Ugly chisel handle

[John Piwaron]

I found a package containing an Iyoroi bench chisel i ordered from Tools for Woodworking this morning waiting for me upon returning from church.

I ordered it just to try out against the Sorby set I complained about a couple of days ago. BTW, thanks to all the posters to that thread. They were very interesting responses.

Anyway, I haven't had a chance to put it to wood, but I must say that it has the ugliest yellow handle I've ever seen on a fine tool. It's wood, but looks like it might have been something from a branch. No particularly distinctive grain. Just a horrible yellow.

I'll be making a replacement handle in the not too distant future. :)

[Jim Koepke]

My tastes in handles has evolved over the years. Some of my tools have actually had handles made from tree branches. If my recollection is correct, a couple of files in my shop still do.

For some a handle is just a handle so deal with it.

For me the handle is as important as any other part of the tool. If the handle doesn't feel "right" or comfortable in my hand another tool that does is more likely to be used. An ill feeling handle is a distraction that is unwanted while enjoying the creation process.

jtk

[John Piwaron]

Mostly the problem (for me) is that it's painted. I'll strip that off first.

[Tony Shea]

Are you sure that the handle is not made of Boxwood? I personally do not mind the look of boxwood handles on Japanese chisels.

[Mike Henderson]

I'm not a fan of the handles on Japanese chisels so I replaced all the handles on mine. I don't like the hoops at the top of the handle - they're uncomfortable when I push the chisel by hand. It's not too hard to make new handles - in fact the biggest problem may be to get the old handle off.

Mike

[Sam Takeuchi]

Are you sure that the handle is not made of Boxwood? I personally do not mind the look of boxwood handles on Japanese chisels.

I'm not familiar with Iyoroi chisels, so I can't be sure, but from that description, I suspect it's boxwood, too. Even the cheapest Japanese chisels in Japan don't come with painted handles, I highly doubt Iyoroi chisels come with a painted one.

[Jason Coen]

The one Koyamaichi chisel I have has a gumi handle. It's not the prettiest girl on the block, but I'm now a fan of gumi as a handle material.

Handle wood comparison: http://www.toolsfromjapan.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=312_489_490_491

[george wilson]

I like my Pfiel chisels,but I think they have horribly ugly handles that also look cheaply finished. That's why I'm making new ones.

[David Weaver]

I'd venture also that it's lacquered boxwood. It's actually a high grade handle if that's the case. It should be an improvement of large amounts over the sorby chisel.

[Jack Curtis]

Gumi (pale yellow Japanese boxwood act alike) is my favorite chisel handle material. Works great, feels great, looks great to me, lasts forever.

[Sam Takeuchi]

If you don't like the yellow handle, you probably return it and get one with kashi (oak I suppose)handle. It's your tool and you can do whatever you want with it afterall, but if replacing a quality wood that's actually more suitable for chisel handle than any other with something else, you might as well get one that has handle made from something else rather than wasting something that's good. Let other people appreciate it.

[Stanley Covington]

Forest's momma always said, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

If you think the handle is defective, return it. If not, use it until it breaks, then make a new one. If you try to make a replacement now, you will be unhappy with the results, even though it may look better than gumi (which, I must agree, is ugly as a hog pulling a plow).

Stan

[roger m lance]

George....I also have a set of Pfiel chisels and don't particularly like the look of the handles. I'd like to see pictures of what you come up with to improve these tools and any suggestions you might have for removing the old handles.

[John Piwaron]

gumi handle. not the prettiest girl on the block.

Handle wood comparison: http://www.toolsfromjapan.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=312_489_490_491

"Not the prettiest girl on the block" To say the least. I apologize in advance to everyone - I think it's butt ugly. OTOH, if it's mechanical properties are as the website says, I'll live with it and see how it goes. *Something* has to make up for the lousy yellow it's been colored with.

248865

Maybe the yellow could be removed and replaced with some other color.

Sorry for being a snob. Lie-Nielsen's hornbeam handles became my new standard in a beauty for a tool handle.

[Tony Shea]

I think you'll have a hard time removing the yellow color of the handle seems how that is the color of the boxwood used. They might have touched it up a bit with some dye but that would be to get the color a bit more consistent. When I order Japanese chisels I typically will specify a boxwood handle as I prefer their properties over red and white Japanese oak. The yellow color is just a side effect of the preferring boxwood and has grown on me and probably will you as well.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi John

The handle looks good to me. The hoop looks hand formed rather than machined. Boxwood is a desirable and expensive option. A hooped Japanese bench chisel handle will look odd to those who use it the first time. Also, they are designed to be used with a steel hammer (genno) and not pushed - indeed, they are uncomfortable in the hand. For pushing get a slick - long handles and wonderully balanced. Japanese chisels are all about the steel.

