Chisel and Mallet

[walexander]

Hey everyone,

Looking for some advice. Me and Pa are going to take a timber frame course in about a month. We both need to get a chisel and a mallet for the course. We are taking this class for different reasons and thus may want different chisels and mallets. I want to use this class as a springboard for more timber work I will be doing. Thus I want a good chisel and the right size mallet for the long road ahead. Dad wants something that he can show up with and not look stupid but at the same time spend the least amount of money to still make it worth his while. He is looking forward to he 2 days off work and away from the house as much as the thought of actually cutting any timbers. So how about it? Put yourself in our shoes. What would you buy?

Thanks,
Will

[Tony_T]

I think you need a 1 1/2 - 2 inch heavy duty framing chisel and a nice 3 lb wood mallet.  Maybe have your Dad buy a 1 1/2 and you get the 2 inch, that way you could borrow the larger/smaller if needed.  You could make the mallets if you have some hardwood (hickory, ironwood, etc) and the tools/time.

Jim, the moderator here, has a bunch of quality tools listed on the TFG website:

http://www.tfguild.org/ubbcgibin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=22;t=000005

[walexander]

We both need to have 1 1/2" chisels.

I do have some hickories that I am cutting down soon but I doubt I would fashion a mallet before a month has gone by.

I would like to know what your favorite chisels and mallets are and then which ones would you say are plenty good for a workshop and piddling around with.

[thurlow]

Don't know nothing 'bout timber framing  :P, but I do have a favorite chisel.  Made some carpenter's slicks a few years ago out of 3 inch truck spring leafs.  Various length handles, 12 to 20 inch.  For SERIOUS 'slicking'.   ;D ;D  For mallets, just use what I've turned out of whatever hardwood is lying around.  Got one on 'bout every table.........

[scgargoyle]

I've been cruising eBay, and there are a surprising number of big chisels, and other timber framing tools. The trick w/ eBay is trying to guess what someone listed the tool as, since a lot of people don't know what these various tools are called.

[Jim_Rogers]

Make your own for sure:



I made all of mine all sizes.
We just sold out of all the ones we had on hand today.....sorry......
My regular everyday framing chisel mallet is a piece of red oak 4x4 about 6" long with a 10" long 1" peg for a handle. The block head has rounded corners.....
Don't if the head splits off, just bore a hole in another block and glue it on....
They don't have to be fancy just strong.

Good luck.

Jim Rogers

PS. the tool list is here also, in the for sale section, and pictures of the tools are in my gallery.....

[Raphael]

For a serious work horse mallet I like a 3lb. split head Garland with rawhide faces.
I've also got a set of urethane faces I use for setting cobbles.

[Dave Shepard]

I have been using a rawhide mallet like Raphaels and am very happy with it. I would reccomend an antique chisel. They have great steel and the right curves to them. I have seen the tools Jim offers and they are ready to go, very sharp, and about half the cost of a new chisel.


Dave

[son reech]

i say go with an antique chisel as well.  of all the research i've done, there is only one chisel worth buying new, that is barr quarton.  excellent chisels, for sure, but very pricey, and probably not for someone just starting out.  and used chisels have character.  when you hold one, you can't help but think of all the joints its cut.  i'd be wary of ebay, though.  better to buy from someone that you know is knowledgeable about this stuff.  and try making a mallet, it doesn't take long.

[Stumpkin]

I have to agree with Raphael and Dave, Garland mallets rule. Here is a link to their website Garland Mallets
I also like the "wood is good" Urathane carving mallets , Carving Mallets
Happy Tapping, Tom 

[bigshow]

looking stupid??? i couldnt have felt more dumb getting a barr  -  when there are loads of antiques out there of equal or greater quality that just need to be introduced to a nice set of sharpening stones.  I understand why instructors set their standards - they dont want people showing up with chipped, dull stuff and having to deal with it.  But, calling ahead and asking about substitutions is never a bad idea.

[Raphael]

  I understand why instructors set their tandards - they dont want people showing up with chipped, dull stuff and having to deal with it.

  Instructors like to recommend Barr because they come honed and ready to use.  I got a really nice long registered Sorby from Heartwood School, top of the line chisel but it needed final honing before use.  I use it in 1.5" mortices, but for everything else I grab an antique with a hint of curve to the back.

