followed by a the fangled Ward & Payne Aristocrat (1960s) profile for comparison:

 

[swagman]

Thanks nabs.