Originally Posted by
James Pallas
Just in case that “doesn’t” turns into a does you’ll have a real engineering problem facing you replacing a tang handle
Jim
I've replaced handles on a number of tang chisels and it's really not all that difficult. Perhaps the hardest part is getting the old handles off. Once you have the old handles off, it's just some lathe work and getting the hole for the tang the right size and depth. That's no more difficult than turning the taper for a socket chisel.
I drill the hole for the tang on my lathe, and I drill it into the blank before I turn it. That way the hole is properly aligned and centered. I fit the hole to the tang before turning the shape of the handle.
Mike
P.S. I'm going from memory here, but I think some of the newer tang chisels that I replaced handles on had tangs that were cylindrical and not pointed. That makes drilling the hole for the tang pretty easy. I replaced the handles on all my Japanese chisels and I think that's the way they were - cylindrical and not pointed. It's been a long time since I did those handles. I know that a Blue Spruce chisel that I made a handle for had a cylindrical tang.
With a pointed tang, I measure the tang a different points and use a smaller drill as I go deeper. I make a "stepped" hole for the tang and not a tapered hole.
Pigstickers are always pointed and can be more of a problem because the handle is not turned. Pigsticker handles are generally oval in cross section. So the hole for the tang has to be drilled more-or-less freehand, which makes it more difficult to keep it oriented correctly. I do a stepped hole for those handles, also.
Last edited by Mike Henderson; 02-16-2019 at 2:06 PM.
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