E.A.Berg chisels

[bill howes]

Masur birch is both more figured and tougher than regular birch. It was always scarce. Berg chisel handles are sized to the chisels. I seem to remember there being six sizes of handles. I prefer the Swedish handle shape to any other, but that includes the dome. It is just so right. The tang ring is very finely knurled on a Berg with the dome ring being blued. It's shame many were beaten with steel hammers, I'm one of the guilty, I used a OK brand Swedish butt chisel in heavy construction when I was an apprentice. I'm retired now, but it still shames me. It was tough on it's beech handle.

M

Masur birch is a particular grain pattern not unlike birds eye maple. The ones I rehandled- Beaver had a simple straight grain, as I suspect many of the later North American chisels did.
A good study of the handles can be found at http://galootopia.com/old_tools/chis...hisel-handles/
Bill

[Lasse Hilbrandt]

I have been reading on that site too and I was surpriced to learn that Berg chisels are not laminated. I was sure they were, but it seems like I was wrong.
Does anybody know of a western brand that made laminated chisels ?

[Brian Ashton]

I have a few of the swedish made chisels that I want to re handle either because they are splitted or missing.

The originals are made of birch, wich to my knowledge is not very durable. Perhabs they chose birch because it is plenty awaileble in Sweeden, I don´t know.

The reason they mostly hold up must be because they have a ferrule and a hoop just like Japanese chisels.

Does that mean that if I can find ferrules and hoops it does not matter what kind of handle material I choose ?

Not really. If you look at bergs you can see that they're not that robust by comparison to a firmer or similar chisel. The hoop is to make the handles more resistant to blows from a mallet but they're not meant to be hit very hard none the less. Most likely what you have has been destroyed by some ham fisted ape that used a steel headed hammer - hence the destroyed handles. So what ever wood you use, remember they're not meant to be bashed but instead tapped.