show your chisels (was just a pic of some chisels) [Archive]

Jim Koepke

11-09-2013, 5:59 PM

Guess my camera comes along next time out to the shop.

Okay, got out to the shop and gathered all the chisels on the bench for a photo op.

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The small carving gouges and the bigger gouges are still in boxes. The one with the smaller gouges can be seen to the right of and below the lamp in the picture.
The bigger gouges are in a box to the left of the file cabinet. Some of the chisels are stowed their.

jtk

Jessica Pierce-LaRose

11-11-2013, 7:01 PM

You guys are much more flush than I. I weeded quite a lot when I moved to the tool cabinet and after some nicer vintage ones came my way. Other than the recent paring chisel acquisition I posted about last week (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?209706-New-chisel-day) this is most everything. I'll probably weed out some of the mortise chisels to make some room at some point. A helpful Creeker got me some Japanese chisels recently, and I'm quite fond of them and see some more Japanese bench chisels in my future, and I've got some incannel gouges coming in the mail this week. I'd also like to pick up another one of the chisels from LMI, I like the long tiny one I have.

In all honesty, I probably use two of these for 90% of everything!

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Chris Griggs

11-11-2013, 8:29 PM

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From left to right....

- 1.5" stanley 750 given to me by another Creeker...love this guy
- My 1", 3/4", 1/2", 3/8", and 1/4" Veritas chisels
- My 18mm and 9mm Koyoma-ichi parers, that I bought from Stu
- My LN float that has honorary paring chisel status
- My two vintage parers, 1/2" and 1/4", given to me by another Creeker
- My 3/8" socket firmer chisel that given to me by another Creeker
- My 3/8", 1/4", and 3/32" pigsticker that I bought from another Creeker in the classifieds.

I have a few other beater laying around somewhere and a set of Woodriver chisels that I bought several years ago, but the ones in the pic are what I use.

Sean Hughto

11-11-2013, 9:15 PM

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3273/2743321060_300f4b2f46_z.jpg?zz=1http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8230/8567613442_c947b5cba0_c.jpg

Bob Jones

11-11-2013, 10:33 PM

I gotta say that Sean is winning at this point. I assume those are Stanley 750's with custom turned handles? What are the ones on the bottom?

Bob Jones

11-11-2013, 10:35 PM

you have to zoom in a bit, but they are there.

bridger berdel

11-12-2013, 12:35 AM

you have to zoom in a bit, but they are there.

now you've gone and done it. you don't think a deliberate provocation such as flashing a shot of planes in a show your chisels thread can go unanswered do you?

bridger berdel

11-12-2013, 12:56 AM

http://31.media.tumblr.com/7941518e681724d14da72b153ef111aa/tumblr_mw4z0tObag1qhrm32o1_1280.jpg

the #3 is visible in the lower left corner. the #2 is behind it. the #4-1/2 is in the lower right corner, with a couple of #4s piled on it. above is a couple of #5s, then #6, #7, #8 progressing to the upper left.

Derek Cohen

11-12-2013, 1:06 AM

I also have some refurbished Stanley 750s. This set ranges from a 1/8" through to 1 1/4". The steel was collected over a couple of years quite cheaply as the handles were shot. I planned to turn my own handles anyway. The handles are stretched versions (I find the original Stanley 750 handle too short for my taste), turned in She-Oak. The shoulders were all reground to finer lands, with the 1/8" coming from a 1/4" chisel and the 3/8" coming from a 1/2" size.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Chisels/Stanley%20750%20Dovetails/750modified.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Chisels/Stanley%20750%20Dovetails/Blades-hollowground1.jpg

Another way of acquiring cheap chisels is to make your own sash mortice chisels. I generally use very large English Bolstered types, of which a few are vintage and a couple are Ray Iles. However I also wanted a 1/4" and 3/8" small versions for shallow mortices, or squaring the ends of grooves. These were made out of HSS bar stock, which comes ready-sized ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/SquaringChisels_html_m21828271.jpg

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/SquaringChisels_html_m117fad61.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

Sean Hughto

11-12-2013, 8:03 AM

Those are original 750 handles, but I bought "user" chisels (metal good, but paint splatters and dinged handles etc.) and the leather was chewed up to the point that I just cut it off and reshaped the tops.

