Greetings, I just noticed new English mortise chisels offered by The Museum of Woodworking tools:
(watch the wrap.)
If you're a neander and haven't seen the ad yet, take a look.
(not affiliated, just wanted to share the info.)
I bought mine from them several years ago. Good chisels, good people to do business with.
I saw that, Ray Iles is making the hefty "pig sticker" ones, the 1/2" is $95 and too much. They should be quite the awesome quality.
My last ones were three for $5, although I did have to replace the handles.
Anyone know how to replace the handles on these chisels ? I've found it quite difficult so far.
My handles are turned hornbeam. Only having a simple lathe, I;ve turned them as a simple cone and then planed the sides flat. I then need to form a central hole to take the tang. Now the tang on a pigsticker is huge, very tapered and some of them even have rasp-like barbs chiselled into the edges.
I can't drill a hole for the tang, unless I find myself a square pyramid-shaped drill. I can't burn a hole for the tang, because the barbs on the tang only allow me to set the tang into the handle once, then leave it in there.
So far I've split as many handles as I have successfully fitted.
I would use a mortice machine and choke it 40% with titebond "titen" goop (for screws) or epoxy. Actually, Ray Iles is there in England I believe, I bet he would tell you how to do it... ? Unless of course he's long dead... (quick search) Oh no he isn't dead as I've just discovered, he is alive and carrying on with this website:
Make a fitting tang of scrap the same size as the chisels' but without the barbs. burn it in just shy of full depth then use the chisel itself for the final depth. Or, grind off the barbs. Joe
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.