PS&W Socket chisel rebuild project

[Karl Andersson]

I thought I’d share some pictures of a recent restoration I did on a pair of framing chisels. Both are Peck, Stow and Wilcox Co. (PS&W) chisels of different ages. They are 1” and 1 ½” wide, socketed and very heavy – the blades are about 3/4 “ thick at the socket, tapering to about 3/8 at the tips and they are about 12 “ long without the handles. The blades are laminated and have flat backs but a crowned front profile.
My job was to replace the handles on both chisels, then clean and sharpen the blades so I could cut the large through-mortises for my new workbech’s legs.
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The Damage: There was considerable evidence that both chisels had been smacked with a metal hammer. The handle of the 1” chisel still had its steel ring on the end, but the wood fibers had crushed, allowing the ring to slide down and push the outer sleeve of the handle wood down over the end of the socket. The larger chisel was much worse – it had lost its ring and the handle had been beaten with what looks like a regular steel hammer until the wood fibers mushroomed and a dent formed in the middle. On top of that, both chisel blades had been used as hammers themselves and had lots of nailhead dents and divots – and they were covered in rust.
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I removed the handles by tapping them from side to side with a mallet. Luckily, I was able to remove them whole, so I had a pattern for each of the new handles’ socket ends. The smaller chisel’s handle had come loose in the past and had been shimmed with newspaper. The piece that is visible has a banner date of 1941, so I guess this handle has been around a respectable length of time.
I then filed the nail damage down with a progression of files so the sides and top had at least a smooth plane on their high points. The hard steel laminated blades did not get as many dings as the softer steel on the shanks so I was able to lap at least the bottom 3 inches of each. Then I cleaned each blade up with 400-600 grit sandpaper, leaving enough “patina” so the tools look their age.
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I made handle blanks out of some very dry dogwood I found in a dumpsite. Here you see the rough blanks I chopped then turned on my old Shopsmith lathe. Sorry, but my daughter erased dad’s “wood pictures”, so I don’t have photos of the handle-making. I figured the wood had shrunk about 1/8 in diameter, so I used the original “cones” on the socket ends to take caliper measurements at the tip and at the widest part of the cone, then followed the same angle and made the cones about ¼ inch longer. By measuring the depth of the socket I could tell there was plenty of extra room for a longer tip.
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I turned the handles with the same small amount of swell in the middle as the originals, taking care to mate the outside diameter of the wood handle to that of the socket so there is a smooth transition. I cut tenons on the end for the steel rings. I re-used the original ring for the smaller chisel and made a new ring for the larger one out of 1” black steel pipe. I like the way the second one came out –I first put bevel edges on it to match the outer diameter of the wood, then smoothed them over using 400 and 1000 grit sanding belts on a stationary belt sander. The finished ring stands proud of the handle in the middle, kind of like a Japanese chisel band does. The third chisel on the right here is a 1 ¾” socket firmer I found in another box – it just needed some cleaning up and the handle refinished with the same brushing lacquer I used on the others. It is marked SAMSON by Union Hardware Co. and is not quite as bulky as the others.
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I used a LV MK II sharpening system to grind primary, secondary, and tertiary bevels in the tips. Final honing was done on a hard Arkansas stone so they shave well.
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So, that’s all there is to it; feel free to share any questions or comments. I can’t work on the new bench at all for a month or two while my rotator cuff surgery heals, so I should be around here more often.
Later,
Karl

[Jonathan McCullough]

Sorry to hear about your shoulder, hope it heals quickly. I'm no expert but I think that PS&W was Peck, Stowe & Wilcox or "PEXTO" as they later adopted. Those are very nice, durable whompers that'll be useful long after all of us are gone. I've got a millwright's chisel like those and its heft means business. Two or three strikes and you're to mortise depth. You may want to give a little 1/8" clearance between the socket and the handle where they meet at the lip because as you pound on the handle, the handle will be forced into the socket and the wood will want to split right there where the end grain meets the lip of the socket. Nice!

[Joseph Klosek]

Did you save the mashed up handle, the one that looked like a curly headed mop?

When I saw that I just broke down. That one looked to be one of the previous owners favorites. I probably would have left that one alone because it looked beautiful.

J.P.

[Karl Andersson]

Jonathan, you're right - Peck, not Pass...I'll blame it on the meds muddling up my history (Pass and Stow recast the Liberty bell or something like that). The smaller one I did first and it snugged up to the socket after hitting it hard a few times with a mallet - so I did leave more room on the larger one. Ended up with about a 16th extra traveling room. I plann to score the snug handle about an 8th from the socket with a knife, then carefully file or chisel some extra room; I don't want to repeat the problem I was fixing.

