Old Chisel

[Terrance Mitchell]

What type of chisel is this? It is a Stanley and my father acquired it between 1946 and 1950 when the US navy was disposing of surplus equipment from WWII in the Philippines. He brought back a complete set off hand wood working tools that my brother and I lost or broke. I have a wood level, still good, a small square, a bailey type No. 5 Shelton jack plane, (not so good) and an auger hand drill and small hand drill with pretty old bits. The large screw drivers were lost in sword fights and lord knows about the rest.
This chisel is 12 1/2 inches long over all and the metal is 8 inches. Squared sides (rough mill marks) and 45 degree bevel. It was honed to 35 degrees. The length caused me to think it was for paring but would the angle be shallower for that? The handle is original and came as pictured as the original varnish does not extend inside the handle.

I hope that the pictures show up. This was my first attempt to upload attachments.

[steven c newman]

Bevel edge chisel...mainly for paring work. Leather washer was for using a mallet to drive the chisel.

[John Vernier]

Old catalogs don't generally explain the specific uses of different tools, which can leave us at a bit of a loss as to what purposes something was meant for. A lot of the modern high-end chisel manufacturers are emphasizing shorter bladed chisels, as being more handy for furniture-scaled bench work. Stanley in the 1950s offered their socket bevel edge chisels in 3 lengths, the 750 had a 3 1/4" blade, the 740 was 4 1/2", and the 720 was 6". Of course other makers had wide ranges as well. The longer chisels were more common than they are now, and this probably reflects that a lot of larger scaled woodwork was going on, patternmaking and joinery and wooden construction in an era when timberframing practices weren't completely dead yet.

I've also seen the explanation that the longer chisels were to allow professionals a longer working life on their tools, more grinding and sharpening. I find that hard to swallow because it implies that the scale and balance of the tool is of no particular importance to the work, which is just silly.

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Terrance and welcome to the Creek.

The bevel angle can be set by the user for what ever they need. 35º is good for chopping. A lower angle would be better for paring.

My paring chisels are mostly in the 15-20º range. Then my other chisels have steeper angles for work that requires more force.

jtk

[Mike Baker 2]

Beautiful old chisel.

[Terrance Mitchell]

Well, the dark ring on the handle, does not look or feel like leather but I think Steven is right. It is just old, dried and hard. I don't think the blade was rehoned so it is probably a long bladed chopping chisel. It is remarkable what was built during WWII by our faathers and grandfathers with hand tools. I am sure they had some power tools but not in the quantity we have now.

[James Pallas]

The ring is leather. Here is one that I know the history. From the 1920s. Flawed casting at the edge of the blade rejected on final inspection and allowed to be purchased by employees. Has worked just fine for all those years. You can see the flaw on the right side high up on the blade.
Jim

[Mark Gibney]

And a beautiful hickory handle too, Terrance.

[Terrance Mitchell]

Well, I am off to buy a wooden mallet. I have often used a regular claw hammer when chopping but I do not want to harm the leather even as hard as it is. I was using it today and found that it needs a bit more sharpening. James's chisel looks like one of my chisel's brothers.

[John Kananis]

That looks like a paring chisel, not meant for mallet use (some light mallet 'taps' may be ok). The handle may or may not be original.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Well, I am off to buy a wooden mallet. I have often used a regular claw hammer when chopping but I do not want to harm the leather even as hard as it is. I was using it today and found that it needs a bit more sharpening. James's chisel looks like one of my chisel's brothers.

A mallet is pretty easy to make from 4/4 lumber. If you do a search for "laminated joiners mallet" you will get lots of blogs or articles where people have done it.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Well, I am off to buy a wooden mallet. I have often used a regular claw hammer when chopping but I do not want to harm the leather even as hard as it is. I was using it today and found that it needs a bit more sharpening. James's chisel looks like one of my chisel's brothers.

I am partial to the "Wood Is Good" Urethane Headed Woodworking Mallets. It is my goto mallet.

Nice chisel, I have some like it.

[Mike Baker 2]

I use a $5 white rubber mallet.
I see a lot of posts about wooden mallets, and a lot of Youtube videos on how to build one. But when I actually see people chopping mortises/working with chisels, they never use one. Everyone pretty much uses a modern plastic or rubber headed mallet.
I think the wood mallet is one of those projects for beginning woodworkers, like a marking gauge, or winding sticks. Maybe more a way to instill into the new guys the idea of building tools when you need them. But I don't see a lot of people actually using that one.
My white rubber mallet is working well, and I don't see the need for a wooden one at this stage.
But I might choose to build one in the future just for the experience.

[steven c newman]

360733
Have used mine...a lot...Spalted maple mallet.....maybe 32oz?

Have ruined one leather washer, after trying to use a metal hammer....never again.
Had a rubber headed mallet....until the head flew off.....found a better use for the handle.

[Mike Baker 2]

Very cool.

[Jim Koepke]

I see a lot of posts about wooden mallets, and a lot of Youtube videos on how to build one. But when I actually see people chopping mortises/working with chisels, they never use one.

Mine are used all the time:

360734

Starting with the one at the bottom with some visible printing is my first mallet that was bought at a local hardware store. It has served well for years. Going counter clockwise is my plane hammer with lignum vitae for the head and the handle is myrtle from Oregon. It was one of my first attempts at making a chisel handle, it broke, so it was repurposed.

Next is a piece of oak ~2X4 a friend salvaged from a pallet. He made it into a crude mallet. It came to me through his estate and the handle got a bit more shaping. This is great mallet for light taps when working with a chisel. It practically lives on my bench.

