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Thread: Need a Name That Sounds Better Than Beater

  1. #16
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    The second string.
    Your endgrain is like your bellybutton. Yes, I know you have it. No, I don't want to see it.

  2. #17
    I'm with Shawn on this one. My carpenters chisels live in the garage and are used for outdoor work, particularly on pressure treated lumber and stuff with knots in it. Yes, they are kept sharp, but not paring chisel sharp.
    Dave Anderson

    Chester, NH

  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Van Huskey View Post
    Take if from fair Juliet: What's in a name? That which we call a beater by any other word would cut no better.
    I'll offer this up:

    To some extent, what we label or think of something as becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

    A name indicates our perception of a tool. Giving a tool the name of "beater" means that we perceive it as not so valuable; as something to be abused. The same chisel might be had by two owners: for owner "A", it is his best chisel. He keeps it sharp and in good condition, and it performs as good as any other chisel. Owner "B" calls his chisel a beater, and it is frequently found dull or chipped, and doesn't work so well perhaps.

    ...then there's owner "C", who has a different understanding of the word chisel altogether, who thinks they are prybars for opening paint cans. He probably inherited some wonderful vintage chisels which now lay in ruins. His best chisel is in far worse condition than anyone's "beater" chisels who use this forum, I'm sure.

    Our perception of a tool largely impacts its quality. Not so long ago I was criticized for making a hobo chisel out of mild steel. But it's worth considering that for millenia, people used chisels of bronze, copper, and stone, and got along just fine. Those tools were no doubt important to them, and high-quality ones would have been treasured just our high quality steel chisels might be today.
    Last edited by Luke Dupont; 10-10-2018 at 8:26 AM.

  4. #19
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    Owner "B" calls his chisel a beater, and it is frequently found dull or chipped, and doesn't work so well perhaps.
    Only a few of my second tier chisels are not kept sharp. Mostly because they do not get used.

    It is also my tendency to check and sharpen tools before use. Though often they are sharpened before being put away at the completion of a job.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  5. #20
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    Maybe call them "chisels"
    and promote your good set(s) to joinery chisels, precision chisels, etc. Isn't that the distinction?




    If you need to name them utility chisels, or user chisels may work.

  6. #21
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    May 2009
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    Philadelphia, PA
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    Jim, a lot of your "second shift" chisels look a hellava lot better than even my good ones!!

    You could go the Union route and refer to them as your 'B' list chisels (or 'C' or 'D' listers)...?

    I like Shawn's idea of just calling them Carpenter's Chisels. I have a set w/ plastic handles I use all the time in my home reno tasks that I would never attempt to pare end grain with . Yeah, I hit them with a metal hammer, throw them into my tool bag, and they look the part of "beaters" all right. Most of what they're asked to do is mortise into construction pine.

    Maybe it's just a matter of calling them by what task we've already ascribed to them. Paring chisels, mortise chisels, skew chisels, carpentry chisels, Is-There-A-Nail-In-There? chisels....

    --Jake
    Please Pick One of the Following:

    Built Correctly & Within Budget / Within Budget & Done Quickly / Done Quickly & Built Correctly

  7. #22
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    Is-There-A-Nail-In-There? chisels....
    That sounds good, they can be my nail finding chisels.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  8. #23
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    I use a wooden mallet to strike my chisels. What do you use? I don't call mine beaters.

  9. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by lowell holmes View Post
    I use a wooden mallet to strike my chisels. What do you use? I don't call mine beaters.
    I'm the controlled environment of my shop, I always use a wood mallet when I need to strike a chisel. And I only use my sharp good chisels, unless there is risk of damage to the chisel (nails, paint, sand, etc), then the second stringers come out.

    The further I get from my shop, the more often I end up using whatever is at hand, all the way from a framing hammer to whatever is harder and heavier than my palm (2x4s, lineman's pliers, firewood; I'm not proud of it, but sometimes you need to make do). And when I am that far from the shop, I only ever take my beater chisels

  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by lowell holmes View Post
    I use a wooden mallet to strike my chisels. What do you use? I don't call mine beaters.
    Most of my chisels are tapped with the mallet on the left:

    Mallets Compared.jpg

    Face view:

    Mallet Faces.jpg

    It is made from a piece of oak. The other one was sold at the local farmers market.

    This is my mallet for heavy hitting such as mortising:

    Finished Mallet.jpg

    It is made of a local cherry if what the neighbor told me is correct.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  11. #26
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    Jim, I expected no less from you.

    I have large mallet similar to yours. I was at Paul Sellers rocking chair class and he had mallets made by one of his sons. I came home with it.

    It will drive a chisel quite well.

  12. #27
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    I call that type of thing my misch e lanious chisels. Silly pronunciation of miscellaneous, from bugs bunny or daffy duck, it's been stuck in my head since I was a kid, and well, that's what I call my mix and match but I still love them tools.

    Jon

  13. #28
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    I like the term "well-loved."

    In classic cars, anything that's rusty and beat up is now a "rat rod." Perhaps "rat rod chisels" or "rat chisels" would do.

    Another possibility: "users." "These are my users- the wall hangers are kept over there."

  14. #29
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    Another possibility: "users." "These are my users- the wall hangers are kept over there."
    Currently there are no "wall hangers" in my shop. My regular users are either in a drawer or in sectioned boxes. Those could be drawer, apartment dwellers. Box chisels doesn't sound right.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  15. #30
    Those are 'Sheryakan' chisels.

    As in, your neighbor asks, "Hey can I borrow a chisel?"

    "Sher ya kan. Take yer pick.'

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