Best selling wood projects - Chisels and Such

Best selling wood projects

One of the most useful of our workshop tools is the humble chisel.  In historic terms, it is also one of the oldest in homo sapiens toolbox.  From stone - through copper, bronze and iron - the modern steel chisel has a long heritage.  As woodworking has refined itself over the centuries, chisels have evolved into the variations on the chisel theme that we have today.

We now have bench chisels, butt chisels, paring chisels, dovetail chisels, mortice chisels, and all the variations of carving chisels that you can imagine.  There are likely to be other categories that I have left out.

You will find treatises on chisel types in numerous publications, so I wont go into them here, but the most common garden variety of chisels these days - is the bench chisels.  These are sold everywhere from hardware stores to specialist tool manufacturers, and usually in sets.

Here are some that are on offer at present:

• Plastic handled chisels
• Traditional design chisels
• Evolved design chisels
• Combination design chisels  

These modern steel chisels can all trace their lineage back to something like this one - a chunky firmer chisel with a socket for the handle.
This one was made by Ward and Payne in Sheffield in England.

It is only one inch wide, but is a beast of a thing and quite heavy - even without the handle.

Modern bench chisels have bevelled edges, which helps reduce the weight of the chisels in the hand, giving them better balance.

To further reduce the mass of the chisel at the handle, it can be mounted with a tang like this old Robert Sorby - also made in Sheffield.

Here is a set of tanged bevelled edge chisels (except for the smallest which is too narrow to carry a bevel).  All of these are English - made in Sheffield, but from many years ago.   Most were made in the first half of the 20th century.  The majority of these handles are English London Pattern chisel handles.  They look lovely but are an acquired taste as far as comfort in the hand is concerned.

They take and hold a keen edge, and more than hold their own against their modern equivalents - when used for general woodworking. Belting holes in jarrah or spotted gum all day will pull them up, but very few of us do that.

Most of these are F Woodcocks (made between 1939 and 1957),  but there are plenty of quality English makers, whose chisels are just as good.  Here are some:

English Chisels

• Robert Sorby
• William Marples
• Hale Bros
• Charles Taylor
• Edward Preston
• S J Addis
• Lindley
• Herring
• Pearson
• Ward and Payne
• Alex Mathieson (Scottish)
• Brades
• F Woodcock
• Greaves
• Thomas Ibbotson
• I & H Sorby

The best English steel was made from Swedish ore, and has some of those same qualities as the famed, and widely sought after Swedish steel chisel makers - Berg, Jernbolaget, Kronan, Toledo.  Sadly, older English chisels are overlooked in this country, except by those who know how good they are.  Not in the UK of course, where they are still valued.

The point is, that old English chisels are not the flavour of the month here in Australia - either at Sunday Markets or online auction sites. They are cheap, and excellent value for money.  It is easy to put together a set of English bench chisels for very little outlay.

I have put together this set over many years.  If I was doing this again, I would concentrate on the makers in bold type simply from personal preference, and the fact that I consider them to be the best in their class - but there is not much in it.  It may take quite some time to put together a set from the same maker, but a composite set like mine could be done at one Sunday market - for around the cost of a single new 1 inch chisel from the links above.

Because E A Berg - Sweden - chisels are often used as a benchmark for fine steel in old chisels, I will add a link for more information.
For a short history of E A Berg and his steel product making ventures - see here:
E A Berg

Enjoy Your Break
I will be taking a break from The Village Woodworker Blog for a few weeks, while I attend to other matters.  You will have an enforced break from the happenings in this neck of the woods.  Enjoy .....

I hope that your segue from autumn to winter - (late spring to summer for our northern cousins) is full of the joys of the season .....................
.................... and happy woodworking to all .........................
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Best selling wood projects - Woodwork in Southern China Old and New Part 2

Best selling wood projects

On the Tibetan Plateau, summers are short and the winters are very cold, with deep snow.
The wet season is late this year.
Note the trees!

 I was surprised to find that wood is a most common material for building houses.  A traditional house has two floors and a loft.  The ground floor is for housing the animals - essential in winter - while the second floor is living space.  Most commonly, this is two large rooms separated by a foyer cum store room, which houses the steps up to the loft.

One room is the kitchen - dining - lounge, while the other is a multi-purpose room which also acts as a bedroom. Bedding is stacked away against the walls during the day, leaving lots of floor space.

The loft is bedded  with earth for insulation, and is used for storage of fodder for the winter. It is open at one end and is also used for drying materials including clothing.

The houses often have a front walled courtyard and gate - like this one being built by the owners.  Up to three generations will share the one home.  We found the people to be engaging and wonderfully hospitable.

Rammed earthen walls - much like Australian pise, or Mexican adobe - frame the courtyard.  These need a small roof to prevent erosion.  The lads are building this in the left of the picture.  Below is a view from the outside.

Note the extra wide eaves on the house roof to protect the walls.
This end also has the opening to the loft.

Of course, with the rise of tourism in all areas of China, changes are happening to traditional building.  The tourists are ninety nine percent Chinese who are travelling within their own country.  Westerners, like us, make up a very small proportion of visitors.

And so some of the new houses are fancier, and the ground floor rooms are for guests. There are also many more windows. Cop an optic on those pillars.  Brought from the deep forests far away.

Here is some sub floor detail showing the carpentry involved.  Timbers are almost exclusively native pine or fir.  There are spruce forests, but I did not recognise spruce timber used in construction.  That is not to say that it isnt used, just that I didnt see any.

We were lucky enough to walk in the spruce forests - way up high.  They are stunningly beautiful.

 I cannot get over the genuine beauty and warmth of the people that we encountered in Southern China.  They are gentle, hard working folk with a fabulous sense of humour.  We made many friends here.

Love life ..... and live ...............



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