Chisels - I could quit if I wanted.

[dannyr]

It's just that my social worker said I should come to the meeting for support. I'm not a binge chiseller, it's just that I can't walk by a cheap good 'un in need of resto , and here in the Sheffield area, they're everywhere. I can quit, honest.

It all came to a head when I stopped counting chisels and just counted sets of chisels.

For example, one of my favourite, the thin patternmakers paring chisel, non-bevel type:

 

[Cabinetman]

That’s almost a 40 a day habit you’ve developed there Danny. Nice chisels!

 

[Adam W.]

Very nice, I like the colour of the handles.

 

[Jameshow]

It's just that my social worker said I should come to the meeting for support. I'm not a binge chiseller, it's just that I can't walk by a cheap good 'un in need of resto , and here in the Sheffield area, they're everywhere. I can quit, honest.

It all came to a head when I stopped counting chisels and just counted sets of chisels.

For example, one of my favourite, the thin patternmakers paring chisel, non-bevel type:


View attachment 126514

I need a day trip to Sheffield!

Where are the best crack (chisel) houses?!

 

[dannyr]

I need a day trip to Sheffield!

Where are the best crack (chisel) houses?!

Thing is, I have been buying old chisels since 1980s, and the best junk shops are now gone, but today I'd say Chesterfield Market on Thurs, and then Sheffield 'antique quarter', especially when there's also a market --- please take the rest, so i'm spared temptation.

what about Bradford - I also had a thing about vises/vices and all the most interesting seemed to come from round there.

 

[Jameshow]

Thing is, I have been buying old chisels since 1980s, and the best junk shops are now gone, but today I'd say Chesterfield Market on Thurs, and then Sheffield 'antique quarter', especially when there's also a market --- please take the rest, so i'm spared temptation.

what about Bradford - I also had a thing about vises/vices and all the most interesting seemed to come from round there.

Where in Bradford!

 

[dannyr]

And without even leaving paring chisels here are some more

Cranked/offset/dogleg/trowel handle...(the widest is 2in)

bevelled....

And gouges - various radii, narrowest 1/8th, I used not to like this style of handle, but really keen on it now - never seen it in a catalogue, but patternmakers seem to like it. Only one is out cannel.

All these paring chisels have blades (bolster to tip) 9in to over 11in and the long-style handle is up to 7 in long. The main maker is Wards, seem to specialise in this type.

Told you I didn't have a problem (this is only paring, what about mortise, registered, socket, etc)?

 

[dannyr]

I expected a quick challenge on how many I need ...... Well as a wood butcher of many years, who'd love to be a refined cabinet maker, but isn't yet, I'd say about 4, but I do like 'em. And deciding to start this post at least got me fettling/cleaning/sharpening them.

 

[D_W]

I expected a quick challenge on how many I need ......

more...as many as you can find. I think I have something like half a dozen large chisels (they're not all box handled, though), probably 8 or so bevel edge parers, 15 or 20 incannel straight gouges and another 15 or so crank.

I didn't get all of the gouges on perfect - someone gave me a fantastic unused set of later marples gouges (but they're still hand finished) and I bid on a charity auction to get a huge number of crank gouges after already having a set because nobody was bidding on them and I didn't think the auction should go by with the generous person who offered the gouges getting stiffed for their efforts (imagine putting up a set of clean matching crank neck gouges and getting a high charity bid of $75 - the buyer would've made out, but that's not the right place to do it).

 

[Tony Zaffuto]

Beautiful pics! No tool nicer than tang style chisels, particularly London pattern!

 

[D_W]

I expected a quick challenge on how many I need ...... Well as a wood butcher of many years, who'd love to be a refined cabinet maker, but isn't yet, I'd say about 4, but I do like 'em. And deciding to start this post at least got me fettling/cleaning/sharpening them.

The unicorn is the cats rectum for incannel gouges, by the way. They are the top candidate for it and where I backed into it (I get that some people think it's stupid, but if there's something where a very sharp edge but one that's got good strength is useful, it's incannel gouges and stretching out the time between grinding the bevel back on the inside.

 

[dannyr]

The unicorn is the cats rectum for incannel gouges, by the way. They are the top candidate for it and where I backed into it (I get that some people think it's stupid, but if there's something where a very sharp edge but one that's got good strength is useful, it's incannel gouges and stretching out the time between grinding the bevel back on the inside.

re your two posts -- gouges - I think not much used except for wood sculpture these days, but I have noted in some of the videos online of crafts people from the past working for a living that gouges are often used for doing much of the wood removal before finishing the edges square with a straight chisel.

