Socket Chisel Handles Without a Lathe

[Jim Koepke]

Ran across an old chair spindle in the shop today. Recently someone was wondering about making socket chisel handles without a lathe. Here is the chair spindle and two socket chisels with handles made out of the other spindle from the same old broken chair:

Chair Spindle Socket Chisel Handles.jpg

These were made before my lathe was bought. If the handle on the 2" chisel was made a bit shorter it is likely 3 socket chisel handles could have been made from one spindle.

jtk

[Frederick Skelly]

Clever idea! I love re-purposing things, like you did.
Fred

[steven c newman]

Old wooden, non-split, screwdriver handles can be re-used

dry fit.JPG
The one in front.
Usually, old lathe chisel handles can be re-used..
rehandled.JPG
2" wide by 19" long, counting the new handle...

I guess I could watch the curbs around town, on Trash Days......rescue an old broken chair....

[lowell holmes]

I made a handle for a 2" socket framing chisel. I also made a handle for an 1 1/2" tang chisel. I made a sleeve for it out of a plumbing coupling. I can post pictures if desired.

[Jim Koepke]

I made a handle for a 2" socket framing chisel. I also made a handle for an 1 1/2" tang chisel. I made a sleeve for it out of a plumbing coupling. I can post pictures if desired.

Pictures can be an inspiration to someone stumbling across SMC for the first time. Do people still have to become members to see the images?

jtk

[John Kananis]

Love the idea, Jim. Pretty 'slick'.

[Mike Baker 2]

Clever ideas, Jim, Stevan and Lowell.
And yes to pictures.

[Mike Brady]

Another approach is to use a drill press as a vertical lathe. Pens can be turned effectively this way; so could small items like chisel handles. The ideal requires a base of 3/4 stock into which is inserted a large dowel center and a steel rod to bear the turning tool against. For pens I used a pen mandrel. Use could do same for a small chisel and then glue a leather washer over the hole.

[lowell holmes]

DSC08215 (640x480).jpg

Here are two chisel handles I made. The sleeves were made from chrome and brass plumbing fittings. I started with octagons and then made one round with a shave.
The tang chisel is hexagonal, not round. The handles are oak. They will take a beating. They were both rusty when I got them. The 2" chisel had been beat
on the socket with no handle on it. The chisels were from my wife's family. Her grandfather was a New Jersey stair maker. The tang chisel is 1 3/4" wide. It is a Buck Chisel.