Pigsticker handle options

[Adam Cruea]

I'm building my wife a craft table from soft maple, and finally am getting to working on the joinery (mostly M&T joints).

While cracking my mortise chisel with Thor's Thunder Mallet, the beech has split from end to end on a slight diagonal. No big deal, as I can make my own handles.

Just taking a poll here, but I'm curious what types of wood y'all would use for this task. Vote away!

[David Weaver]

Beech or apple or any kind of dense fruitwood with a little bit of give.

[Adam Cruea]

So is it possible the beech for the handle now was just. . .not real great?

[Jim Koepke]

I have used ash and maple. Not sure what is on the other one I replaced. These were just scraps from around the shop.

BTW, the maple doesn't appear to be a good choice.

jtk

[David Weaver]

So is it possible the beech for the handle now was just. . .not real great?

Could be. I don't know what the orientation of the grain in the handle should be theoretically (i.e., should it go arrow straight in line with the tang). You see all kinds of old handles in various states of disrepair, so maybe nothing lasts forever. Even the metal hooped handles are often cracked at the bolster or ferrule. Maybe a slight diagonal protects the grain that's above the tang, I don't know.

Now that you have a chart up, I'd go with hornbeam given those choices. You know how to repair the handles after you've done one and it's not so critical.

[george wilson]

All the original English mortising chisels I have seen were beech handled.

When fitting a new handle,I get my tang very hot and burn it in the last bit. Your tang may have been too tight,and split the wood. Hornbeam is good,just say'n.

[Adam Cruea]

All the original English mortising chisels I have seen were beech handled.

When fitting a new handle,I get my tang very hot and burn it in the last bit. Your tang may have been too tight,and split the wood. Hornbeam is good,just say'n.

I've read about the heating. With D2, do I have to worry about causing any brittleness issues creeping down the chisel? Or are we talking heating like "just enough to char the wood" hot?

[David Weaver]

Enough to char the wood hot and burn enough to get a good fit. You can take a pair of channellocks or something and hold the chisel in water up to about the bolster if you're concerned about heating (I guess I would do it, those are nice chisels).

I've seen blacksmiths say that they've never had an issue weakening a chisel by doing a burn in with the tang, though.

[Mike Henderson]

I've used maple, mainly because I had some nice figured maple in the right size and I thought it looked really nice. To get the hole, I used calipers to measure the tang at various depths and then drilled step holes to match the width of the tang. I wanted tight so the holes were drilled such that the handle had to be driven onto the tang (not a lot, just enough to get it really tight - but not enough to split the handle).

But, then, I don't use the pigstickers that much. I mostly drill out my mortises and then trim to size. Usually use a bench chisel to finish the mortise. I got into pigstickers quite a few years ago and finally got a full set of Ward Cast Steel pigstickers.

Mike

[Judson Green]

I go with Hornbeam, cuz its tough and I harvested some from a friend's woods years ago.

Edit: But I've got no pig-sticking experience :D. Also I've never used locust, but doesn't it have a reputation for NOT splitting?

[Adam Cruea]

I go with Hornbeam, cuz its tough and I harvested some from a friend's woods years ago.

Edit: But I've got no pig-sticking experience :D. Also I've never used locust, but doesn't it have a reputation for NOT splitting?

All the woods I picked generally are shock-tolerant and shouldn't split much. I actually got the list from a site about wooden martial arts weapons.

I also thought about Spotted Gum, but decided to just stick with plain ol' American Hickory 'cause. . .'Murica. :D

Thus far, hickory and hornbeam seem to be the winners, so once the beech handle goes belly up, I will probably be bugging my sawyer for some hornbeam. With luck maybe I'll even get the handle for my Sweetheart chisels replaced that I snapped (it was hornbeam).

[Paul Saffold]

Hickory, along with oak, is nice wood for riving when making ladder back chairs because it splits very nicely. Think I'd go with something else with an interlocking grain.
Paul

[Dave Anderson NH]

Domestics: Hornbeam, Black Locust, Hickory, Bois de Arc

Imports: Jatoba (very high Janka hardness and interlocked grain)

[Adam Cruea]

Thanks all. Looks like the general consensus is Hornbeam, so I've contacted my sawyer to see if he can get some.

If not, in a pinch, I can cut up some of the 8/4 hickory I have left over from my bench and use that (since it seems to be the second choice thus far).

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Adam

I'm coming in late.

I would concur with Hornbeam (just on reputation), although I have used a number of different hard woods. Interlocked woods are best.

There is an old article on my website on re-handling mortice chisels: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRestorations/Rehandling%20an%20Oval%20Bolstered%20Mortice%20Chi sel.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Adam Cruea]

Hi Adam

I'm coming in late.

I would concur with Hornbeam (just on reputation), although I have used a number of different hard woods. Interlocked woods are best.

There is an old article on my website on re-handling mortice chisels: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolRestorations/Rehandling%20an%20Oval%20Bolstered%20Mortice%20Chi sel.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

I actually read that article when it came up on a Google search for re-handling mortise chisels. :D It's what made me think "hey, maybe it's not as dreadful as I think it might be."

[Adam Cruea]

Soo. . .update on this.

All my sawyer could get me was Apple, and a 2x2x6 inch block (enough for this handle) would have been $50. Unfortunately, this is a little rich for my blood (I'd make ebony handles as they would probably be cheaper), and my beech handle broke before I got the chance to get hornbeam at all.

When the beech handle split, lo and behold, the tang on a Ray Isles is a consistent size (not a spike). Also, it seems from the factory, all they do is bore a hole down through a blank, then drive the tang into the hole; so, this is what I did. I bored a 5/8" hole 3 inches deep (the tang was 1/2" x 1/2"). Then I took a 1/2" chisel and made an approximate square to register the sides of the tang against, put it in my end vise, and gave it a few good raps. Handle seated, didn't split; it was pretty snug, actually (I can't pull the handle off, so hey).

After that I just split the hickory to rough size with a 1 1/4" chisel (one should start at the bolster end; I was an idiot and split from the other end and the back of my handle show about 1/16" of D2 bolster). From there, you just take rasps and spokeshave and shape the handle to your preference. Mine actually is oval near the bolster, but the farther up it goes, the more square-ish it becomes until it's about 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" up top. Since I used hickory, I ran some 220 over it to get all the little splinters and stuff that would make mincemeat of my hand. Took it for a test run and pounded out a mortise with it and I must say, it now has a much more solid feel than the beech handles ever did, and it has yet to split.

I noticed at the top of the beech handle that came on the 'sticker that there's an ever so small knot that has been displaced; it looks squished and scrunched. I'm wondering if that's what caused the handle to start failing in the first place. Either way, I may just split the beech handle on my 1/4" mortiser and replace it with hickory, too. When I can get hold of some hornbeam, I'll definitely split the hickory handle off and give the hornbeam a shot since the handle took less than half a day to make.

Anyway, just an update, and maybe in case someone else runs into a splitting handle, another approach to re-handling a very good mortise chisel.

[Sean Hughto]

That is a crazy price for that little chunk of apple. My friend Francis sells nice apple, including 8/4, for much less on eBay.

[David Weaver]

2x2 apple sticks are out there for cheap on ebay, as sean is suggesting. I think I bought two moulding plane blanks out of apple (8/4, quartered, plane size) for $14 each quite some time ago.

If hickory is what you have, then hickory is a good thing to use. The next time you get in a bind and need something, just put a WTB in the classifieds, someone will probably pitch up a small stick for the cost of shipping. I would've.