  You should have seen the chisel I brought to that first class at Heartwood (it's in the picture w/the Garland).  One of my former employees had used it as a lever and broke ½" off the working edge.  Heartwood said we could bring a dull chisel for the sharpening clinic.  :D

[Stumpkin]

The old chisels are great, if you can find them. Most of the timberframers that I know use Barr chisels, hand forged by a real master craftsman. He stands behind his products. I broke my Barr corner chisel, cracked it down the fold about 1/2", Barr replaced it, no charge. A year or so later, I did it again( nasty old recycled hickory ) he replaced it again, no charge. I no longer use my old chisels, if I break one who will fix it?  I believe in supporting other craftsman who are keeping their craft alive, just like timberframers are. Tom
Barr Tools

[TW]

I do loghouse repairs but old dry spruce knots dulls the tools as fast as hardwoods. I use a
1 1/2 inch firmer chisel made by Erik Anton Berg in Eskilstuna Sweden. It holds the edge well. It is a flea market find.
That dang Sandvik company bought them out and quit making the real thing. Shame on them.

Thanks for telling about Barr tools. ;D Now I know what I will tell people who want to buy that old beaten up Berg chisel: The prize of a new Barr one including shipping and tolls. ;D  ;D

[Dave Shepard]

TW, those spruce nots are harder than diamonds?! And they pop out of the timber like shrapnel.


Dave

[Jayson]

I'm with Stumpkin. Without interest in current craftsman they're craft can be lost. Don't get me wrong though. I love the old steel. It has good feel and there are some pretty good ecological benefits of using old stuff. Not to mention having a chisel that has had a life before is just darn cool. If you are watching the money start out with an inch and a half. I know quite a few guys that rarely use their 2 inch or corner chisels. I have not seen a swan neck since my first workshop 5 or 6 years ago and framing is all I have done since then. As far as mallets go get something cheap to get you through the workshop and you can try different kinds. I love osage orange. But the one's I have had turned(one by Stumpkin that I am sad to say was recently retired due to suspected shake) always shake out. One layer starts to seperate and it is all over. I had a mulberry that felt good. If you are going to the WS in Cullman I will try to bring some different turned mallets. I have a great guy a couple of miles away. Good luck Jayson

[TW]

Dave's descriprion is correct. Maybe the knots are harder on the tools than your hardwoods. I have no experience of your wood. Yet that old Berg chisel holds the edge. Most chisels do not.

[Jayson]

Yeah knots can quickly put a hurting on steel. Kind of impressive if you think about it. Is your Berg difficult to sharpen TW? It seems like the better they(chisels) hold an edge the harder they are to sharpen? If I let my Barr go without a tune-up, it takes alot of work to get it back up to snuff. Oh, walealexander do not forget that once you have a chisel you are gonna need sharpening materials. Those are a least as varied as chisels and mallets. And you will hear praises to all methods. I think the key and joy to this timber framing stuff is the fact that it offers so many ways to accomplish a common goal. I have found that not drawing any firms opinions on the "best way" to do things allows you to explore your options. You can't know that you don't like it if you don't try it.

[Stumpkin]

Hi Jayson, I still have the other half of that peice of Osage, even with the ends waxed it has checked some. The Dogwood ones that I turned seem to hold up better to impact but still need to be kept waxed. I'm still looking for a big enough hunk of Persimmon without checks to try turning a mallet from. Persimmon is used for golf club drivers because it is impact resistant. I lost several Blue Beach in the last ice storm but none are big enough either, Dogwood is still my favorite wood to turn mallets.  Tom

[Jayson]

Hey Stumpkin. Yeah I feel a little silly that I have yet to have a dogwood mallet.Especially since I have great stock here in GA. Everytime I talk to someone about mallets it always comes up. Has anyone mentioned Lignum Vitae? Steve Chappell is also selling mallets now. I am pretty sure they are hand carved in Costa Rica. Maybe the guy from Costa Rico on this forum knows something about them. They are pricey but they should be lifetimers if that is possible. Every mallet can be destroyed. And Stumpkin you just keep looking for stock because I can send you the old mallet as a template. That was the best fitting mallet I've had yet.
     My friend Mark has great luck using a quarter of osage.(free of heart) but they are not turned. He just drills a hole inserts a handle and bam bam. Built like that he is striking the end grain and it seems to work.

[TW]

Jayson
I sharpen on bandgrinder or slowrunning waterstone (Gotland sandstone). Then I hone on a old stone of unknown origin. I would say that the Berg chisel is a little harder to sharpen than most chisels, but no mayor difference. The steel seems to be laminated but I am not sure about that. Of cause there is a possibility that all their chisels are not this good.
It's big weakness is the tang. They have a tendency to break. I have another one with broken tang. Socket chisels are surely stronger but this works for me as I know about the risk and watch out. I do not work nearly fulltime either.