Oversize handle of Hirsch Mortise Chisels

"Improving" the Hirsch Mortise Chisels

Bill Tindall, E. TN

>I too was in shock and awe upon my first encounter. I sawed the sides off the handle with a band saw and rounded the edges a bit so that the resulting handle was elliptical in cross section, with the long axis of the ellipse parallel to the sides of the chisel. I think having a long handle axis parallel to the sides helped me orient the chisel better while in use. At least I convinced myself that was the case, it it did make the handle more managable

Re: Oversize handle of Hirsch Mortise Chisels

Alan Hamilton

>Asher,

I have a set of those Hirsch/Two Cherries mortise chisels too. (We're both lucky little woodworkers.) The handles are certainly very large. But don't you think it's apples and oranges time if you compare them to bench chisels, any bench chisels? For obvious reasons mortising chisels are--and need to be--larger, more robust, more "heavy duty" than any bench chisels. IMHO it would be much stranger if the handles of your Blue Chips and your mortising chisels were the same size.

BTW, you're going to love those tools. They make mortising even more fun!

Alan

Not Necessarily *LINK*

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>I find large handles unconfortable to hold and unaccurate. That why I use these:


http://www.hidatool.com/woodpage/chisel/fmortise.html

Re: Not Necessarily

John Truxell-Svenson (jvs)

>Scott, what is the largest size you use/find useful? I do a bunch of work in the 3/4 - 1 1/4" range, by drilling/paring with a firmer, since my largest real mortise chisel is 9/16".

Re: Oversize handle of Hirsch Mortise Chisels

Paul M. in San Diego

>I was making a mortise with my tiny handled japanese mortise chisel a short while back. Damn that hurt when I missed that tiny target with my hammer and hit my hand. I'm looking at the business end of the chisel, not the part that

you strike with the hammer.

You've gotta be really uncoordinated to do that with the monster handles on the Hirsch!

Hijack One Question

Jim in Burlington Ontario

>I saw those chisels and would like to buy the 3/8" one to try. But I can't figure out how those oval handles would help. It seems that the round one would be easier to use.

I have 4...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>12mm (0.5") for any stock at 2" or so.

9mm (0.35") for 4/4 and 5/4 stock

6mm (0.25") for all 3/4" stock

1.5mm (.060") for inlays and tight spots. It's the thinnest chisle I could find (don't use a hammer on it DAMHIKT)

thanks!

John Truxell-Svenson (jvs)

>