The ones onthe bottom are Swans. There are glimpses of other cats and dogs too - a Berg and so forth.

Judson Green

11-12-2013, 2:30 PM

Here's mine. Nothing fancy. Acquired a few vintage ones this summer.

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2 Stanley's, my dads
Ohio tool
Bucks bros
GreenLee Reliance
James Swan
T. H. Witherby

And others

Bob Jones

11-12-2013, 9:10 PM

Nice. I really like the way your planes are held in place.

Bob Jones

11-12-2013, 9:13 PM

Derek,
If I'm ever a billionaire I want to commission you to build me a whole set of really nice tools.

bridger berdel

11-12-2013, 9:51 PM

Nice. I really like the way your planes are held in place.

thanks. it was s good idea at the time.... but before I even got it finished I got more planes than would fit. the cabinet was something i brought home from my grandparents ranch, so it has some sentimental attachment. the #2 came from there too.

Mike Holbrook

11-12-2013, 10:06 PM

Until I get a package from Stuart at Tools From Japan…. Stuart and I have been working on an interesting assortment of several Japanese chisel types made by Koyamaichi and Ouchi for two or three months now. Should make an interesting picture once they arrive.

I believe some posters are holding back from posting their entire collection, possibly due to lack of a lens with a wide enough angle;)

gary Zimmel

11-12-2013, 10:16 PM

I've got a few.

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Two of the four drawers....

Hope everyone is getting a little shop time.

Brian Ashton

11-12-2013, 10:52 PM

I've got a few.

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Two of the four drawers....

Hope everyone is getting a little shop time.

OMG I was looking at your avatar. It looks like the surgeries I used to design… That is truly the sign of a sick mind (and I mean that in the nicest way). But come on the pic you provided is minuscule, you need to repost it and all the rest of your chisels in a size the tired eyes like mine can see adequately.

Brian Ashton

11-12-2013, 11:09 PM

This is my collection, I started collecting in the late 70s and I don't get rid of anything - no exceptions. I am proud to say though that most of the latest chisels have been made by me. Over all I've made about a third of the chisels I use - so I'm not a total hoarder. Ironically, it's the cheapest of the bunch that get used the most though, the three stanleys in the front, and they're the oldest also...

I just noticed that the set of paring chisels I made on the far right also have a scribbled design of the handles above them on the MDF, they were made a couple years back.

At this stage I figure I've pretty much go all I need.

David Weaver

11-16-2013, 5:24 PM

I'm impressed how neat and orderly you guys are. I never really get to that point.

First picture is most of my chisels, and second is some longer chisels and other things that don't fit well in the first chisel cabinet.

Actually, the chisels I use the most are from the random bunch in the bottom on the wall side of the large cabinet. The top in the door are chisels I won from MJD just a couple of weeks ago, and in true MJD fashion, the hoops were all off and loose all over the place in the package, but they will be put on correctly later.

Chris Griggs

11-16-2013, 5:45 PM

This thread is making it apparent that I don't own enough chisels! Although I (and many of us) have 5 new ones are coming next week :)

george wilson

11-16-2013, 8:43 PM

Some chisels and carving tools in racks. many more in the tool chest,but no pics of those on hand.

Todd Burch

11-16-2013, 11:47 PM

It's unknown, at this time, since I can't see all of George's... but I think I might have all y'all beat. However, unfortunately, they're all packed in (multiple) boxes for the next several months.

There are some very tidy storage solutions. (Gary - you are sick ;) )

Hilton Ralphs

11-17-2013, 1:28 AM

This thread is making it apparent that I don't own enough chisels! Although I (and many of us) have 5 new ones are coming next week :)

Amen to that!

