Chisel Handle Patterns

I have no use for "sets" of much of anything.

  I'm not even sure how they ever got started. I mean, it's easy to see manufacturing identical sets, that's merely a machine setup. Obviously it's infinitely cheaper to make sets.  But why they ever became popular with the average mechanic, that's where the cart leaves the track in my mind.

  Who needs to search though every tool looking for the right one, every single time?  I like to look over a rack of chisels, lathe, bench or carving and know what I'm looking at, at a glance.  

 I try to make all my chisel handles distinctive. Each at least a little different. This is quite a challenge and leads to interesting patterns and shapes.

yours, Scott

                Group 1, lt. to rt.

1.  Spalted apple on carving tool       2.  Birch, carved oval double bubble on a home forged small swan neck              3  Madrone, carved oval barrel shaped on a pigsticker     4  Cast pewter ring into koa, on bench paring     5  Purpleheart on heavy firmer chisel   6  Tan oak on long bench paring chisel    7  Beech on 1/8" cane chisel   8  Hickory on homeforged 1/2" corner chisel

 

 

Bench Firmers and Paring

1 Spalted apple hand paring pattern

2 Hickory ribbed w/top ring

3 Ash, very tapered

4 Hickory, double tapered on long paring chisel

5 Beech teardrop on sturdy 5/8" firmer                                                       

                                                     
These are all huge chisels

except the obvious one

1  Hickory on very heavy timber frame chisel

2  Beech on 1/2" socket mortise

3  Cherry on a massive Underhill, beer mug socket timber framer

4  Cocobola on tiny 1/4" pocket chisel

5  Carved oval hickory on large corner chisel

6  Walnut limb on even larger corner chisel

 

 

 

 

   Fancy Cast Pewter rings into rosewood, each a bit different for easy identification

 This picture is actually blown up some. These are pretty small chisels and will go into the Cabinet Doctor's toolbox. Small but effective.