Chisel handle

[Richard Dooling]

I've posted this in the Neander forum because this isn't about turning so much as about buying old tools

This is a little bit of nuthin' but I have been buying some older chisels on eBay knowing that I have to learn at least enough about turning to make handles. I wanted a short handle for this chisel as I will use it for paring. I used a scrap of oak the seller included but will probably use smoother grained woods in the future.

Getting the taper right seems to be the hardest part of the process.


116825


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[Jim Koepke]

I've posted this in the Neander forum because this isn't about turning so much as about buying old tools

This is a little bit of nuthin' but I have been buying some older chisels on eBay knowing that I have to learn at least enough about turning to make handles. I wanted a short handle for this chisel as I will use it for paring. I used a scrap of oak the seller included but will probably use smoother grained woods in the future.

Getting the taper right seems to be the hardest part of the process.


Nice looking handle. Getting the taper right is difficult. Especially if the socket has been damaged.

All the measuring and such are of little use. Most of the handles for mine are replacements, so using the old handle's taper as a guide helps a lot. Maybe making tapers from soft woods as a guide would help.

My shop made handles have a bead around the base similar to yours. I find this very helpful when pairing whether pushing flat or downward.

The first handles I made tended to be too big for most of my chisels and have been mostly repurposed as rasp and hammer handles.

Is that a Stanley chisel with knurling around the top of the socket? I have one and it is the only one I have seen that way. They are listed in old catalogs.

The image below is one of my favorite handles when the size and such was finally refined for my hands and use. It is made from a piece of old rose wood that came from a table top. As far as the 'feel' on the hands, rose wood is one of my favorites. So many great woods, so few chisels that need handles.

jim

[Richard Dooling]

Hey Jim,

Yes this is a Stanley and though I'm no expert, I've not seen this knurling before. It has a Sweetheart logo and patent: U.S. PAT 9-7-26.
Easy to sharpen, holds an edge nicely - one of my better eBay buys.

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[Jim Koepke]

Hey Jim,

Yes this is a Stanley and though I'm no expert, I've not seen this knurling before. It has a Sweetheart logo and patent: U.S. PAT 9-7-26.
Easy to sharpen, holds an edge nicely - one of my better eBay buys.

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Interesting, mine does not have the Sweetheart logo, but says Patent Applied for. It is a nice chisel. I wonder since mine seems to be later than the Sweetheart logo if it is slightly different. It is one of my go to chisels. It is also a shorter Butt style chisel. The only thing my book says about the patent is that it covers the socket construction. The same patent date is used on chisels that do not have the knurling. According to my book, these were made until 1935 which is at the end of the Sweetheart era.

Mine has the logo on the blade and on the socket with the patent inscription on the socket.

Just another mystery.

jim

[David Gendron]

Don't you love mystery???!!!