Malcolm Schweizer

11-18-2013, 12:42 AM

A while back I broke down and dropped the $ on a good set. They are a dream to use. I just wish LN made a few wider chisels.

i got the leather mallet on eBay and it is my favorite by far.

george wilson

11-18-2013, 7:56 AM

Noah Wagener

11-19-2013, 5:55 PM

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In the movie Gangs of New York a "chiseler" is a derogatory term. Maybe because of poor sawing you need to resort to fiddling with a chisel? Fiddling Benny was the other popular slander.

what types of chisels make a good set. I chop mortises with these bench chisels. the chip doesn't really pop out. does a bigger angle bevel and thicker wedge from thicker steel help. Are a set of mortise chisels essential? And maybe a few parers? If this was your "collection" what would you buy first?

Malcolm Schweizer

11-19-2013, 7:54 PM

Someone put a lot of effort into that leather mallet!! We had a few of those arrive in the museum,in a large pile of other tools . I don't know who got them,but they were very nice. Probably made back in the 20's. Yours is obviously new. To my knowledge,those types haven't been commercially offered for a long time. When they were,they were stacked rawhide.

He does great work. The veg tanned leather has a rebound much like a urethane mallet, but way cooler. It has a very solid hit but a little bit of rebound. I like it better than rawhide. I believe I paid $125 for it. I think that is a bargain for such a finely made tool.

phil harold

11-20-2013, 12:50 AM

Still aint got enough

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phil harold

11-20-2013, 1:05 AM

If this was your "collection" what would you buy first?
Mortise chisels and a paring chisel or two.
Treat your self to some nice steel too

Jim Koepke

11-20-2013, 1:29 AM

Still aint got enough

At least you have a nice start.

That caddy looks interesting:

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Any more pictures or story on that?

jtk

Jim Koepke

11-20-2013, 1:47 AM

In the movie Gangs of New York a "chiseler" is a derogatory term. Maybe because of poor sawing you need to resort to fiddling with a chisel? Fiddling Benny was the other popular slander.

what types of chisels make a good set. I chop mortises with these bench chisels. the chip doesn't really pop out. does a bigger angle bevel and thicker wedge from thicker steel help. Are a set of mortise chisels essential? And maybe a few parers? If this was your "collection" what would you buy first?

I have a Defiance chisel with sides that looked like a rough saw job. A lot of time polishing the sides makes it look better. I didn't remove them all just to remind me of how it once looked.

Many types of chisels make a good set. It really depends on whether one wants a minimalist set or would like an expanded set. What you have is a serviceable start.

What is next is up to you. It also depends on if you want to restore old tools or buy new and be done with it. Do you want to build a few sets like paring, bevel edge and square edged. I like having short and long chisels in the different sizes.

Mortises can be cut with bench chisels. People do it all the time. I just recently knocked out a dozen mortises. My mortise chisel was much easier and quicker for the task than any of my bench chisels would have been. The size of a pigsticker's shank displaces wood as it penetrates. The chips do not "pop out" but they come out fairly quick. A mortise chisel removes wood much faster than a bench chisel.

jtk

Jessica Pierce-LaRose

11-20-2013, 10:04 AM

I have a flat-head screwdriver I ground down the sides a bit, that I use specifically for popping out stuck waste in a mortise.

Another good trick I learned from a Roy Underhill episode is to take a sharp knife, and run it down the center of the mortise - cutting the chips in half down the middle makes them a lot easier to get out - often just a run with the knife and flip the piece and they fall out, since they can't get stuck on the sides anymore.

phil harold

11-20-2013, 10:39 AM

At least you have a nice start.

That caddy looks interesting:
Any more pictures or story on that?
jtk

That's my carving bucket I take when camping or wherever

Always need to hone when away from home so I added a motor to power strop

I forgot to take a picture of the switch, but it is on behind the motor with the toggle accessed on the right side under some chisels, you can poke yourself with some sharp edges if not careful

The bucket is tall enough to hold carving blanks or work in progress

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Derek Cohen

11-20-2013, 11:12 AM

Just because they are working art ...

A familiar set that are in the rack behind my bench ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/VeritasChiselReview_html_17f5ec29.jpg

Kiyohesi slicks arrived in this box ...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Chisels/Kiyohisa/6.jpg

Blue Spruce in the cabinet ...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Chisels/Blue%20Spruce/BlueSpruce.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

phil harold

11-20-2013, 12:21 PM

Okay, Derek is in the lead!