At the corner of the bench is my "go to" big bopper. It is made of local bog cherry or bitter cherry from the firewood pile. It has been whacking chisels for six years. Great for chopping a mortise or a dovetail. My dovetails are now usually sawn out and pared. Here is the build thread on that:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?161952-One-Thing-Leads-to-Another

At the top is a mallet made of ash. it was made to sell at the farmers market but the wood has a crack so it is my beater mallet. Often at the farmers market it will be used to draw in a passer by when they are asked if they know anyone who is mallet adjusted. Sometime Lincoln will be quoted, "with mallets towards none."

The last one was sold at the farmers market after one side of it was cut on the bandsaw to produce pyramids turning into a meat tenderizer.

jtk

[Mike Baker 2]

Jim, a literal glut of wooden mallets. :)

[Jim Koepke]

Jim, a literal glut of wooden mallets. :)

Have about as many that are turned on the lathe and some that just have a handle carved on one end.

This one is my froe whacker:

360735

It was a little unwieldy so the handle was made a bit longer to move the center of gravity.

My recollection is my grandson got his first experience at the lathe when this one was made.

Found the picture:

360736

jtk

[Mike Baker 2]

I like the look of the round mallets. I think they might also be more graceful in the hand, but that's just a guess.
Cool pic of the grandson, btw. I hope he learns to love working wood!

[Mike Baker 2]

BTW, is that Froe Wacker spalted maple? Beautiful, either way.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I see a lot of posts about wooden mallets, and a lot of Youtube videos on how to build one. But when I actually see people chopping mortises/working with chisels, they never use one.

I sometimes use one, but it is bigger and heavier than my "wood is good" mallet. If I could turn wood, I would probably build a couple of smaller ones, would increase the likelihood that I would use them more.

[Jim Koepke]

BTW, is that Froe Wacker spalted maple? Beautiful, either way.

It is a piece of alder off the firewood pile. It grows like weeds around here.


If I could turn wood, I would probably build a couple of smaller ones

For some reason after reading this my mind was flooded with the thought of "how much wood could a wood turner turn if a wood turner could turn wood?"

I have made a few small turned mallets. They do not get used much. Mostly they are used for froe whacking. Here two turned and two carved whackers:

360738

The big one is from my previous post after the handle was lengthened. The skinny white one is made of vine maple and is used on the mini froe in the picture. the other two are repurposed alder and cherry firewood.

jtk

[Kees Heiden]

Wooden mallets here too! I like them. I made the big one (oak and ash) for mortising, the smaller one (ash and beech) for smaller work. And I bought the round mallet for carving, it is made from hornbeam.

360744

[Warren Mickley]

I use a 30 ounce dogwood mallet for making mortises. I made the mallet in 1979 and have used it for thousands of mortises. I recommend a solid wood mallet head, not a lamination.

[lowell holmes]

Terrance, that chisel is one to be proud of. :)

[Mel Fulks]

I use a 30 ounce dogwood mallet for making mortises. I made the mallet in 1979 and have used it for thousands of mortises. I recommend a solid wood mallet head, not a lamination.
Yep, and dogwood has a long history of use for mallets.

[Jerry Olexa]

Believe that is an old leather ring at top...Put there to assist/guard when being pounded by a mallet...Good chisel.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

I think the wood mallet is one of those projects for beginning woodworkers, like a marking gauge, or winding sticks. Maybe more a way to instill into the new guys the idea of building tools when you need them. But I don't see a lot of people actually using that one.

Well, it is a big world. My experience has been the opposite. I use my wooden mallet all the time. I use my marking gauges and winding sticks too.

People should use what they want to though. I started with a cheap plastic/rubber combination hammer from the hardware store. Worked fine until the plastic face broke. Then I used a solid rubber mallet. It worked too, just not particularly well. I have an idea that the wood transfers energy more efficiently than the rubber. In any event, I have used them both, and prefer the wooden mallet. Mine is out of maple. I have not tried other species, so that may make a difference.

The OP mentioned he was going to buy one, so I just thought I would mention you can make a very serviceable mallet without having to spend a bunch of money on one, hunt down a burl, or buy a lathe, 12/4 stock, etc. I see Warren likes solid mallets. He is right about most things, so I would defer to him. If you don't have access to 12/4 stock to make the head though, I have found the laminated one I made has been very serviceable. I do not have a lathe, so have not tried the turned style Jim seems to like.

[Noah Magnuson]

I use a $5 white rubber mallet.
I see a lot of posts about wooden mallets, and a lot of Youtube videos on how to build one. But when I actually see people chopping mortises/working with chisels, they never use one. Everyone pretty much uses a modern plastic or rubber headed mallet.
I think the wood mallet is one of those projects for beginning woodworkers, like a marking gauge, or winding sticks. Maybe more a way to instill into the new guys the idea of building tools when you need them. But I don't see a lot of people actually using that one.
My white rubber mallet is working well, and I don't see the need for a wooden one at this stage.
But I might choose to build one in the future just for the experience.
I think modern users like the dual head mallets because the can simply spin it and use it for assembly without denting the wood. I don't like using my wooden mallets for assembly, but prefer them for whacking chisels for some reason or another. I have never had issues beating up my chisels with a beech mallet and I have whacked them pretty hard at times.

Someone earlier mentioned the longer chisels and balance. I never understand this argument. A set of chisels has the same size handle and a full range of widths. How can there be any "right balance" except on one or two sizes? I get it if you prefer the balance of your Swan 1/2" over your Stanley 1/2", but it makes no sense that a particular brand overall has better balance across the sizes. Again, overall heavier or lighter I understand.