chisels....lesson learned.

[SOLANCO]

About 40 years or so ago I received a set of Craftsman chisels as a gift. If you know how to sharpen them you can shave with them.

Craftsman chisels today will not compare well with those of 40 years ago.

 

[jtkerk]

I don't do much carving on my stocks but when I do I use small straight chisels that have a blade under 3/8" wide. I'll also use small sweep chisels that have gentle curve to them no larger edge than 1/2". Most with a short to medium length handles. Carving chisels are of a style that fits your way of carving what works for me may not work for you.

Hmm just trying to find out the gouges I will need specifically sizes so the cost outlay isn’t so much to get started because they are so expensive. Thanks

 

[Kentuckyjed]

Talking about el cheapo Harbor F
. Wood Carving Set, 11 Piece
I bought these and used a Japanese waterstone to sharpen the crap out of them, they worked great for my NWTG build for every aspect on it from inletting to some stock carving. I also got the Power Grip hand chisels from Amazon which worked great for incise carving on my st stock.

 

[jtkerk]

Talking about el cheapo Harbor F
. Wood Carving Set, 11 Piece
I bought these and used a Japanese waterstone to sharpen the manure out of them, they worked great for my NWTG build for every aspect on it from inletting to some stock carving. I also got the Power Grip hand chisels from Amazon which worked great for incise carving on my st stock.View attachment 218150View attachment 218146

Good info thanks. I’m specifically wondering what curved gouges need to follow the curves of the designs on a stock for stabbing in . They go by numbers which go by the curve and length of curve I guess that’s what I’m looking to find out what the most people use then that would narrow the number of tools I need. Then can always build on that over time the more carving I do. If that makes any sense.

 

[rp77469]

Bill Raby has a few vids covering tools he uses for his builds. He's on Rumble with an episode list for each build, so you should be able to find the tool info.

I collect, restore and even use old hand tools. My favorite bench chisels are those with sockets. They were more expensive than tang styles to make back in the day, so IME tended to be better steel. I do have some favorite, better brands, but also use some Craftsman socket chisels made 90-100 years ago that are fantastic.

Some need new handles or socket work, all need flattened and sharpened when I find them at fleas. But they are impossible to pass up at $0.05-2.00 each. With a bit of sweat equity they make fine tools. Since you need to learn to do this with any chisel you buy, it is a skill you need to develop.

I've made small inletting chisels from old US made concrete nails. I've had little luck getting the Chinesium crap nails to harden though.

 

[jtkerk]

Bill Raby has a few vids covering tools he uses for his builds. He's on Rumble with an episode list for each build, so you should be able to find the tool info.

I collect, restore and even use old hand tools. My favorite bench chisels are those with sockets. They were more expensive than tang styles to make back in the day, so IME tended to be better steel. I do have some favorite, better brands, but also use some Craftsman socket chisels made 90-100 years ago that are fantastic.

Some need new handles or socket work, all need flattened and sharpened when I find them at fleas. But they are impossible to pass up at $0.05-2.00 each. With a bit of sweat equity they make fine tools. Since you need to learn to do this with any chisel you buy, it is a skill you need to develop.

I've made small inletting chisels from old US made concrete nails. I've had little luck getting the Chinesium manure nails to harden though.

Do u have any photos of those socket chisels? I never heard of them

 

[Felix the Cat]

Whilst we are on the subject of carving stocks, can I reccomend these Japanese rasps..

They are excellent for removing wood from stocks as they do not clog. They have a rough and a fine side and seem to last a long time. They are like a bundle of hacksaw blades welded together on their sides and are easy to use and produce a good finish on most hard woods.

 

[jtkerk]

Whilst we are on the subject of carving stocks, can I reccomend these Japanese rasps..

View attachment 218475
They are excellent for removing wood from stocks as they do not clog. They have a rough and a fine side and seem to last a long time. They are like a bundle of hacksaw blades welded together on their sides and are easy to use and produce a good finish on most hard woods.

 

[jtkerk]

A friend of mine put me on to them and they are terrific for removing larger amounts of wood . A cabinet makers file is also good while not taking off as much wood it leaves the surface smoother.

 

[jtkerk]

This thread reminds me of a story I once read about Hershel House. He was visiting a friend who had just finished building a rifle. The man was a good craftsman but could not engrave so he asked Hershel if he would engrave his name on the barrel for him. Hershel agreed and after looking around the mans shop found an old rusty piece of broken file. He quickly ground a proper cutting edge on it and masterfully, signed the mans name on the barrel.
Expensive, high quality tools are nice to have but the hand that holds the chisel is the most important part of the equation.

I have a butt load of chisels but I have found that 90 percent of the inletting required to stock a rifle is done with the same three or four chisels, best to buy the ones you need instead of a set. Another thing, expensive high end chisels are useless if you do not know how to maintain and sharpen them. Clean, precision inletting requires razor sharp tools.

