# Mortise Chisels



## BubbaIBA (Nov 23, 2011)

There is a current thread on Narex Mortise chisels, not wanting to hijack that thread I will post this.

Let me say upfront I have not use the Narex brand but I have used similar "mortise" chisels by other makers. Most mortise chisels sold today fall into three broad categories: English "Pig Stickers", Sash Mortise, and Heavy Duty Sash Mortise. Of the three only the English Pig Sticker is a true mortise chisel. The Sash Mortise is designed for light duty shallow mortises and will work for deeper mortises if you drill out the waste. The Narex mortise chisel appears to be a Sash Mortise chisel and for light duties it has a fair price, I've paid much more for Sash Mortise chisels. The Heavy Duty Sash Mortise chisel is a heavier version of the Sash Mortise chisel and will handle deeper mortises without the need to drill out the waste. They are not as comfortable nor as easy to use as a Pig Sticker but they will work, an example is the Lie Nielsen Mortise chisels.

The English Mortise chisel aka Pig Sticker, is a no compromise mortise chisel and is very highly evolved to make chopping mortises fast and accurate. If you chop mortises by hand, there is no better chisel. They are available on the used market and new from Ray Iles. I've both used and Ray Iles' Pig Stickers. Of the two, new from Ray Iles is the best deal.

If you are looking for mortise chisels, pay the extra for a true mortise chisel for several reasons. The first is they simply work better, the second is you do not need a full set of mortise chisels. Two Pig Stickers a 1/4" and a 3/8" will do 95% of all your needed mortises, add a 1/2" and you have a full working set so the extra cost is minimum. Third is once bought, you have a life time tool that can not be improved on nor will it need replacing.

A Pig Sticker in action chopping a 1/2" mortise in beech, notice the size of chip:


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## theoldfart (Sep 9, 2011)

couldn't agree with you more









the other three in the role are sash mortise chisels

Edit, just as an aside, you wouldn't want to try this with a sash chisel!


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## BubbaIBA (Nov 23, 2011)

I wouldn't want to do that with any chisel .

I have to take my hat off to you guys that make workbench through mortises. I've built a couple of benches lately all had the slab and base connected with blind mortises that were pinned.

My last bench base had 12 1/2" wide x 100mm long mortises chopped 60mm deep. For the 12 mortices I spent less than 3 hours total and I do not work fast, lots of time spent having tea, scratching the shop dog's butt and checking progress.


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## Wally331 (Nov 8, 2012)

I've yet to try a pig sticker, however I do have two of the narexes. Even the smaller ones are ~7/16 in cross section about an inch from the ferrule/bolster. They are plenty heavy duty and well made. Of course the handles aren't the prettiest or ovular in cross section, but I chop mortises pretty often in hard and soft woods and they perform admirably. Especially for $8 a piece. That said I'd love to have some pig stickers just for the cool factor .


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## BubbaIBA (Nov 23, 2011)

I wouldn't want to do that with any chisel .

I have to take my hat off to you guys that make workbench through mortises. I've built a couple of benches lately all had the slab and base connected with blind mortises that were pinned.

My last bench base had 12 1/2" wide x 100mm long mortises chopped 60mm deep. For the 12 mortices I spent less than 3 hours total and I do not work fast, lots of time spent having tea, scratching the shop dog's butt and checking progress.

Here is the almost finished bench with the 12 draw bored M/T joints:


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## BubbaIBA (Nov 23, 2011)

> I ve yet to try a pig sticker, however I do have two of the narexes. Even the smaller ones are ~7/16 in cross section about an inch from the ferrule/bolster. They are plenty heavy duty and well made. Of course the handles aren t the prettiest or ovular in cross section, but I chop mortises pretty often in hard and soft woods and they perform admirably. Especially for $8 a piece. That said I d love to have some pig stickers just for the cool factor .
> 
> - Wally331


Wally,

I hadn't thought about measuring but the 1/2" pig sticker is 20mm (about 7/8") deep at that point. It's more than the cool factor, they work better.

ken


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

I don't see the difference in my Narex mortise chisels and your pig sticker.
They certainly do not look like mortise sash chisels.

