Originally Posted by
Derek Cohen
How would you describe the handles of the chisels above (those ones are Larry's?). Those are bench chisels. How would you use them for chopping and paring? And why?
I'm not sure I understand the question, Derek. How would I use them? I'd use them like any other bench chisel. I'd use them in most normal situations that require chopping or paring. My only quibble with these is that I'd rather have handles with a single taper, from front to back, like the one I showed earlier, or the ones in the Seaton book. Those are a little stouter and probably better for things like chopping dovetails. I would guess that Larry and Don don't chop a lot of dovetails (and I don't either), which probably biases those guys towards the more delicate handle style. But I have made DTs with the two chisels I showed before; in particular I chop plenty of end grain with the Ward chisel.
As far as "why" would I use them goes: I'd use them because they don't feel clunky. The handles feel good, and the facets orient the chisel without looking and feel more secure than a round handle. If I want to slide my thumb over the handle and onto the tang, it's a nice smooth transition, whereas a ferrule feels sharp and uncomfortable. And the O1 (or cast steel for old chisels) is quick and easy to sharpen.
By the way, I can think of a bunch of other people who work mostly or entirely by hand who use the Seaton style handles with no ferrule. Warren, Kees (I think), Zach Dillinger. On Instagram, you can find lots of pictures of this style in the feeds of Darryl Gent and Joshua Klein. I don't think it's an accident that some people who work mostly by hand use these types of chisels. And as I said before, it's not about role playing or being part of the puffy shirt crowd.
"For me, chairs and chairmaking are a means to an end. My real goal is to spend my days in a quiet, dustless shop doing hand work on an object that is beautiful, useful and fun to make." --Peter Galbert