I couldn't resist the opportunity that Steve presented a day or so ago, when he posted pictures of chisels made by Larry Williams and Don McConnell. We had been discussing the ergonomics of mortice chisels, when these bench chisel handles popped up. Rather than sidetrack the discussion, I thought a new thread would be better.
What I will do is present a few different bench chisel handles, and say what I like or dislike about them. I am hoping that others with a similar interest will comment on this, post other handles, and discuss theirs.
Left to right: Marples, Veritas, Blue Spruce, Koyamaichi, shopmade replacement for Stanley 750, original handle for 750.
The Marples is a terrific looking handle, and it looks like it should be comfortable. I know George swears by his. But I find that they lack something to push against. This will lead to fatigue.
The Larry Williams design that Steve likes so much is actually very similar to the Marples, only octagonal. This should offer better registration, but no more control than the Marples ..
The Don McConnell design that Steve also linked to differs slightly. These are carving chisels, so shorter. The rear is rounded more, and it looks like they are designed to be pushed with the palm.
The Veritas have good length and a solid rest against which to press a thumb. The sides are slightly flattened for registration. The chisel handle is securely gripped and does not fatigue.
The Blue Spruce is arguably the best looking handle on the planet. It is very similar to the Veritas, just a little shorter. I prefer the extra length of the latter - but I have larger hands.
The Koyamaichi lacks the thumb rest, however it is comfortable to push with the heel of the palm. Of course, this design is meant for using with a gennou, but it is more comfortable than one might expect (not comfortable to want to use it as a parer).
The shopmade handle came before the Veritas, and is similar in shape, but longer. It lies between a bench chisel and a paring chisel. The longer handle offers a little more precision (slight the hand back a little to make fine adjustments), but is less able to be pushed from the palm.
The Stanley 750 handle I found too short. It nestles in the palm, but is too small for my hand. It may suit someone else better. (apology for the poor photo) ..
Your thoughts and comments ...
Regards from Perth
Derek