Not saying Narex is equal to Ray Iles, but other than the handle shape the blade seems to be very similar.


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## BubbaIBA (Nov 23, 2011)

It is good that your Narex mortice chisels work for you. they have a very good price.

Some folks do not like the English mortice chisel because of the weight and size, as always there are many ways to do the same job….some work well for one, some not so well.

BTW, after looking closer at the Narex mortice chisel I would probably class it as a Heavy Duty Sash Mortice chisel or a Firmer chisel even though it has a taper, not a Sash Mortice chisel. Not that it makes a hill of beans .


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## walden (Nov 11, 2012)

I love the pig stickers. I went with a 5/16 inch to take the place of the 1/4 and 3/8. I've been thinking about getting the 1/2 inch.


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## BubbaIBA (Nov 23, 2011)

> I love the pig stickers. I went with a 5/16 inch to take the place of the 1/4 and 3/8. I* ve been thinking about getting the 1/2 inch.
> *
> - walden


It kinda depends on the size of work you do. You may be able to see in the photo my 1/2" has had little use other than this last bench build, The 3/8" is another story. That said, when making the last bench I wished for a 5/8", shame they don't come that big .

ken


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## BubbaIBA (Nov 23, 2011)

One more thought on chopping mortices. English Mortices chisels are not always the best choice. For wide and deep mortices there is nothing better but for small shallow mortices such as ones for top buttons a pig sticker is overkill. A sash mortice or even better a bevel edge bench chisel would be my choice.

I guess that is why my walls are covered with chisel racks, most have a purpose and will do that job better than one that has a different purpose. The ancients knew a thing or two about working wood, shame we have lost most of that knowledge.


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

thanks for posting this; I have Robert Sorby "mortise" chisels, which have never really worked well for me. Ordered a set of the Ray Iles today, really looking forward to having functional mortise chisels!


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## BubbaIBA (Nov 23, 2011)

> thanks for posting this; I have Robert Sorby "mortise" chisels, which have never really worked well for me. Ordered a set of the Ray Iles today, really looking forward to having functional mortise chisels!
> 
> - Manitario


I have a set of Sorby mortice chisels, had 'em for years in fact they were the first mortice chisels I purchased back in the 70's. They never really worked that well for me either. I keep 'em sharp and oiled but never use them.

I think you will find the Ray Iles' chisels a pleasure to use.

ken


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Usually when I mortise by hand it's a delicate operation
with a short mortise with tender shoulders and I use 
registered or sash mortise chisels. The pigsticker's 
geometry would get in the way.

I have mortising machines. Still, mortising by hand with a
heavy chisel made for the job is good fun and
I recommend hand mortising as a skill. It can
help liberate us from the shackles of table 
saw type thinking… if you can cut a weird
mortise by hand you can cut a weird tenon and
before you know it you're building curved stuff,
hacking together rough joints in odd functional
wood objects, making anything you like despite
your machines.


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## kiyoshigawa (Aug 30, 2013)

I've been cutting all my mortises by hand with the woodriver chisels and never had a problem. Is there a real advantage to using one of these thicker mortising chisels? I could see it being easier to align with the wider chisel body, but other than that the operation seems like it is basically the same.


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## BubbaIBA (Nov 23, 2011)

> I ve been cutting all my mortises by hand with the woodriver chisels and never had a problem. Is there a real advantage to using one of these thicker mortising chisels? I could see it being easier to align with the wider chisel body, but other than that the operation seems like it is basically the same.
> 
> - Tim Anderson


Tim,

You are correct, the operation of chopping mortices is the same….place chisel, whack chisel, lever chisel, repeat until everything that is not a mortice is removed. It can and has been done using a sharpened screwdriver and I would expect in the hands of an expert a screwdriver chopped mortice would be as good as or better than one chopped by the best mortice chisel made in the hands of the average woodworker. That said, almost any operation will be done better and with greater ease using the best tool for the job. An example would be removing or tightening a bolt, you can do it using a "monkey wrench" but it works better using the correct "SnapOn" socket and ratchet.

A Pig Sticker is like the SnapOn tool, it is designed to do one thing and that is to chop mortices. The shape of the handle and the iron have evolved over time to maximize the efficiency of that job.

