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28K views 28 replies 17 participants last post by  mafe 
#1 ·
New handles from fire wood

Mortise chisel restore
Vintage French bedanes



I was lucky to get these old French mortise chisels at a fair price (app. 25 dollar for all including the convex spokeshave) on E-bay.
Or I was lucky to get this junk metal on E-bay some might say… Others again might just call me stupid!


This is what I decided to give new life.


In France they call mortise chisels for Bedanes.
The chisels are Klingenthal (Klingen=blades, thal= valley), was originally located in Alsace.
The factory was founded by the French king king Louis XV to make swords for the French army, but since then the French cut of the head of the king, so they produced swords for Napoleons great army instead.
This was the reason why I fell in love with these chisels.


The handles were well used, so I could not see any reason to keep them,
But I looked at the shapes and studied books to see what they wood have looked like.
And the fact was that the French and the English actually agreed on something! The shape of the mortise chisel handles.


I visited mi Friend Michael, and in his fire wood I found a good piece of beech.


Then it was just to cut some good hand size pieces.


And find a proper size for each tang.


Here the puzzle.


I cut them roughly in the shape.


Some handles came of really easy, others needed love.


Carefully I used a chisel and a mallet to break it apart.


Now time to clean up the tang, this is really a heavy mother blogger…


Shoulders were filed down to level.


Drill a hole in the handle in a small size and all the way down to the length of the tang.


Step up one size and drill only half way.


At the end I used a long countersink to drill with but it could just have been a larger drill that was slightly smaller than the widest part of the tang.


Now clean up with a long thin drill.
To make the sides coned.


I used my knife maker tool to clean out.
It's a jigsaw blade that I grind in shape and gave a handle.


Fitting the tang in the handle, the hole must be a little too small.


Fasten in the vice.


And BANG!!!


Now draw an ellipse on the end of the chisel.


I used a spokeshave to do the rough shaping but stopped before I touched the metal shoulders.


Like so.
(And yes there is a dry out crack in the wood so I actually needed to shape more…).


Next part was done like this, holding the iron and spinning the machine, it was quite easy.


And a final touch on the top.

Links:
My homemade rehandled dovetail chisel set:
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/45520
My reviw of the Ashley Iles Mk 2 Bevel Edged Cabinetmakers Chisels:
http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/2106

That's it for the first part second and last part will be about sharpening, flattening, finish and more, I hope this can inspire some to give new life to old tools.

(Yes I post too much these days, but since I'm in my bed due to a nerve in my back that hurfts like …. I was thinking it's time for some old unfinished posts and blogs).

Best thoughts,
MaFe
 
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#4 ·
i shall have to learn
i have old assorted ones too
and have the same back pain as you

so i will do sometime maybe
or (good dream) you come and help
or (best dream) i bring them
and learn from you
and help

and drink espreso
and we laugh

there is a third way
we both get well
and pass each other
on our way to visit
and work together
and laugh

then finally do get together (somewhere)
and laugh (priceless)
 
#7 ·
Hiiiaiiioooo,
Bob, thank you, yes Patron and I are suffering these days. I was just in the workshop because my sister needed to cut a steel rod, and I could almost not even go there… So to look at those wonderful tools and close the door…
Glen, I will be ready for a war in the workshop now.
David, I would love to come and help you one day, I need to win that lottery ticket and stop buying tools… And you are always welcome here for a espresso, and even my home is small I can make you a bed so stay as you want. But I would love to see that view from your house one day, I can just bring the espresso machine!
Eric, the clamps are Festool, it's a MFT3 table and yes it rocks. I'm happy that you enjoy my restore blogs.
Thomas, it seems I got a new title agan 'Master Vintage Tool Restorer' smile.
Best thoughts and thank you guys,
Mads
 
#8 ·
I'm sorry to hear of your troublesome back. Apparently, these are compliants that you're quite familiar with and that makes me sad. These chisels, however, to not have the same saddening effect! There is little to improve upon with a simple picksticking handle that greets the hand in just that way.
 
#11 ·
Hi,
Rand, yes it's some really comfortable handles, and not too hard to make (probaly why this is the traditional way iy was done lol). Glad I could inspire you. But do not get inspiret on the back thing please! This is not fun.
Jiri, I smile thank you.
Bertha, yes I cross my fingers that it is not a prolapse but it sure feels a lot like it… But yes it was what made me sick in the first place only in the neck then so I am quite familiar with the pain… (One of the reasons why I spend plenty of time in the workshop). But as it is now, I can only stand a lay, to sit is impossible, and if I lift more than a kilo I scram of pain, so this one is not suitable for the workshop…
I think of Saint Jude.
Best thoughts,
Mads
 
#12 ·
Those chisels are worth their weight in gold Mads. They look extremely sturdy, plus they have a priceless historical value. I can't wait to see the followup on this blog. I am very glad these venerable tools are falling into your hands where they will be lovingly restored and cared for.
 
#14 ·
Flatten, sharpen, finish and more.

Mortise chisel restore
Vintage French bedanes

This is the number two of two in the blog, so if you did not read the first blog then press here.


So last time we stopped here where we finished the shaping of the handles.


Tome for a good soak of linseed oil.


Soaking.
(That does look really interesting yes?).


First three ready, next three waiting to go.
Woodsman look what is there on the left…


I went rough on the edge, to shape the metal too.
(This was one of these pictures that had no home…).


One of the handles broke when I beat it in, this is why you should spend a little time on the hole, don't think it can be 'just' beaten in.


So off we go!
(Another lesson learned).


Cutting a new piece.


Rough.


Shape.


This time I used a draw knife for the rough shaping, I do love this tool.
Remember to hold it in an angel when shaving then you can make wonderful shaves, and it will not cut in, as if you go just 90 degrees to the wood.


Then the spokeshave.


Getting there.



Some old and rusty steel,
at the price of a single meal.
A price of fire wood I save,
into this life I gave.
A pig sticker set is born!
and I will smoke on the corn.
Then beat it as a man,
this wonderful bedane.


Ok I am better at working wood…
Here soaking in linseed oil.


Finish.
You can see how I do this on the scraper shave blog post 6 here .


Here we are.


Then an antique wax from Paris.


And we are there almost!
Notice the one that got a handle from another piece of firewood got his own charm.


My beloved water grinder.


Bedane set up for sharpeneing.


And some for stabilization.


New shaped bevels.


Sweet steel.


A diamond stone can be used for shaping.


Now I need to be violent with some of the backs since they did not pay as much attention to this in the old days as we do now.


Getting there.


Flattening.


Honing.


That's it!!!
A wonderful set of bedanes / mortise chisels / pig stickers are reborn.
As you can see I also gave a big firmer chisel a matching handle just more square (for cleaning up of large mortises).


And here they are in the set, together with my restored gauges (another blog another day).

Links:
My homemade re handled dovetail chisel set:
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/45520
My review of the Ashley Iles Mk 2 Bevel Edged Cabinetmakers Chisels:
http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/2106

This was last part of the blog, I hope this blog can inspire some to give new life to old tools.

(Yes I post too much these days, but since I'm in my bed due to a nerve in my back that hurts like …. I was thinking it's time for some old unfinished posts and blogs).

Best thoughts,
MaFe
 
#15 ·
You are going to have a HUGE collection

These are nice, they are great for green oak

Jamie
 
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