Lee valley chisel question

[Gregory Mosher]

Hi folks. Making a simple walnut (first time working with walnut, excited) chisel rack, and was using one of my 1/2 inch chisels, it's the "bevel edged bench chisel by lee valley with that transparent green/yellow handle, with black collar that's made in Japan. here's the link.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop...l-edge-chisels

My issue is that I really, REALLY don't care for the handle. I can't see a tang in it, and i'm only guessing that it has a socket. does anyone know if I can cut the handle off, remove it etc and be able to re handle these? or if they're just set in this weird composite handle that I shouldn't play with?

PS: For affordable chisels, the steel in these LV chisels kick my narex's all over the place. little heavier feeling, but for literally less than 5$ difference, LV over Narex. takes and holds a better edge 2:1

Thanks folks!

[Jason Martin Winnipeg]

Lee Valley customer service can probably answer this question for you if you email them. They have a really good reputation for that.

[Desi Kovar]

Google “replacing chisel handle popular woodworking.” You should find an article from Popular Woodworking where the author shows the removal of those Lee Valley chisel handles.

[steven c newman]

Get a couple of these....and experiment with their handles...
chisel rack.JPG

[Dave Zellers]

Those are my everyday chisels as well. I am slowly buying LV PMV11 as replacements. But they are solid performers.

Why would you be focused more on the handle over the edge?

[lowell holmes]

https://www.theunpluggedwoodshop.com...l-chisels.html

You missed this set.

[Tyler Bancroft]

This is on my to-do list, as I also like the steel and am not wild about the handles. If you do replace them, I'd be interested in hearing how it went.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

https://www.theunpluggedwoodshop.com...l-chisels.html

You missed this set.

I LOVE my set of these, but I don't think that they offer them anymore. Am I wrong and I just did not see them offered anymore?

[lowell holmes]

I suggest you contact Rob Lee at Lee Valley. If anyone knows how you can get a set, he does and I'm sure he will.

https://www.theunpluggedwoodshop.com...l-chisels.html

[Derek Cohen]

Hi folks. Making a simple walnut (first time working with walnut, excited) chisel rack, and was using one of my 1/2 inch chisels, it's the "bevel edged bench chisel by lee valley with that transparent green/yellow handle, with black collar that's made in Japan. here's the link.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop...l-edge-chisels

My issue is that I really, REALLY don't care for the handle. I can't see a tang in it, and i'm only guessing that it has a socket. does anyone know if I can cut the handle off, remove it etc and be able to re handle these? or if they're just set in this weird composite handle that I shouldn't play with?

PS: For affordable chisels, the steel in these LV chisels kick my narex's all over the place. little heavier feeling, but for literally less than 5$ difference, LV over Narex. takes and holds a better edge 2:1

Thanks folks!

Hi Gregory

I'm 99% certain that there is a short tang inside the handle, located in the black section. It stands to reason because, firstly, a tang is easier and cheaper to mass produce than a socket. Secondly, this is how similar chisels, such as Irwin/Records/Stanley were/are made.

Here is a Stanley I re-handled. It originally had a black plastic handle ...



The discolouring is from re-heat treating it ...



Note, I also reground the sides of this chisel to have minimal lands for dovetail work.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[David Carroll]

I have also re-handled several old chisels that started life with over-molded plastic handles. I generally hack-sawed off the handle, parallel to and close to the tang (not a tapered tang, but a cylindrical tang like the one Derek pictured). After the two big chunks are removed, you can pry off the rest of the plastic, or drive it off with a cold-chisel and some swearing.

My favorite chisel for dovetailing is an old K-Mart branded 1/2-inch chisel that I bought 40 years ago for my first carpentry job and later I re-handled it much like Derek's, except that I used some hickory from a broken hammer handle, not the fancy Australian flint-hard downunderwood. ;-)

To answer the question that Dave Zellers asked, "Why would you be focused more on the handle over the edge?" The edge I can sharpen, but I just don't like the feel of plastic handles on chisels. When I take the time to make a new handle, the tool becomes mine. It fits my hand, there's something of me invested into it. I get this little spark of satisfied joy every time I reach for it. I think, "I had a hand in making that and it's really nice!" instead of thinking, "Ugh, I really don't like the handle." It is subjective for sure, but that tiny amount of satisfaction multiplied over decades of regular use adds up to some significant happiness.

DC

[Dave Zellers]

To answer the question that Dave Zellers asked, "Why would you be focused more on the handle over the edge?" The edge I can sharpen, but I just don't like the feel of plastic handles on chisels. When I take the time to make a new handle, the tool becomes mine. It fits my hand, there's something of me invested into it. I get this little spark of satisfied joy every time I reach for it. I think, "I had a hand in making that and it's really nice!" instead of thinking, "Ugh, I really don't like the handle." It is subjective for sure, but that tiny amount of satisfaction multiplied over decades of regular use adds up to some significant happiness.

And I can certainly understand that. Right after I posted that I realized it was dumb and the obvious answer was yours.
I don't have the means (no lathe) to replace a handle so I tend to just accept what is there. And it is fine for me but making your own handles would totally be cool.

[Derek Cohen]

Dave, you do not need a lathe for handles. Tapered octagonal handles are easy to hand plane, nice to look at, and importantly comfortable to use.

Here is a vintage set ..



Regards from Perth

Derek

[Dave Zellers]

Dave, you do not need a lathe for handles. Tapered octagonal handles are easy to hand plane, nice to look at, and importantly comfortable to use.

Yes, I should explore that. Even shaping by hand.

[bill epstein]

Oh, the high cost of Neanderthalism in the 21st Century.

If I was looking for a new hobby today it wouldn't be, couldn't be, woodworking ;-}

$429 for 5 wood handled chisels? Yikes! I paid less than $40 for my 4 pc. set of Freud beveled in 1987 or so.

IMG_4864.jpg
IMG_4863.jpg

They take an edge, hold an edge, pare and tap without fault. The set is missing a 3/8" so a few years later I bought a Nooitgedagt Butt Chisel to fill in. Only cavil is the sides are a bit thick. The Freud are marked Cr-Va, the Nooitgedagt are unmarked; neither seem to care what steel they're made from. A 3/8" Sorby London Mortice of the same vintage rounds out my "collection".

I'm the guy that didn't want to buy a vise that didn't have a wooden handle so perish the thought of paying up for plastic these days.