Lie Nielsen Socket Chisels

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks for the information Tom. It is always interesting to learn about the so many other things used for a specialized purpose that have "crossover" utility in woodworking.

As in another thread, one of my other sources for "crossover" materials is in the lapidary world. They have some very fine polishing abrasives and they also use some equipment that is useful in woodworking.

jtk

[Rafael Herrera]

Aren't you supposed to fit this type of handles?

The inside of my old chisel sockets are not smooth, the fit takes advantage of that. The picture below shows two chisels I've taken the time to fit properly and the third is a Stanley 750 with the factory fit. In other words, not fitted, it sticks out too much.

I would imagine these LN chisels have smooth sockets and machine made handles. Considering the reputation this brand has, having to glue the handle so the chisel doesn't fall off is pretty bad.

20240419_102604.jpg

[Edward Weber]

There is fitted and then there's fitted.
Top chisel looks to be fitted well but maybe on the tight side.
Middle chisel has virtually no gap, that's too tight. IMO
The Stanley has too large of a gap, not necessary but not an issue other than aesthetics.
More gap is better than no gap in this situation.
The entire idea of a socket chisel is that it gets tighter when struck. It should only contact the sides of the socket not the bottom. If the handle is fitted too closely to the outside of the socket, splits in the wood can happen in that area and mushrooming can start. There needs to be "some" room for eventual movement. When the handle shrinks a bit and gets repeatedly struck, it needs room to set further into the socket, hence the need for extra room at the pictured connection area. If there is no room to move, the handle starts to mushroom the socket.
Example of mushrooming just starting & handle splitting
IMG_0719.jpg

As to dry fitting, yes it works, but as others, as well as myself have said, ambient weather makes a difference.
There is nothing wrong with some type of adhesive.

[Rafael Herrera]

The Stanley has too large of a gap, not necessary but not an issue other than aesthetics.

That gap in the stanley chisel and others I have. When I grasp it, the rim of the socket digs into the skin of my palm when I tighten my grip while malleting. It's not a comfortable handle.

The other two, much better. I don't know if the middle handle will go any deeper, I certainly malleted the crap out of it in the final fit. But if it does mushroom, that's not hard to cut off to tidy up the fit.

The humidity in my workshop is relatively stable, no wild swings. Whether that helped or not, I don't know, I can't recall any socket handle falling off in the last few years. If any of the chisels did that I'd be pretty annoyed, specially if it landed on the concrete or my foot, even more it they were supposedly premium chisels. Handles made of a different wood species might perform better.

[mike stenson]

Aren't you supposed to fit this type of handles?

The inside of my old chisel sockets are not smooth, the fit takes advantage of that. The picture below shows two chisels I've taken the time to fit properly and the third is a Stanley 750 with the factory fit. In other words, not fitted, it sticks out too much.

I would imagine these LN chisels have smooth sockets and machine made handles. Considering the reputation this brand has, having to glue the handle so the chisel doesn't fall off is pretty bad.

20240419_102604.jpg

I've had loose handles on my (gen1) LN's with the same frequency as my vintage socket chisels.