Bob Smalser
10-04-2004, 10:55 AM
Originally posted by Ex-Oceangoddess: All my mortise chisels, ranging from real oldies, to ones I bought from Lee Valley back in the 80's, are slightly narrower on the back than the front. The old ones came that way, and the new ones I made that way. That's because you cut a mortise with the front part of the chisel, and if the back is the same width its a PITA to work it out of the hole.
Not trying to be the contrarian here, but my mike sure can't find any of that.
http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/3442941/68580316.jpg
The 19th-Century millwright mortise chisels shown...1/8 thru 3/4 in 1/8 increments... are Douglas, Swan, New Haven and Dickerson....only the fat Dickerson 5/8th's has any difference 'tween front and back face...the front is 3 thou narrower than the back.
Same for the trendy, expensive Japanese laminated chisels....only the 1/2 shows 3 thou difference just like the Dickerson.
http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/5305809/67802788.jpg
Them and others all work just dandy...the half-incher above is dead parallel...can't tell any difference....16 deep mortises in 45 minutes.
BTW....wound up with a couple of these long millwright mortise chisels when I was buying large handleless lots for a couple of rehabbed socket firmer/gouge set commissions for a few Navy Yard woodshop greybeard pals who don't like what the Navy is buying these days for them to use.
So I rehabbed them and tried them out:
Wow. Like night and day, and I've chopped a mortise or two over the decades. Long lengths easier to keep plumb and the larger heft provides gobs of more power...
...and have been collecting all the sizes I can find ever since...even paying all of...shudder...25 bucks when I hast to.
All my Japanese and British tinkertoys will hit Ebay shortly.
Not trying to be the contrarian here, but my mike sure can't find any of that.
http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/3442941/68580316.jpg
The 19th-Century millwright mortise chisels shown...1/8 thru 3/4 in 1/8 increments... are Douglas, Swan, New Haven and Dickerson....only the fat Dickerson 5/8th's has any difference 'tween front and back face...the front is 3 thou narrower than the back.
Same for the trendy, expensive Japanese laminated chisels....only the 1/2 shows 3 thou difference just like the Dickerson.
http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/5305809/67802788.jpg
Them and others all work just dandy...the half-incher above is dead parallel...can't tell any difference....16 deep mortises in 45 minutes.
BTW....wound up with a couple of these long millwright mortise chisels when I was buying large handleless lots for a couple of rehabbed socket firmer/gouge set commissions for a few Navy Yard woodshop greybeard pals who don't like what the Navy is buying these days for them to use.
So I rehabbed them and tried them out:
Wow. Like night and day, and I've chopped a mortise or two over the decades. Long lengths easier to keep plumb and the larger heft provides gobs of more power...
...and have been collecting all the sizes I can find ever since...even paying all of...shudder...25 bucks when I hast to.
All my Japanese and British tinkertoys will hit Ebay shortly.