# Wooden Handles...Plastic Handles...but which is best...?



## jimi43 (14 Nov 2011)

Hello boys and Girls and welcome to woodschool.

Today we will be looking through the E N O R M O U S archie shaped window...mind your heads on the chains children...







What do we see boys and girls?

We see a plastic handle...and a wooden handle....

Later on...the woodwork master .... Mr Honie Bevel will....be along to talk to us and if we're lucky may bring his German exchange games teacher Herr Par Nein...who can tell us how many edges you can get on a single chisel without it becoming an ice cream scoop.....

Stay seated and keep looking through that hole in the wall and let me know when he finishes his lunch and is coming down the windy path...

*LITTLE JOHNNIE!!!* Put that chainsaw down immediately!!!!


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## Allylearm (14 Nov 2011)

The one I can dodd with the side of a claw hammer. Wooden handles is for p**fs


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## Jacob (14 Nov 2011)

Don't like the black one. Looks a bit sinister - "the chisel of Fu Manchu" :roll: Would it have a secret compartment in the hilt? For coded messages, poison pills etc?
The blue one is of course perfect.


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## No skills (14 Nov 2011)

Neither.

Horses for courses, wood handles look and feel nicer but I cant batter the dung out of them at work.


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## Jacob (15 Nov 2011)

adamwilliams":zu63b5g8 said:


> Well both looks great but wooden handles are much stronger and durable.


Not true unfortunately. I'd rather have wood handles but plastic is much more practical (except for the weight).


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## MickCheese (15 Nov 2011)

jimi43":23sdmc9s said:


> Hello boys and Girls and welcome to woodschool.
> 
> Today we will be looking through the E N O R M O U S archie shaped window...mind your heads on the chains children...
> 
> ...



Jim

You've been drinking again, you know what it does to you. :lol: 

Mick


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## matthewwh (15 Nov 2011)

If you need to hit a chisel hard enough to damage a wooden handle then you haven't sharpened it properly.


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## doctor Bob (15 Nov 2011)

Smells of hobby v pro ..... plastic for me


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## Jacob (15 Nov 2011)

matthewwh":3e1ddhel said:


> If you need to hit a chisel hard enough to damage a wooden handle then you haven't sharpened it properly.


Depends on the chisel. You should be able to tap most of them fairly sharply with a mallet. If it is a firmer and has a hoop you should be able to whack it really hard (with a mallet).
Mortice chisels are intended for maxi-malleting - they don't have hoops but have big thick handles instead. I've got a 5/16" mortice chisel with a rosewood handle and it's split. Luckily it's cross grained and the split has just taken off a wedge so it's still usable. I blame the handle.
If you haven't brought a mallet on site then you can bash away with a lump hammer or even the side of a claw hammer, but wood handles wouldn't survive for a fraction of the time that plastic would.
If you are a working woodworker then chisels are consumables and getting the job done is more important than chisel well-being!


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## doctor Bob (15 Nov 2011)

Jacob":jypccsek said:


> If you are a working woodworker then chisels are consumables and getting the job done is more important than chisel well-being!



I have to agree with the beardy twot for once..... :lol:


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## Jacob (15 Nov 2011)

doctor Bob":1xusy2nj said:


> Jacob":1xusy2nj said:
> 
> 
> > If you are a working woodworker then chisels are consumables and getting the job done is more important than chisel well-being!
> ...


Thanks for that doc. In fact everybody agrees with the beardy twot once or twice in their lives*, if not more often! Even woodbloke and BB though they'll probably deny it :roll:

*PS except Mrs G


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## Allylearm (15 Nov 2011)

Side issue I just acquired some Marples (Irwin Blue Chip) well they were sold my my supplier as such. Have makers name on handle not like my original Blues.

Thing is they are not as long in blade as my original Blue chips from the seventies, and they do not look as good quality as them either, they were bought for a use in our assembly and honed up OK and they will be used by non pros in assembly. 

My old Black handled Stanley bought in "76" are still going strong as well except for my largest, gave it an apprentice many moons ago and he trashed the handle. He said he tapped it as shown, no way all my others have never caused me any wear in tear, he abused it and got a right kick up the a** as a result. The only thing about the Stanley Blacks was the shiny bevels but that has long gone now. But anyway these new ones purchased are not as long and the handle is not the same as mine in my hand. Or it could be my imagination as I am comfy with my old ones.

