Crook-neck/Crank-neck Chisel Preferences

[glenn bradley]

I am looking for a crank neck chisel for doing all those things that they do; pare plugs in the middle of a panel, clean out corners of stopped rabbets and so forth. Most new ones I find are in sets but, I think I would benefit from just one at about 5/8" to 3/4"(?). What are your experiences and which sizes do you reach for when you need such a thing?

[Bob Strawn]

I am looking for a crank neck chisel for doing all those things that they do; pare plugs in the middle of a panel, clean out corners of stopped rabbets and so forth. Most new ones I find are in sets but, I think I would benefit from just one at about 5/8" to 3/4"(?). What are your experiences and which sizes do you reach for when you need such a thing?

I have a couple of Swans and have made a few of my own crank necks. I almost never use them. I find that I have other tools close and handy that do the job as well or better. I sharpen my chisels to a single bevel, so the bevel side can be used as a surface guide while angling up. A thick beater chisel at a higher angle will do most of what a crank neck will do and be more stable while doing it.

I always keep a Japanese Flush Cut Saw handy, so paring a plug in the middle of a panel is not an issue. I also keep a pair of what I call carving gauges, and a Veritas Small Router Plane close at hand so cleaning out in the same sort of conditions where a crank neck would be handy can be easily done with tools that are in most cases better for the job.

The last time I used a crank neck, and it was the tool for the job, was while doing repair work to a small cabinet. The confines made the other tools I would have used useless, but my smallest crank neck was just the thing for the job.

Bob

[Jonathan McCullough]

I have some of these. They're not as long or thin as I'd like, but the steel is quite good, capable of low honing angles, the price is reasonable compared to what you see elsewhere, and they're made in the U.S.A. I like to use the cranked neck chisels bevel down, you can get quite a bit of finesse with them this way. I don't use them a lot for flush cuts, and they're a bit long for the insides of teeny boxes, but you could certainly zip out dadoes or stopped rabbets with them.

[David Weaver]

I have three of the type Jon has, also. They are fine. They were a bit nosed up at the business end (bellied a little bit) but for most work, that is probably an advantage because you can reduce the cut depth.

I have only used one one time in earnest, and only bought them because they were cheap at the time and I was afraid the maker might disappear.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

My Marples paring chisel has the handle at a slight angle to the blade - it's not perfectly in line to the blade, but slightly canted. I don't know if this is by design or someone bent the tang. The handle still doesn't clear the work, but with the flex in the thin blade I can bend it a hair and make it clear the work, it works well for the final shaving down of something proud in the middle of a field. Like Bob suggests, I like to just use a chisel bevel down; you can really finesse the cut this way as well, as you can rock back on the chisel to get out of the cut so it doesn't dive in, or if you want to make a pyramid-type top on a plug.

For the ends of stopped rabbets, I alternate between making the end relief cut and then I come in from the side and register the back of a broad chisel on the existing rabbet and use a slicing motion. Router planes or chisels bevel down do the work on the end of stopped dadoes, depending on what's closer at hand and how perfect the dado needs to be.