Dave Anderson NH
12-31-2009, 8:51 PM
A couple of years ago I bought a box lot of James Swan paring chisels in a mix of bevel edge and firmer styles at one of the LFOD auctions here in NH. They had a pretty manky and mixed set of handles on them which were each different from the one next to it, 12 different handles in all. The chisels were all Swans though they were of different vintages and stamped logo styles. They sat untouched for over a year since I was suffering from a serious shortage of roundtuits but finally I got around to them last Spring and began the derusting and restoration process.
As you will notice in the photos, the bevel edged parers are finished and the firmer style chisels are partially derusted but lack new handles and have yet to have the backs flattened and new cutting bevels ground and honed. Back about 4 or 5 years ago my friend Alan Turner from the Philadelphia Furniture Workshop gifted me a very nice chunk of Olivewood. I had never found the proper project for it until the chisels came along. The Olive made great handles since I'll never be striking the paring chisels with anything and the finish of 2 coats of BLO followed by a buffed coat of Carnuba wax worked out great.
This afternoon I finished a quick wall rack to hold the bevel edged parers and the last picture shows them installed in their new home on the tool wall behind my bench. Now to find the time to complete the restoration of the firmer style paring chisels.
As you will notice in the photos, the bevel edged parers are finished and the firmer style chisels are partially derusted but lack new handles and have yet to have the backs flattened and new cutting bevels ground and honed. Back about 4 or 5 years ago my friend Alan Turner from the Philadelphia Furniture Workshop gifted me a very nice chunk of Olivewood. I had never found the proper project for it until the chisels came along. The Olive made great handles since I'll never be striking the paring chisels with anything and the finish of 2 coats of BLO followed by a buffed coat of Carnuba wax worked out great.
This afternoon I finished a quick wall rack to hold the bevel edged parers and the last picture shows them installed in their new home on the tool wall behind my bench. Now to find the time to complete the restoration of the firmer style paring chisels.