I have seen the Marples clear handles split and never bought them as a result but they were popular with some, though again the new ones when I last seen them in my opinion are not the same as the ones back in the 70/80's

Still like my Plastic though I have some pattern makers paring chisels and Sheffield made firmer (wooden handled) which are fine for the role they were bought, though the patterns makers needed new handles as the ones supplied split in my tool chest and were never hit with a claw only used as parers. I even acquired a japanese chisel was not impressed with quality though the edge was good and is a shop tool in my opinion. But from 76 I have only bought a 5 set Stanley black handled and my blue chips 9 set. With one damaged out the two set and is still in use as a scraper duffer chisel when I do not want to damage my good ones. I would not like to carry a wooden handled bevel on site, good for shop or bench hands, but plastic is my preferred weapon of choice supported by their longevity in regards to my purchases. Plus in the case of my plastic handled I have poked/banged/levered/dropped from height on concrete these chisels, where no fine Sorby or expensive tool, etc would like to go or try.


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## No skills (15 Nov 2011)

As a thread that was started a tad tongue in cheek its one of the more sensible discussions I've seen here :shock: 

Chisel lives are not equal by any means so how can anybody possibly apply a one handle suits all/is best approach?

Site or rough work chisels can have a very short and hard life, doesnt matter how well you have sharpened them a wooden handle will give out when doing the hardest work.

Eventually I'll get myself a nice set of chisels for my home time potterings, for the lighter and delicate work. Yes they will have wooden handles! because their nicer looking and feel better in my hand, I certainly wont be hitting them with any hammers or large mallets  


"Plus in the case of my plastic handled I have poked/banged/levered/dropped from height on concrete these chisels, where no fine Sorby or expensive tool, etc would like to go or try."

Spot on. (hammer) 



So to send this thread to the silly place it was expected to go how about the next discussion, boobs - natural or plastic... which is best?


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## Max Power (15 Nov 2011)

:roll: Definitely natural of course :mrgreen:


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## dunbarhamlin (16 Nov 2011)

But Alan, bulgarian airbags save lives


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## AndyT (16 Nov 2011)

Er... lurching back on topic for a moment, I'd like to join in the general buzz of agreement and say that although I have now got more chisels than I really need, (justified by having no too alike, so those differences will matter sometime) I feel no desire to start stripping off the sturdy blue plastic from these Stanleys and Marples. One of them was the first chisel I bought, dammit, about 40 years ago!


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## Eric The Viking (16 Nov 2011)

+1 for Marples blue handles.

(Jacob, look away now) OK, I'm an amateur, but I've had my bevelled set since the early 1980s, and I use a (small!) claw hammer, not a mallet. I _have_ a mallet (squared head variety), but it's just not comfortable.

To be fair, they rarely see tough hardwood, but they do keep a pretty good edge for a decent length of time, and they do get used for rough DIY as well as decent work.


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## János (16 Nov 2011)

Hello,

Dear Ally, you are right, the older chisels are better made, their blades a little longer and thicker than the new ones. I have bought my first Stanley blue chisels in 1993, and have bought some new ones every now and then. The change of finish occurred around 2000. The manufacturing has been shifted to the Czech Republic, I suspect (Stanley acquired/bought many toolmaking firms in that country). As these chisels are available under so many different brands (Irwin, Marples, Stanley etc.) they might be the products of a specialist maker...

I do not like the feel of the hard and slippery plastic handles, but their shape and holding comfort is really good. I prefer long handles on paring chisels, but these chisels are intended for "universal use", from light morticing to hand paring...

Have a nice day,

János


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## Jacob (16 Nov 2011)

Eric The Viking":383jnujh said:


> ... I use a (small!) claw hammer, not a mallet. I _have_ a mallet (squared head variety), but it's just not comfortable.
> ....


?? A mallet's a mallet - what's comfort got to do with? What are you doing with it? :shock: 
Round or square it's a much better tool for hitting chisels - you really should try it. It's not about protecting the handles, it's about precision and better control


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## Eric The Viking (16 Nov 2011)

I ":2dq9mbz6 said:


> Jacob look away now


You didn't, did you?  

It's the handle. The hammer I use is just comfortable. 

I know what you mean about a mallet, but I'm used to using the heel of my hand most of the time (if I can't, it usually means a trip to the wet+dry). They only really get hit when chopping mortices or things like hinge rebates for interior doors, etc. They're never hit hard and it _is_ accurate.

You can tell I feel a bit guilty, can't you?  

E.


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## AndyT (16 Nov 2011)

Now then Eric, stop getting on with your work, and start making a whole selection of mallets!! One of them will turn out comfy!

(Or at least get a spokeshave or a whittling knife onto your current handle and adapt it to suit your hand - but that might not take too long...)


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## Eric The Viking (16 Nov 2011)

AndyT":1kt6wr2s said:


> Now then Eric, stop getting on with your work, and start making a whole selection of mallets!!



Yesssir!

(tugs forelock and sidles out for a furtive smoke* round the back of the drying sheds)







*well he would if he was a smoker...