I was going to stay out of this thread but I can't help myself, This subject has come up before and my thoughts on buying expensive chisel sets was not very well received. If you are a part time builder and you are going to build one or two rifles buy you some affordable chisels. Do your homework, learn how to sharpen them and regrind and temper them if necessary. Learn how to use them. I have nine rifles and pistols under my belt. i have found that experience has served me better than the the price I payed for my chisels. Just my thoughts, YMMV

What 3 or 4 sizes do u use? Pfeil uses two numbers to tell the size so what r the ones u use the most so I don’t have to spend a fortune buying ones I won’t need

 

[rp77469]

Do u have any photos of those socket chisels? I never heard of them

Finally found an old picture of ones waiting to be restored. Here is a link to one of the better, but $$, socket chisels being made today. The price is why I restore old ones. (Google "socket chisel" for more info.) Good info on this site. 1" Bevel Edge Socket Chisel

 

[jtkerk]

Finally found an old picture of ones waiting to be restored. Here is a link to one of the better, but $$, socket chisels being made today. The price is why I restore old ones. (Google "socket chisel" for more info.) Good info on this site. 1" Bevel Edge Socket Chisel

Oooh now I know what you mean by socket chisels, and I can see why they r more expensive to make . Thanks

 

[tallpine]

What 3 or 4 sizes do u use? Pfeil uses two numbers to tell the size so what r the ones u use the most so I don’t have to spend a fortune buying ones I won’t need

I don't know how much help this will be as all but one of these chisels were either home made or modified Harbor Freight chisels. These are the chisels that get the most use. The 1/8 x 1/16 probably I use the most for setting the outline for my plunge cuts. The thin blade works great for cutting sharp clean lines, I use this chisel a lot. The 3/4 and 3/8 gouges will do most of the radius you need to inlet your lock. The rest of the chisels are for removing larger amounts of wood. For stocking a rifle, I have not found the need for a flat chisel wider than 1/4 inches.

It cannot be overstated that no matter how much you paid for your chisels THEY MUST BE SHARP. The best way that I have found to get shaving sharp chisels is with 600 grit wet or dry sandpaper on a piece glass. then honed on a piece of leather with white polishing compound.

One more thing worth mentioning. Alway try to cut with the grain. Sometimes this is not possible, in that case proceed carefully taking shallow cuts with a razor sharp tool. I would be willing to bet that is where the OP ran into trouble.

I do not claim to be an expert on anything, I know what has produced good results for me. I always figured if one is skilled enough to build a rifle, making and modifying tools to do the job should be doable also.

 

[tallpine]

Cheap modified Harbor Freight Chisels. I like to regrind and reshape these for different applications. I have never had a problem getting them sharp enough do what I needed to do.

 

[Joemolf]

Do u have any photos of those socket chisels? I never heard of them

Go on rumble app and do a search for flintlock building. There you will find at least 4 series of rifle builds he taped. They are long but detailed the man is a saint for recording and sharing all his builds step by step with tools he used. Like he says there’s a million ways to do things do what works for you. Bill is a tool aficionado you obviously don’t need every thing he has but what is so nice is he shares what he uses. I wish I had a tenth of his tools. LOL Good guy IMO very modest.

 

[billraby]

Go on rumble app and do a search for flintlock building. There you will find at least 4 series of rifle builds he taped. They are long but detailed the man is a saint for recording and sharing all his builds step by step with tools he used. Like he says there’s a million ways to do things do what works for you. Bill is a tool aficionado you obviously don’t need every thing he has but what is so nice is he shares what he uses. I wish I had a tenth of his tools. LOL Good guy IMO very modest.

I am pretty far from being a saint! I just do the videos because I have fun with them. And I don't have nearly enough tools. I still need to get a good bandsaw. There are are a bunch of chisels that I want to get, but they have been out of stock forever. I need to send Liogier at least another $1000. Most of my files are getting close to 30 years old and need to be replaced. I still have a lot of tools that I need to get. So far I have never met anyone that says they have all the tools they want.

 

[Joemolf]

Toys I mean tools have at it and please keep sharing your informative videos.

 

[rp77469]

I am pretty far from being a saint! I just do the videos because I have fun with them. And I don't have nearly enough tools. I still need to get a good bandsaw. There are are a bunch of chisels that I want to get, but they have been out of stock forever. I need to send Liogier at least another $1000. Most of my files are getting close to 30 years old and need to be replaced. I still have a lot of tools that I need to get. So far I have never met anyone that says they have all the tools they want.

Bill, you are a man after my own heart...

 

[Joemolf]

Bill, you are a man after my own heart...

Wow Wee!

 

[godutch]

An anecdotal story just for fun..., My neighbor was going to bid on a nice old small chest. She showed me the listing and said she'd bid up to 150 for it and I could have the chisels. It was full of what appeared to be a full collection of beautiful old well cared for chisels. I pointed out to her that probably two or three of those chisels were worth her bid. There had to be 15 or twenty of them in there. It sold for 500 bucks, so no free chisels for me (chuckle).