J.P.: Unfortunately for my wife, I have a museum mentality so both the old handles are going into my "display of broken tools" along with some mushroomed cobblers punches and various other worn-out treasures. I'll have to start training one of my daughters to understand why it's important to know about them.

For some reason, I keep finding old ship and framing chisels. Guess I'll have to build a cabin or something

[Trey Palmer]

Thanks, this is a very timely thread for me.

I happen to have a 1 1/2" PS&W chisel in almost exactly this condition. It is heavy, but I do not think it's as heavy as yours. It has an incredibly mushroomed handle.

Unfortunately, I do not have a lathe. How hard do y'all think it is to make chisel handles with spokeshaves, rasps, &c?

[Karl Andersson]

I think you could do it without a lathe, but you'd have to have well-prepared round, square or octagonal stock to start with so you could find the center of the handle blank and so you can measure in from the sides to make the widest diameter of the socket end. Round would be easiest to start with.

I'd use outside calipers to measure the cone of the handle you remove (as long as it fits wiggle-free in the socket). Measure the narrow tip of the cone and draw a cirlce with this radius centered on the end of your blank. Then use the calipers at its widest point and figure out the diameter there. If your blank's sides are even, you can measure up from the tip to the right point on the handle, then cut/ file in the right distance from each side to get the new diameter. Then use a drawknife, pocket knife, etc to cut the slope from the wide part to the narrow part, joining the two diameters on a slope. If you go carefully, you should be able to get a reasonably good cone, then start press-fitting it in the socket, using the rust in the socket to mark where the high spots are and shaving them down until you get a snug fit. As Jonathan mentioned, continue the slope up past the widest part about 1/8 in. to leave some extra length for when the handle compresses and seats down. it would take a while without a lathe, but the handle should last decades if you keep the steel hammers away from it.

The rest of the handle would be easy-if it isn't round already, use the knife to make 8 sides, then 16, etc until you can shave it round or call it quits.

[Trey Palmer]

Thanks Karl.

I've seen references to people doing small turning projects by rigging up a drill press or drill motor. Is a chisel handle too long for this?

[Trey Palmer]

Ahhhh, I just found a detailed article by none other than Bob Smalser on the FWW web page on making chisel handles without a lathe.

I would link it but I think it requires a paid subscription.

[Karl Andersson]

I think it depends on the size of the motor (the length is not a big deal - you need motor power to spin larger diameters against the resistance of the cutter/scraper) and also you need to figure out what you're going to use as a drive spur to hold the wood and spin it. I have turned decorative miniature spindles by chucking a dowel in a drill - you might be able to whittle a tenon in the end of your handle piece that can fit into your drill or drill press chuck, then you'd probably have to rig up a way to stabilize the other end of the workpiece. If you used a rasp, scraper, or took very light cuts you probably wouldn't overwork the motor or break off the tenon. There are probably better ways to solve that one than whatI can guess...

[Karl Andersson]

there is a Bob Smalser article in the Neanderthal wisdom section here that also discusses making handles without a lathe, may be the same article

[Jim Koepke]

Nice looking chisels.

I think the industry in the area often determines the kind of tools us rust hunters find in the next century.

I have one chisel with the domed top. It looks like the handle fell out and was used by just beating on the socket with a hammer. Not much socket left to instal a handle.

jtk

[Karl Andersson]

"I think the industry in the area often determines the kind of tools us rust hunters find in the next century."

That's true, so while the midwest guys profit from the old cabinet-making industry, apparently the industry in the Baltimore area consisted of selling your grandfather's tools for scrap, spending the money on beer and a handyman block plane that you kept in a bucket of saltwater...if the evidence can be believed.

I think the framing chisels were just so darned useful as hammers, anvils, doorstops, etc. that they just didn't think to get rid of them. The large corner chisels are another story - I think they kept saying they were going to figure out how to sharpen them someday and kept them around forever. The handles on mine are pristine but the blades are dull.

I have my share of handle-less socket chisels that got used metal-to metal. A couple of my socket chisels have a thickened band forged into the top edge of the socket that looks like hammer damage at first, but is apparently there to mate up to a thicker handle. They look like hammer damage at first, but the thickened edge is definitely manufactured in.

[Trey Palmer]

Karl -- I forgot to mention, your chisels look awesome! Which is of course why I'm seeking your advice. :-)

"Best possible pistol drill" is a reasonable assumption. I have a NOS Milwaukee 0234.

I was definitely thinking of only using rasps and sandpaper. I'm asking about a workpiece supported on only one end, so my length concern is mainly about runout and stability at the opposite end.

I've seen photos of knobs and such turned with just a drill. I've seen web pages on homemade lathes using a bed and support on the other end, but that's getting a little more involved.

.