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## Vann (16 Nov 2011)

Eric The Viking":2blswcou said:


> ...but I'm used to using the heel of my hand most of the time...


Now when I did my apprenticeship I was told to never use the palm of my hand for hitting chisels. They said we'd damage the nevres, and pointed to several old fellas who had the shakes :shock: 

On the other hand I was taught to break off the burr when honing, by stropping on the palm of my hand - a definite no-no these days. I still do it and have never cut myself 8) ....yet!

Cheers, Vann.


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## Allylearm (16 Nov 2011)

Vann":3b0ql20r said:


> Eric The Viking":3b0ql20r said:
> 
> 
> > ...but I'm used to using the heel of my hand most of the time...
> ...



Sounds reasonable explanation, I have stropped since a youngster I would even dare say it very hard to cut oneself if stropped in the proper manner. It just looks like it could, slow down as you stropp and you will see the edge is never pointing in to the flesh but running past.

Oh, and to answer the point about plastic or real, I would need extensive research of trying out varied hues for the sake of science you understand to come up with a answer.


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## Jacob (16 Nov 2011)

Vann":1842ktlp said:


> Eric The Viking":1842ktlp said:
> 
> 
> > ...but I'm used to using the heel of my hand most of the time...
> ...


I agree - no hand hitting chisels - that's what mallets are for. If you want to hit gently then use a little mallet - it only takes a few minutes to turn one up if you need to. Hand stropping looks dangerous (impresses the clients!) but isn't at all, unless you are drunk or something. It does work too, as far as I can see.


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## Eric The Viking (16 Nov 2011)

That's an interesting point, but damaging the nerves is the least of my worries!

I don't hand strop, as I find the side of my trouser leg (jeans) works better!

Eric (the-rebel).


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## Allylearm (16 Nov 2011)

AndyT":29m4i8fh said:


>



Nice array of tools and look worked which makes them even better in my book.


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## woodbloke (18 Nov 2011)

AndyT":1fhyz2ds said:


>


As a little 'aside', that storage set up for chisels would scare the life out of me...there are only a few with guards on! So you reach into the back of the tool well to pick up something (pencil from the pot, say) draw your hand back towards yourself...straight across the undguarded blade of a chisel! Ouch! Been there, done it  I store all my chisels in the same way, blade down:






but behind a clear acrylic front cover (which you can just make out in the pic) that reaches below the the level of the blades - Rob


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## AndyT (18 Nov 2011)

Good point Rob, and the perspex is sensible, but don't worry, it's mostly where things not in use get shoved - I have other pencils ready to hand. And it's at the back of a cupboard (with the lathe on) - not my bench.
But your workshop is a lot tidier than mine, I admit!


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## sparkymarky (18 Nov 2011)

> Wooden Handles...Plastic Handles...but which is best...?



theres only one way to find out..... FIGHT!!   

sorry couldn`t resist after seeing the title, but in a matter of health and safty dont fight with chisels :wink:


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## Vann (18 Nov 2011)

woodbloke":3bilx907 said:


> I store all my chisels in the same way, blade down:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


And the perspex will keep out the moisture that comes into the garage/workshop when the the car comes in wet. I like it :!: I've been measuring up to make a few chisel drawers with dividers (my users currently roll around loose in a drawer). This might be a better option.

But I digress... this is, after all, a handle thread. Err, wooden for bench and fine work, plastic for beating the snot out of. 

Cheers, Vann.


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## dibs (19 Nov 2011)

I've always bought my tools for working with and not looking at, though I will admit to the odd admiring glance at my Makita impact driver!
20 years ago, I bought a 3 piece chisel set from B&Q, 1/4, 1/2 & 3/4 inches. They've had some wallop and the blades are now set more firmly into the handles than the makers intended. They've been used on everything about the house, wood, plaster and concrete. A touch up on the grinder and a taste of the oil stone got them up and running again.A few years back, I bought a chisel set from Screwfix for about £10, 1/8" to 1 1/2" in the set. The oil stone that came with the set was useless, but with a better stone and a Lee valley jig, I could get a decent edge. I won't claim that the edge is long lasting, but I can get it sharp enough for the task in hand. No good for professional everyday use, but for the hobby woodworker (dovetails not included), they are good enough. Handles, they are all plastic! I can't justify the cost of a big "name" set of chisels, but I can understand a serious/pro user spending big bucks on any tool. (The Makita was a 50th birthday present.)
Rick.


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## AndyT (19 Nov 2011)

I've got a set of those Screwfix chisels too. Just right for splitting tiles off walls, chipping away at plaster, digging roots out of stone walls - all those jobs where you need something chisel shaped, rather than a real woodworking tool.