I have to say that I also have picked up sets of very fine gouges for peanuts - I'm slowly getting better at sharpening - doesn't always have to be straight across thumbnail or even crooked can work well.

On topic of sharpening straight paring chisels ... I noted many have rounded corners .... thought this was careless sharpening or a hollowed stone, but could be to stop the edge line as some do with a smoothing iron.

 

[Cabinetman]

Is it your thought that that style of handle was sort of reserved for patternmakers? I’ve seen one or two but they’re pretty rare so far as I know. Wonderful sets of chisels by the way, I couldn’t possibly use them all but I am feeling very envious! Ian

 

[Kaizen123]

Just got myself a set of Narex Premiums as my first set and still in the process of honing them, only to watch Paul Sellers's instructional video of sharpening and watch him in awe taking an £8 set from Aldi and sharpening them into little bevelled samurai swords.... Obviously got a lot to learn!

 

[whitty]

Thing is, I have been buying old chisels since 1980s, and the best junk shops are now gone, but today I'd say Chesterfield Market on Thurs, and then Sheffield 'antique quarter', especially when there's also a market --- please, take the rest, so i'm spared temptation.

what about Bradford - I also had a thing about vises/vices and all the most interesting seemed to come from round there.

I need the name of your therapist, been retired for years but still buy tools from Chesterfield market most weeks. My kids tell me they are all going in a skip when i am gone.

 

[Adam W.]

Oh no, Paul Sellers.

Snip/
And gouges - various radii, narrowest 1/8th, I used not to like this style of handle, but really keen on it now - never seen it in a catalogue, but patternmakers seem to like it. Only one is out cannel.

View attachment 126551
/snip

They are Best Improved Round London Pattern.

And here's my take on why those handles look like they do.......

You can hold onto the bulb and put your shoulder against the end and use the force of your upper body to pare downwards. It's also why they are sooooo loooong.

It makes your shoulder look like chopped liver for a while, but you'll get used to it.

 

[dannyr]

Is it your thought that that style of handle was sort of reserved for patternmakers? I’ve seen one or two but they’re pretty rare so far as I know. Wonderful sets of chisels by the way, I couldn’t possibly use them all but I am feeling very envious! Ian

I wonder if the very long handle shape was a kind of insider thing with patternmakers? I've also seen patternmaker kits with chisels with a kind of squashed mini carver style handle. Self made obviously.

Edit. Just seen Adam's reply -- thanks for that -- I hoped someone would know more -- any picture from old catalogue?

By the way almost none of the chisels shown are with the original handles - I've often picked up good blades with poor or no handles or vice versa eg the fine set of handles in the last pic was nearly all from one seller but the blades were all very similar width and just slightly differing curvature and there were spare handles so I used them to make my own more widely spaced set. I'm now well practiced in removing and refitting handles.

Also btw, except for one or two extra wide blades, I've not paid over £10 per and more often £1or2 per item, but prices going up for the sought after types.

My big mistake in the past was not looking carefully enough at the last inch or so of the back -- if there is pitting (common) you've got a problem/lot of work to get a good edge.

 

[Cozzer]

....but today I'd say Chesterfield Market on Thurs....

Being a Dronfield resident, I often troll around C's Thursday market, and have to say that it's rare I find anything of interest, old tool-wise.
Now I know why!
You've got them all!

 

[Adam W.]

@dannyr The handles are in Salaman and the paring method comes through using the straight paring chisels and gouges.

I suspect that the cranked handled ones are used more like planes for fine tuning channels, but I've never used them as I'm not a pattern maker.

 

[Jacob]

Just got myself a set of Narex Premiums as my first set and still in the process of honing them, only to watch Paul Sellers's instructional video of sharpening and watch him in awe taking an £8 set from Aldi and sharpening them into little bevelled samurai swords.... Obviously got a lot to learn!

Shouldn't take long to sharpen new chisels, in fact never easier when they have a nice new perfectly ground 25º bevel.
Just a few strokes at 30º and you are off. They always seem to have a hollow face but that makes it easier to sharpen, no need to flatten, just enough to take off the burr.
Sellers over-does it a bit, but could be a lot worse.
Call it "initialising" or "prepping" if you want to but it's just a fashion - it's just sharpening and next time you do it again exactly the same way again