New chisels? Soft? Why?

[Adam Cruea]

Well, for some of the Jr. Woodchucks like myself, I think we have the answer as to why they make chisels from softer steel now. I must say, I'm quite glad that this more of bent and faltered before it snapped.

Needless to say, I am not a happy camper that my 3/4" SW just bit the dust in such an undignified way. It was my favorite chisel out of the set because I used it so much for dovetailing.

So, I ask of the more experienced crowd. . .why did this happen? The blade is still straight and flat (so it's not like I jumped up and down on it and *tried* to snap it).

Also. . .is it possible Stanley would replace it?

Thanks, y'all.

[Mike Henderson]

If you don't mind disclosing, how did it break? Were you using it as a chisel at the time, and if so, what were you doing - were you prying chips out of a mortise? Or did it fall off the bench, or did you step on it, or what?

Mike

[John Coloccia]

Where you trying to lever out a deep mortise, or something?

[Jim Koepke]

Also. . .is it possible Stanley would replace it?

The best way to get an answer to that is to contact the people where you bought the chisel or to contact Stanley's customer service.

jtk

[glenn bradley]

I hope something dramatic happened as those chisels are priced in the neighborhood of other quality offerings. If that occurred during normal use . . . ouch!

[Dave Lehnert]

Looks like you may be covered.

http://stanleytools.com/default.asp?...ntyreturns.htm

[John Coloccia]

OK, I give up Dave. What is your avatar?

[Adam Cruea]

If you don't mind disclosing, how did it break? Were you using it as a chisel at the time, and if so, what were you doing - were you prying chips out of a mortise? Or did it fall off the bench, or did you step on it, or what?

Mike

It has fallen off the bench a time or two, and no, I make sure not to step on sharp metal objects. Try and catch them while they're falling, yes. Step on them, no. lol

And no, I wasn't prying with it. Just chopping dovetails. Dad (Dale) got it through my head very quickly that prying with a bench or paring chisel can snap it. I gave it a solid *whack* with the Jatoba carving mallet dad turned from me and the next thing I knew I was holding a chisel that was bent at about 90 degrees. My index finger has a little cut on it where the handle bent back while I was holding it.

Oddly, right where it broke is where I generally (but not all the time) hold a chisel while chopping dovetails. I've learned if I hold the blade while giving it a good rap, sometimes I get a glancing blow in and I pretend my finger tips are wood that needs chopped.

@Glenn> That's why I am not too happy of a camper. That chisel has always seemed a little hinky (the handle liked to fall out of it and when I would turn the chisel upside down and rap it on a bench, the rim of the hornbeam handle where the tip goes into the socket seemed to bottom out).

@Dave> I had seen Stanley had a "limited lifetime warranty". . .I just wasn't sure if this would be covered as I was *hoping* I wasn't doing something wrong, but figured I'd ask those with more experience, just to make sure. Or maybe someone else had this happen and had gotten a replacement without much fuss. Thanks for confirming what I had found.

[Ryan Baker]

Probably just a defect that slipped through. Let Stanley replace it. From your description, it sounds like there has been a crack for some time. You can tell a lot from looking at the fracture, if you can get a really good close-up shot of the broken ends.

[David Weaver]

OK, I give up Dave. What is your avatar?

I'm not the right Dave, but it's Judas Priest album artwork.

[John Coloccia]

I'm not the right Dave, but it's Judas Priest album artwork.

Thanks, Dave. I knew that I saw it somewhere, and I've been trying to place it for what seems like YEARS.

[george wilson]

Chisels should be made so their tang or socket ends are left softer so that doesn't happen. Certainly I make mine that way. In the old days,after hardening(which the hardening heat was never allowed to go clear up the length of the chisel anyway),tempering was done by heating at the tang end and letting the colors creep towards the cutting end. That way,the tang was certainly left soft.

I am wondering how these Stanley chisels were made. It is possible that a tool steel investment casting method could be used,rather than a forging method. That would definitely make the socket more easily formed. I would MUCH prefer a tool formed by forging. I do know that some of the axes that at least used to be sold by Woodcraft or Garrett Wade(can't remember) WERE cast from tool steel,though it was advertised that they were forged. I know this because the maker of these axes visited me years ago at the toolmaker's shop,and told me that he cast them.

I have no idea at all how the Stanley chisels are fabricated,but I'm just mentioning that there is more than one way that tools are made these days. Perhaps the socket is welded to the shank separately. That could cause a fault,too. Obviously,there was some kind of a fault in the metal at the socket for that to have happened. They should replace the chisel,and I think they will.

[Mel Fulks]

Adam, how can you be so ungrateful ? I'm sure a vintage hand forged chisel would have broken in three pieces! Don't worry , if this is your first offense , you'll probably just get a letter of reprimand.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I was excited that I actually knew what Dave's avatar was. Defenders of the Faith, right? I always thought that and Screaming For Vengeance had awesome covers.

On the subject of avatars, I was wondering who this new, third Dave was, until I realized it was just Mr. Weaver with a new avatar. You guys can't go doing that, it confuses me. (I'm slow . . . it took me a while for my brain to acknowledge the fact that Chris is not actually in fact a cat)

[Stanley Covington]

Thanks for letting us know about this problem: it is important to share quality failures. It sure looks like a problem with differential heat treatment. I suppose that makes your chisel what Chris Schwarz calls a tool-like object!

Stan