Jim Koepke

11-20-2013, 12:25 PM

I have a flat-head screwdriver I ground down the sides a bit, that I use specifically for popping out stuck waste in a mortise.

It is my good fortune to have acquired a lock mortise chisel. Lee Valley calls them Swan Neck Chisels.

http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=30266&cat=1,41504,41533&ap=1

Mine is about 3mm which works with bigger size mortises.

jtk

Malcolm Schweizer

11-20-2013, 12:28 PM

I wanna be Derek when I grow up. :-)

Todd Burch

11-20-2013, 1:28 PM

Okay, Derek is in the lead!

Ohhh... it's a QUALITY (or PRETTY?), not QUANTITY, competition... :p

Malcolm Schweizer

11-20-2013, 2:42 PM

Ohhh... it's a QUALITY (or PRETTY?), not QUANTITY, competition... :p

I guess it's like the beauty pageants- Some chisels are like the girl who looked so hot in the bikini, but couldn't answer the question in the next segment. Then there is the girl that did great in the talent competition, but she didn't quite make the cut in the evening gown segment. But in the end, you pick the one that was best all-around!

So I would say Derek blew away the swimsuit competition and the talent show to boot, but I'm still waiting to see some more cleavage from Gary Zimmel. (figuratively speaking of course!... what's hiding in the rest of those custom cabinets, Gary?)

Paul McGaha

11-20-2013, 3:00 PM

I guess it's like the beauty pageants- Some chisels are like the girl who looked so hot in the bikini, but couldn't answer the question in the next segment. Then there is the girl that did great in the talent competition, but she didn't quite make the cut in the evening gown segment. But in the end, you pick the one that was best all-around!

So I would say Derek blew away the swimsuit competition and the talent show to boot, but I'm still waiting to see some more cleavage from Gary Zimmel. (figuratively speaking of course!... what's hiding in the rest of those custom cabinets, Gary?)

+1 on more cleavage, and a tour of Gary's cabinets.

David Weaver

11-20-2013, 3:03 PM

After all of those clean tools, we're going to have to rename Derek to "Pretty-boy Cohen" :)

The rest of us are just a bunch of dirty habit messy so and soes.

bridger berdel

11-20-2013, 3:33 PM

it's not a competition at all. we want to see your chisels, good, bad or ugly. 2 or 200. borg chinese peanut butter steel or custom hand forged bling blades. I'm totally interested in what you all have made work way outside of the manufacturer's design parameters as well as the rarified specialty tool for that application. sets of chisels you like (or don't) and why (or why not). that amazing 100 year old paring chisel you rescued from it's rusty grave at a yard sale and the one you got with it that turned out to be garbage steel under the rust. heck, the screwdriver you sharpened as a mortise cleanout tool- show us that, too. and the lock mortise chisel.

show. your. chisels.

Ohhh... it's a QUALITY (or PRETTY?), not QUANTITY, competition... :p

Todd Burch

11-20-2013, 4:28 PM

Will do... but I'll have to resurrect this thread after my shop is built and I'm moved in.

Derek Cohen

11-20-2013, 6:26 PM

Who prefers using grungy chisels? I don't. I find extra pleasure in building furniture - or anything for that matter - when the tools are aesthetically pleasing.

It is also not a matter of cost as I have made many of my tools. Some of the chisels are not expensive, but because they are used infrequently for a specialised task, they are special when used.

Here is a sokozari-nomi (mortice bottom cleaning chisel) ...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Chisels/Sokozari-nomi/DCIM_20110508_204104Large.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

David Weaver

11-21-2013, 8:15 AM

Who prefers using grungy chisels? I don't.
Regards from Perth

Derek

I wouldn't say that I necessarily prefer them that way, but they do seem to get that way no matter what I do. I went by the name "pig pen" when I was in college, though.

Chris Griggs

11-21-2013, 8:24 AM

W

Here is a sokozari-nomi (mortice bottom cleaning chisel) ...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Chisels/Sokozari-nomi/DCIM_20110508_204104Large.jpg

Why does that specific chisel type have a hoop on it? I don't imagine it would be use with a mallet. Is it just there becasue hoops are standard on Japanese chisels? Seems like it would be more useful with a long unhooped handle.