Of course as always…..YMMV.

ken


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## kiyoshigawa (Aug 30, 2013)

Ken, I understand what you mean about the shape of everything evolving over time to be the best, I was just wondering what specifically makes the pigsticker better than my chisels (or the sharpened screwdriver you mentioned).


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## Mosquito (Feb 15, 2012)

I would tend to agree. The Narex chisels are ok (I had a full set of them until recently) but I switched to picking up some of the new Isles mortise chisels you've shown, and really like them. They're bigger and heavier, and that has its pros and cons associated. They're also more expensive… I've also done some light mortise work with my sort-of-bevel edge chisels; my modern Stanley Bailey chisels (I don't use my Ashley Iles bevel edge chisels for motises)


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## BubbaIBA (Nov 23, 2011)

Tim,

Time for just a couple; The handle is oval and oriented so when you hold and place the chisel it naturally lines up square. On better pig stickers the bolster is shaped to fit the handle,making a stronger handle that is not likely to split. The iron is tapered for maximum strength yet is light for its size. It has a long bevel to aid levering out the waste. The wide iron is relieved so it will not "stick" in deep mortices and as a side benefit the width and relief helps aline the chisel in the mortice.

ken


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## kiyoshigawa (Aug 30, 2013)

Thanks Ken, that was just what I was looking for. I'll have to keep an eye out for mortise chisels at yard sales so I can test one out and compare it to my bevel-edgers.


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

> Tim,
> 
> Time for just a couple; The handle is oval and oriented so when you hold and place the chisel it naturally lines up square. On better pig stickers the bolster is shaped to fit the handle,making a stronger handle that is not likely to split. The iron is tapered for maximum strength yet is light for its size. It has a long bevel to aid levering out the waste. The wide iron is relieved so it will not "stick" in deep mortices and as a side benefit the width and relief helps aline the chisel in the mortice.
> ken
> ...


And you can stick pigs with them should the need arise


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## BubbaIBA (Nov 23, 2011)

Tim,

Odds are if you find a vintage English Mortice chisel the handle will be in bad shape and they are not easy to properly re-handle. I've done it and it is a PITA to get it right. I just did a quick look on eBay, all available were very rough both iron and handle and would cost $40 USD or more by the time you paid shipping. I'm not trying to sell the Ray Iles' chisels but I've been down that road before and the Iles' chisels are a bargain. Not only do they work out of the box the iron is D2 steel, one of the toughest tool steels.

Get a 3/8", if you like it great get a couple more. If not, you can sell it for very little loss. I can almost guarantee that is the cheapest way to go. Or buy a 5/16" and if you don't like it I will take off your hands for $60 USD .

ken


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

close as I'll get to the pig sticker kind









Seems to work on that oak I was using









actually have two in this size









Plus that 1/4" one. About all I need, right now.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

There's an agument to be made that a long millwright's
chisel works just as well. There's a technique to doing
it I read about when I thing you leave a big cone
in the center of the mortise, cutting down to depth
on the ends, then pop the cone out with leveraging
cuts.

Anyway, the way I do it I learned from a FWW article.
I chop, chop, lever, chop, lever, turn the chisel 
around and chop, chop, lever, chop lever, etc. 
to finish the first pass, then the same routine over
and over again to get to depth. It's not dreadfully
slow but I think the method with a millwright's
chisel I mentioned above may be faster. Consider
a millwright's chisel has quite a taper and is thin at
the end so it can chop a narrow mortise without
the body of the chisel interfering with the levering.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Just for anyone's enjoyment. there is a series of videos on the youtube by a GE HONG

He'll layout the lines
he WILL use a Hatchet as a hammer
He will chop a through mortise in the time it takes to read this
One hit, a couple wiggles, walk the chisel to the next spot, while the hatch is starting it's swing.

NO fiddling around, either. Just chop and go on. Through mortise in something he calls Rosewood in about this time….

Times up, is it chopped through yet?


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I'll have to try some of his methods.

He's fast, but the point should be made that mortising with
a chisel with a reasonable cross-section for the job can
be a reasonably efficient process if you just get to it.


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