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## Fat ferret (19 Nov 2011)

I have old cast steel chisels mostly, I only use a mallet with the double hoop and leather washer ones but I don't hit them very hard because there's no need to if they are sharp, even for inch mortices in knotty larch. I like wood and don't think it is significantly weaker than plastic but each to their own.


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## GazPal (22 Nov 2011)

I tend to prefer plastic handled chisels for work (Both bench and site work) as there tends to be little to worry about in terms of maintaining them apart from typical sharpening routines. Quite different to my approach regarding hand saw and hand plane handles which I tend to whittle to suit my grip. It should be a case of adapting the tool to suit your needs.

It's just a case of if a tool works for you and your crafting style........use it, but don't be afraid to adjust handling to fit your grip. :wink:


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## Jelly (6 Sep 2015)

I to throw a spanner in the works I can't pick sides here, I really like the wooden "carver" style handles, but my favourite chisels to use are the red acrylic handled footprint chisels, i find the rounded off trapizoid shape very comfortable, and gives excellent control especially their Patternmakers chisels.

However, when I did woodwork for a living my work chisels were all stanley Black & Yellow jobbies, and undoubtedly survived a few incidents of fairly brutal misuse at the hands of colleagues and frequently being knocked off my bench more or less unharmed, my nice box handled chisels would not have.


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## CStanford (6 Sep 2015)

Hard to improve on the round-cornered rectangle plastic ones which one should remember kept the chisels at a good price point.


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## D_W (7 Sep 2015)

Vann":fvlcxqln said:


> Eric The Viking":fvlcxqln said:
> 
> 
> > ...but I'm used to using the heel of my hand most of the time...
> ...



Sounds like you were told reasonable things. I don't know what the danger would be to palm stropping....other than maybe getting dirty oil on your hand and then on the work. 

I think some of the things we're told not to do are imagined hazards.


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## Bluekingfisher (8 Sep 2015)

late in the day, however my vote goes to the black one.

David


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## JonnyW (23 Sep 2015)

The title of the post is obviously a rhetorical question - wood all the way. The chisel at the top of the pic is a shear delight to behold. 

I do agree with the post regarding how the tool is sharpened. I own Ashley Iles, Lie Nielsen, Robert Sorby and plastic non-split handled Marples. All are really good chisels when sharpened property. 

It is purely 'horses for courses' and all down to what you are going to do with them and what type of work you are doing. I served my time (1989 - 1993) with a set of Robert Sorby chisels that I abused day in, day out. They lived in a chisel role in my tool box and were used on site and in the workshop. I replaced the split handles (rosewood I think) on them a few months back - the reason for the handles splitting was inappropriate abuse and lack of sharpening. 

In hindsight I most definitely wouldn't buy a set of Sorby chisels to put in in my tool bag and take on site - it would be a set of Marples plastic non-split handled babies. When I was on site working, you didn't seem to have the time to nip off and run the thing over an oil stone - that was saved for workshop time. However when you were at a bench all day working on finer things, you seemed to have the time and the luxury of spending a few minutes grinding and honing, hence the use of better quality chisels.

Jonny


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## mr edd (23 Sep 2015)

I have sets of what I consider to be nice chisels (all wooden handles) LN, AI, I Sorby, are supposed to be for joinery/furniture use in the workshop. 
I have marples split proof for site use. When I started wanting to take the nice chisels to customers houses, not because the marples did not perform in soft wood/uk hardwoods but because the others looked nicer and felt nicer to use.
I bought a set of AI firmers to try and possess cake and consume. 

However I then had to create a new tool use category, which was too nice to use in the rain, not for wood containing nails, fixings etc

I now have at least three sets in the van at all time,s each with different applications, right down to a set of Ansell cold style chisels for minor demolition use.

Now about that slope thing.... :lol: ]

I have never split or badly chipped a chisel handle plastic or wood regardless of the striking objects used. 
Wooden mallet great, club hammer no probs, plastic mallet fine, claw hammer, if I'm paying attention fine. Its usually my knuckles if I'm not paying attention not the tools handle that gets damaged using the latter. Palm of hand fine, just be sensible and don't try to chop a mortice :lol: 

If you understand the principle of using a wedged shaped cutting edge, i.e using relief cuts rather than banging away until subsidence of the building your working in becomes an issue, I think in my humble opinion chisel handles come down to shape first, weight next, then how they feel to you and what works for one may not for another.

Now the different sharpening techniques/mediums of different uses of each set of chisels, that a whole other disscussion :twisted:


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## PeterBassett (24 Sep 2015)

You're only four years late to the discussion lads.


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## mr edd (6 Oct 2015)

So I'm a slow typist..............


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