Derek Cohen

11-21-2013, 8:41 AM

Chris Griggs

11-21-2013, 8:45 AM

Hi Chris

Good question. That photo was taken when I received the chisel - a Koyamaichi - from Stu. The first thing I did was to remove the hoop. Not only is there no need for one, but it is uncomfortable to hold. I assume it was there to "match" the other chisels.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Thanks Derek. That's kinda what I was thinking. I would do the same thing if I had that, and then maybe round over the top of the handle. Cool chisel, makes me want to buy more KI chisels. I love mine so much BUT two isn't enough :)

george wilson

11-21-2013, 9:58 AM

Some one might beat my chisel pageant(sp?). I have been giving a few away to a former apprentice who wants to get back into violin making. But,then,I am adding the Narex parers(when they get here).

Jim Koepke

11-21-2013, 1:22 PM

Some one might beat my chisel pageant(sp?). I have been giving a few away to a former apprentice who wants to get back into violin making. But,then,I am adding the Narex parers(when they get here).

Don't worry George, we would all love to see your accumulation.

Getting out all my chisels then required them to be put away. That is why my gouges weren't pulled out to put on display.

Among all the other things that need to be done one is building a respectable tool storage cabinet.

After all was said and done the chisels that rest in an old tool belt pouch were not incluced. Those are the ones that are near the bottom of the junker classification and used when there might be a nail in their path or other dirty work.

jtk

george wilson

11-21-2013, 1:44 PM

Same here,Jim. I have almost as many in a couple of tool chests. And,as usual,my work bench is too cluttered to lay them out for decent pictures. The Narex parers just arrived! They are nicely made. See the Narex thread.

Stu Gillard

11-29-2013, 9:03 PM

Was cleaning the chisel racks and remembered this thread. I took the opportunity to take a snap of my regular chisels.
I have a heap of carving chisels and gouges, but they are in leather rolls.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa149/gillardian/WP_20131130_005_zps6f532fec.jpg

Heavy firmers, light firmers, a couple of sash mortice (Swans), Berg bevel edge, and some mortice chisels.
Makers are a mix of Ward, Mathieson, Marples, Swan, Berg, Titan, Charles Taylor, Butcher and many more. They were all bought cheap and rehabbed.
The earliest one is the pigsticker second from right. It was made by P.Law in the late 1700's.

I do need some skew chisels for dovetail work. I'll probably buy a couple of old 3/8" and make them myself.

george wilson

11-29-2013, 9:14 PM

A few more pictures I happen to have in the computer,but still not seeing the disorganized bunch in the tool chest.

The first bunch I made. Closeup of their mostly fishtail shapes. The mahogany handled set are the perfectly round hemispherical ones in graduated sizes,for successive stamping out of scrolls. The last 2 are of those NOS Marples from the 40's or 50's,with the beautifully colored handles.

There are some other stray pictures,but I can only post 5 at 1 time. That's 39 more.

Although you can see my branded mark on the handles of the first set,and my name on most of the things I post(I didn't sign the little mahogany handled set. But they were made quick and dirty by drilling holes and grinding them in half),Alan DuBoff is still claiming I didn't make any of my stuff!!:) Funny how he hangs in there.

If you look at the shanks of the fishtail set,I did file them into a swoop in the middles,just to add grace to their blades. The fishtails are made from 1/4" square W1. The smaller ones are 1/8" square stock. The handles are very simple,because I had to re handle about 100 old Addis gouges that were sold unhanded originally. The owner had made atrocious potatoes I just couldn't live with. So,I made the handles as quickly and simply as I could.

The mahogany handles were made on an automatic tracing lathe I made from scratch,for making tuning pegs for musical instruments,especially lutes. Back in the 70's,i made a lot of these pegs for an instrument kit manufacturer in Baltimore. I still have the lathe,but took off the countershaft as it took too much space. It is rather old and dirty by now from long storage. I don't post it because it needs to be cleaned up.

