I spent a little time in the shop this evening working on putting some of the old chisels I have back into working condition. I have a newer set of Marples that I normally use, but I am trying to get sets of older chisels together. For example, I want a set of mortice chisels and perhaps a set of the old Stanley 750s.
I’m giving them a light cleaning and removing any rust, regrinding edges, and sharpening. The handles are still loose. I want to get some measurements and add them to my note book so that I can use these old handle designs to turn new handles as needed.
When sharpening the mortice chisel using the work sharp, I found it difficutl to control the narrow/tall chisel and did not get very good results flatening the back. I will probably use water stones going forward for chisels of this type. The machine worked fine for grinding the bevel and honing the edge. Here are some photos of what I am working on. I have another box of chisels to pull out and work my way through.
Examples of what I am working on
Mortice Chisel
I use this angle gage to determine the bevel angle so that I can reproduce the angle when I regrind them.
Hopefully, I will get back to work turning out some woodwork this weekend. If not, I will probably be tied up working on a bathroom remodel for a while. Also, in June I have a business trip to Houston and then one towards the end of the month to Singapore for a couple of weeks.
-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov
4 comments so far
mot
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4901 posts in 915 days
posted 893 days ago
Wayne, go answer the Stanley #4 bevel angle question, will ya…quit messing about with the rust pile! LOL…I have been spending some more time with my MK.II system and flatening the back is proving to be a tough job, much the same as you describe with the WS. I think I’ll also stick to my water stones for that job.
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
WayneC
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posted 893 days ago
LOL. We answered the #4 question at the same time. I’m having good luck flattening wide blades on the worksharp. The 1/4” wide mortice chisel did not work all that great. Also, it is a union chisel and I am wondering about the quality of the steel. It seems to be softer than the Hock blades and chisels I’ve been working with.
-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov
mot
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4901 posts in 915 days
posted 893 days ago
Yeah, I monkeyed around a bit more and the wider chisels are easier with the Mk.II…the 1/4 and 3/8 are a bit of a chore. I see we had dueling answers…I tried to give you 18 or 20 seconds to answer it but I could wait no longer! LOL
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
WayneC
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5858 posts in 976 days
posted 893 days ago
Actually, I think I answered first….. lol
I really like the work sharp for flattening the back of plane irons. For me that is the most time consuming task.
-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov