My 37 Chisels Have Arrived!

[Tom LaRussa]

I just snagged this bunch off eBay.

There are 37 total in the lot. Judging by the pictures I figure I should be able to salvage about 20 users from the bunch, at just under $5 each -- plus some sweat equity of course. :D

[Mark Stutz]

You are quite welcome, Tom. I know you said thank you to someone out there who didn't bid up the price! I was actually looking at these and figured there were a few good users, but since I already have 10 that need work and new handles, I figured that I would let someone else have some fun! :D Let us know what you end up with .

[Charles McKinley]

Nice Score Tom. Keep us posted on how they turn out. You can always sell the ones you don't want on ebay and drive you cost per chisel even lower.

[Denny Lawson]

Nice score..It just kills me when I see a socket chisel that someone has beat down to a mushroom head (upper right of your photo)

I had one similar..I cleaned it up and discovered it was an old Shapliegh Hardware...luckily there was enough left of the socket to bed a new handle on it,,I use it often

Denny

[Peter Gavin]

Tom,

It looks like you got a great deal. How did you ever end up with the chisels that you were making. If you posted a thread on finishing them I missed it because I've been thinking about making myself a set of mortising chisels and was watching your experience with interest. The last I saw you had finished shaping the blades. How did it go with making/attaching handles. That is what I am foreseeing as the greatest difficulty as I would like to make some sort of socket to handle the blows of a mallet. Just curious.

Thanks

Peter

[Tom LaRussa]

Nice score..It just kills me when I see a socket chisel that someone has beat down to a mushroom head (upper right of your photo)

Denny,

Me too, but I tend to feel sad rather than angry about it ever since Bob Smalser posted on the subject.

He says that we should keep in mind that many of these old tools were bought as everyday users by a carpenter, shipwright, cabinet makers, etc, who worked by the piece. If a handle broke he couldn't stop work to fix it, because he didn't get paid until the piece was finished. So he'd bang away at the socket if that's what it took to get the job done.

Still, it is sad to see.

[Ted Shrader]

Tom -

Congratulations on your successful bid. Happy it worked for you.

Pictures when you get the keepers into shape?

Ted

[Tom LaRussa]

How did you ever end up with the chisels that you were making. If you posted a thread on finishing them I missed it because I've been thinking about making myself a set of mortising chisels and was watching your experience with interest. The last I saw you had finished shaping the blades. How did it go with making/attaching handles. That is what I am foreseeing as the greatest difficulty as I would like to make some sort of socket to handle the blows of a mallet. Just curious.

Hi Peter,

My shop-built chisel project is still a long way from completion. I have a couple of them completely shaped, a couple partly shaped, and a couple not even started yet.

To be honest, the main thing holding me back is that grinding all that steel is very time consuming -- which I don't mind all that much -- and not very pleasant -- which I do mind a lot. The noise is pretty annoying, although earplugs help a lot. The little bits of hot metal flying everywhere are not real fun, especially when they go down your shirt, into your ear, or stuff like that. But the worst thing is that by the end of a grinding session my clothes are full of metal slivers and I itch like you wouldn't believe.

I have some ideas for changing around my work space that should help with all of the above, but I just haven't had time to implement them yet.

As far as your plans go, I think you're smart to start with morticing chisels, since they have fewer angles to mess with. But I'm not sure about the socket idea. First off I don't know how one would make a socket chisel at home unless he was a heck of a welder. Secondly, I don't think it's necessary to make socket chisels in order to be able to bang on them. I think all that is needed is a good strong handle which is well reinforced on the ends.

I'm sure that somebody more knowledgeable than I can comment on this issue.

If you need any help in the heat treatment department just let me know, as I've gotten fairly decent at it.

:)

[Tom LaRussa]

Pictures when you get the keepers into shape?
Of course! Before and after. :)

[Gregory Benulis]

You might want to check out this page by Jim Wilson on making mortise chisels (http://www.paragoncode.com/toolmaking/mortise_chisels/details/index.htm). He shows how to make a tanged mortise chisel that can take a good pounding. Though he is no longer producing chisels for sale his products were well regarded.
Greg

[Tom LaRussa]

Okay folks, here they are; the 4 that arrived the other day, plus 37 more that arrived today.

I'm afraid Louis is going to be disappointed, because by may standards many of these will have to be worked on quite a bit in order to be decent users. In fact, I had to scrape rust -- that's rust, not "patina" -- off of many of them just to try to find a name!

Anyhow, the first two picks are all Stanleys, including a 750 that looks like it was used to mix paint. (That's the first chisel at the top)

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/stan1.jpg

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/stan2.jpg

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The next group are all Buck Brothers

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/buck1.jpg

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/buck2.jpg

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The next bunch is an assortment of bench chisels, of the beveled and socketed variety. If you can't read the names let me know and I'll try to translate my heirogliphics.

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/bench1.jpg

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/bench2.jpg

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Next up are a few firmers. The second and third in this group say "W.(something illegible) and "Sheffield, England" and "Cast Steel."

Any ideas what company they came from?

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/firm1.jpg

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/firm2.jpg

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Next is a few I am calling butt chisels, although I realized after I took the pick that one of them probably belongs in the bench section. Oh well.

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/butt1.jpg

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/butt2.jpg

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I don't know what the heck to call these, or what to do with them.

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/stuff.jpg

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Finally, the very best and worst of the entire 41 chisels. The lovely little Stanley 720 and something that looks like it was tortured to death.

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/bw1.jpg

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomlarussa/bw2.jpg

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So, opinions on my little stash?

Any ideas what the unknown examples are?

Anybody want to buy these for like a thousand dollars? ;)

[Mark Stutz]

Tom,
I have no idea on the maker of those "no names", but from what I've been able to follow, that 720 alone probably would have gone for that amount by itself. Can you salvage the socket on that big Witherby?

[Tom LaRussa]

Can you salvage the socket on that big Witherby?
I think so. It'll probably need epoxy to hold it to a new handle, but it'll be a good user nonetheless.

[Louis Bois]

Don't you worry about me Tom...the only disappointment I feel has to do with the treatment that these chisels received during their long journey through life. It makes me happy to know that they've come to rest in a good, caring home.

Polish away!!!

...there are some gems there, BTW. Nice catch.

[Steve Wargo]

The chisels marked W. "something" with the arrow are Butcher's. He's my favorite. They are post WWI. He also made some prior to WWI that bear the Iron Cross on them. IMO He is one of the finest edge tool makers of this time period. They are excellent quality.

[Dan Moening]

That last chisel hasn't been torchured...

You've heard of swan-neck, or crane-neck chisels, right?

Well, this is an extremely rare "snake-neck" chisel. :p

You have one labeled "? Sweden"...could it be an E. Anton Berg chisel?
My understanding is that they used a fish {sometimes 2} as a trade stamp.
And are regarded as the best steel makers of their time by many...

Wonderful group.
If you find you have too many {ahem} of the wider profiles let me know. :D