I think it depends on the size of the motor (the length is not a big deal - you need motor power to spin larger diameters against the resistance of the cutter/scraper) and also you need to figure out what you're going to use as a drive spur to hold the wood and spin it. I have turned decorative miniature spindles by chucking a dowel in a drill - you might be able to whittle a tenon in the end of your handle piece that can fit into your drill or drill press chuck, then you'd probably have to rig up a way to stabilize the other end of the workpiece. If you used a rasp, scraper, or took very light cuts you probably wouldn't overwork the motor or break off the tenon. There are probably better ways to solve that one than whatI can guess...

[Karl Andersson]

Trey,
thanks for the compliment on the chisels - they work well too.

As for your handles, it sems like you'd spend almost as much time rigging up a way to make handles with your pistol-grip drill as you would if you used spokeshaves, rasps, and sandpaper to just make them. Maybe you'd save time in the long run if you had a bunch to make, but for one or two, if you follow Bob Smalser's methods, it should work well.

Now just in case you're committted to the drill, here's my guess on how I would try it (this may or may not work, just food for thought): get the handles pre-shaped as best as you can; within 1/8inch or less of final dimensions. leave an extra inch or two on each end of the blank. Drill a hole about 3/4 in into the center of the "top" end of the handle, the diameter of the hole just narrow enough that a 2-inch long screwdriver bit can be hammered into it tightly. That is your drive end - chuck it into the drill. You are going to have a lot of freeplay in the end of the wood - from the drill bearings, etc., plus you'll be working with hard wood, so you need a tailstock. Find a secured vertical piece of wood (wall stud, wood in a vise, table leg) and drive a 1/8 in thick nail into it about hip-high, leaving about 1/2 in of the nail sticking out. Cut off the nail head and file the end into a point. You might feel better if you wax this point, but it's going to burn the wood anyways, so here goes - gather your one-handed turning tools on a table next to you, along with the chisel. I'd try coarse and fine rasps and files and also mesh drywall sandpaper (for bulk removal, allows dust out), maybe a Surform-style rasp plane. You'll also need calipers or similar with the narrowest and widest cone measurements set on them. Push the center of the free end of the handle against the nail, push hard with your hip while squeezing the trigger, and start shaping, checking it against the chisel socket regularly...

Somehow, when I read what I just wrote, the "Dueling Banjos" tune from Deliverance starts playing in my head, but I am sure I could make it work if I had to, if you can picture it in your mind, you can probably work it out too. Just don't say "hey y'all, watch this" before starting or you're doomed.

Oh - be sure to avoid loose clothing if you use the drill, no matter what method you try - you don't need to get all wrapped up in it.

Hey, if anyone else wants to chime in, now's your chance...

Keep us posted on your success, Trey
Karl

[Joe O'Leary]

Trey, why not spring for a mini-lathe and get turning. It was a revelation to me.

[Trey Palmer]

Trey, why not spring for a mini-lathe and get turning. It was a revelation to me.

That occurred to me as well.

It would be hard to exaggerate how limited I am on space. A really small benchtop lathe might do the trick. I'm not quite sure about sticking my toe in that pool just yet!

If I want to make chisel handles I'm probably best off making them using the Smalser method. I believe Aldren Watson also describes this, using a jig called a "turning box" or something like that.

[Dave Anderson NH]

A warning Trey. Lathes are dangerous. They are hopelessly addictive. I know a number of folks who used to be very good all around woodworkers, both hand and power tools types, who once they got a lathe disappeared and have yet to surface. A bit of hyperbole perhaps, but still very close to the truth. It's not the lathe that costs, its all the tools and accessories.

[Mark Ressel]

If you have a router and a router table, I've seen articles about attaching round blocks of wood on the end off a blank and using a straight bit to turn a cylinder. You just slowly raise the straight bit, spinning the blank on the piece on the "wheels" to form the cylinder. You could use other bits (v-groove, core box, etc.) to get a bit more variety in your shape. I would imagine using wheels of different diameters could result in a tapered cylinder. Getting the taper for the socket might be a bit tricky, but you could probably very gradually raise the bit as you move towards the thinner part of the taper to get a rough shape. You'd have to do some work with a file and sandpaper, but it you could remove the bulk of the material with the router. I may try this soon as I have a chisel with a chipped handle. . .

[Jim Matthews]

Unfortunately, I do not have a lathe. How hard do y'all think it is to make chisel handles with spokeshaves, rasps, &c?

I've done it.

Getting the taper right is fiddly.
If you make the handle over length,
you can put a hanger bolt in that end
and chuck the assembly in your drill press.

That will at least help get the taper centered.

I think the handle choice is important.
I've made three, and only the second one
stayed fitted for long.

If they swell with seasonal humidity changes,
the taper forces the handle out of the socket.