Max Withers

11-30-2013, 11:07 PM

Nothing fancy, but since I was just grinding some old ones I picked up to augment my 4-piece Narex set:
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Top to bottom, marks are HSB OVB, Gottschalk & Co. Birmingham -- anyone know anything about this maker/seller?, Phillip Law -- w/ possibly a bone ferrule on the (non-original) handle?, Stanley, Addis (gouge), Keen Kutter (Stanley, I think), Butcher.

These cost me about $50 (not including countless hours) on that auction site. PITA to clean them up ( and these are just the ones with useable handles), but I do love their idiosyncrasies.

george wilson

12-01-2013, 8:59 AM

The Marples chisels above were never sharpened. They are at least old enough that they have proper octagonal bolsters,rather than the assorted newer ones that pass for bolsters. I just noticed that 1 more Pfiel is hiding under a saw handle.

Max,who made the 5th. gouge down? It looks to have a typical 18th. C.style handle,though it looks as if it may have had a ferrule at one time,which they didn't use.

As for the bone ferrule,I can't think of a much worse material to make the ferrule from. A miracle it hasn't popped in half yet.

Max Withers

12-01-2013, 10:01 AM

George, that's an Addis gouge, and it came in the same lot as the Phillip Law, so it could be really old, but it did have a bolster at some point. Also the handle is oak, and seems disproportionately large, though I'm not an expert on that kind of thing.

george wilson

12-01-2013, 10:16 AM

Addis doesn't go back to the 18th. C.. Mid 19th. C.I know.I'm not sure when,but not 18th. C.. Google it.

Kim Malmberg

12-01-2013, 5:09 PM

Some chisels and carving tools in racks. many more in the tool chest,but no pics of those on hand.

Mr Wilson seems to have a direct line to the Chisel God. How many are they? A hundred or more?

I will very reluctantly share my own chisels. I don't own more than 19 chisels. Some are Erik Anton Bergs, some are not. I don't own more than a a few gouges and couple of mortice chisels.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/finnberg68/sets/72157637833119463/

george wilson

12-02-2013, 9:04 AM

I think I have about 350.

Tony Wilkins

12-02-2013, 4:51 PM

My small but better than I deserve quiver of chisels...

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd316/cadfael_tex/TonyChisels_zps8e9eb64f.jpg (http://s220.photobucket.com/user/cadfael_tex/media/TonyChisels_zps8e9eb64f.jpg.html)

Jessica Pierce-LaRose

12-02-2013, 8:13 PM

I love those simple octagonal handles, George. I handled an 1/8th" mortise chisel with a similar (but much less well executed) handle, and love the feel and look of those.

george wilson

12-02-2013, 9:08 PM

Well,Joshua,they couldn't come much less well executed than my elementary handles!

Jessica Pierce-LaRose

12-02-2013, 9:53 PM

Well,Joshua,they couldn't come much less well executed than my elementary handles!

My handle would beg to differ! But it gets the job done. I'll have to find a picture, I remember I posted it, but never added pictures of the "finished" handle.

Any tricks to how you'd make an octagonal handle like that, or just bandsaw and smooth it, or just cut it and have at it with a plane? I took the last approach, but I imagine if you were doing more than a couple there might be a quicker way.

Mike Holbrook

12-05-2013, 2:51 PM

Here are my chisels:
From the left: 1) 15mm mortise chisel from auction site (thanks David for finding it), had to redo the cutting edge which was in sad shape. 2) Koyamaichi 30mm, Chu-tataki-nomi (medium striking chisel) 3) Koyamaichi 7.5mm mortise chisel 4) Koyamaichi 4.5mm mortise chisel, 5) Koyamaichi 18mm "dovetail" chisel 6) Koyamaichi 6mm "dovetail" chisel 7) Veritas PM-V11 3/8" 8) Ouchi 6mm (new pattern) 9) Ouchi 12mm (new pattern) 10) Ray Iles 1/4" mortise chisel 11) Koyamaichi 36mm paring chisel. I also have: a few small Ashley Iles MK2 chisels, a few restores and four Barr Carpenters chisels.

Stuart is working on 9mm and 15mm Ouchis in his new pattern for me too.

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