Regards from Perth (currently Sarasota)

Derek

[Jason Coen]

Derek with an H,

Any chance you could post your thoughts/reviews on your Japanese paring chisels, either here or your blog? I may dip another toe in the Japanese pond and pick up a paring chisel to play with, but know less than nothing about them.

[Jim Palmer]

Use the chisel on a few projects and the colour will calm down in much the same way as you'd find with a box wood rule. ;)

[Stanley Covington]

As I understand it, gumi has been a material traditionally used for chisel handles in the Kansai area (including Hyogo Prefecture and Miki, of course) for a long long time, because oak was not as readily available. The wood is not large in diameter, so that frequently chisel handles are turned with the core of the limb located at the center. Small knots where limbs connected are also common.

The reputation of gumi here in the Kanto area is not good. In comparison to oak, it is seen as brittle and likely to separate from the metal parts of the chisel too easily because it does not compress as well as oak. Also, it tend to develop drying cracks radiating from the core.

Gumi is also used for hammer handles. Gumi has always been a bit more expensive than oak, but nowadays it is 9 times the price, making it more unpopular.

On the positive side, gumi has a very pleasant texture and feels good in the hand, so it makes a great wood for chisels not intended to be struck with a hammer.

A lot of Japanese craftsmen like the color. I don't, but nobody asked me. In any case, some of the tool retailers in Tokyo I deal with have gumi handled chisels purchased many years ago from Miki growing dusty on back shelves, but no one wants to buy them.

Stan

[Sam Takeuchi]

In the Kansai area (including Hyogo Prefecture and Miki, of course) for a long long time, because oak was not as readily available.

I know it's not that relevant to the original post, but I just wanted to point out that I think the choice to use gumi was deliberate, because Kasi (so called Japanese live oak) generally grow south of the Kanto area, a lot of quality harvest come from the southern and western Japan actually. If anything, they should be using more Kashi than blacksmith in the Kanto area if supply was to determine the specie of the wood for handles. I can say that I rarely see gumi handled chisels sold in the open, I think it's more of acquired taste than anything else, I'm sure there is a strong following for it. I would think the maker would know enough and have sense to replace gumi handle with something else if it was prone to split, crack or possess otherwise undesirable quality for heavy use. Blacksmith being someone who deals with steel and iron, I would still question his skills and reputation if his chisels come with a handle that is prone to defect such as that. I think there is a lot of prejudice for things that is not being used or familiar, probably a lot of it is undeserved.

[Bruce Mack]

I think the handle end, a beige color, is the real wood. The yellow would look good on a Lamborghini but not a chisel.

[Sam Takeuchi]

I think the handle end, a beige color, is the real wood. The yellow would look good on a Lamborghini but not a chisel.

Most boxwood handles look like that. Here's a 1" Marples paring chisel with boxwood handle. You are right that that paler, grey-ish color is more natural color than the rest, but varnished handles often look much like that. It's not painted, though. You can see knots and grains pretty clearly, and it's pretty yellow. From the ferule side, you can see a bit of unvarnished wood that is grey-ish yellow. It's just that varnish accentuates the natural color a bit. Shades of yellow differ according to the natural color of the material used, so I think sometimes you get more white-ish or grew-ish yellow than yellow-yellow and so on. In the end, you are dealing with natural wood here, if yellow is not your thing, just don't choose boxwood. I personally love boxwood handled chisels, but yellow-yellow on Japanese chisel might be a bit too much, if it was little paler, I would be fine with it.

[John Piwaron]

The yellow would look good on a Lamborghini but not a chisel.

My next Lamborghini WILL be yellow. How did you know? :)

[Frank Drew]

My Japanese chisels are my favorites, by far, and I don't mind the hoops and they certainly keep the struck end of the chisels intact when using a metal hammer, as I prefer. If I had one change I might like to try out, I'd like to see how they felt if the handles were just a bit fatter (bigger around), and I don't have particularly big hands.

I agree with Derek: the chisel pictured has a classic Japanese handle, with a nice hand-worked hoop. And, as Sam's photo shows, boxwood can be quite yellow. I, too, would be shocked if there's any paint on that handle.