Applying Leather To A Chisel Handle

Re: Applying Leather To A Chisel Handle

Skip in Falls Church

>I just had to reapply a couple of leather shock washers to an awl. I took some veg tan leather and cut a gasket out of it. The inner cut made tight on the existing wooden dowel extending from the body of the awl and the outside a bit bigger than the outside diameter of the awl. ('Cause that's the size punch I had) Then I used wood glue to glue them in place. After the glue dried I sanded the outside diameter to size. I don't know if that's the right way to do it - but it seems to be working.

Skip

Re: Applying Leather To A Chisel Handle

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Tom -

I've only done this once, but I pretty much did what Skip described. The only differences were that I used epoxy rather than wood glue, and found that a standard bastard mill file did a great job in helping me shape the leather washer after it was secured to the chisel.

Oh, and my leather came from a scrap of sole leather from guys who put a new sole on a pair of my dress shoes a while back.

Let us know how it goes.

Regards -

Dave

Re: Applying Leather To A Chisel Handle *LINK*

Russ Allen- Chicago

>Scott Post has a great page on making leather washers. He was even kind enough to lend me his "punches". I bought a leather belt at a resale shop and personally punched washers until it was all used up- even though I didn't need all the washers. I punched so many that the interior punch filled up with little leather circles and stopped cutting until I realized what happened and cleared them out. If I were an editor of a woodworking magazine, I'd have Scott write an article on this.

Russ Allen

Chicago


Scott Post on leather chisels

Re: Applying Leather To A Chisel Handle

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>Not because I think you are wrong to want to do so, but to stimulate discussion, I ask, "Why would leather on the striking surface be better than starting with a very impact resistant wood, or choosing a mallet made of a more compliant material, or using a metal (brass or steel) striking ring?"

Still, yours is a fair question. Since the leather is made of hide, why not use hide glue? Eventually, the leather, if it is doing its job, is going to wear out, and you will need to loosen and reactivate the glue to replace it.

One more observation: Even if you decide there might be other alternatives to leather at the striking surface, there are still good reasons to consider a leather ring between the wooden tang and the metal socket, because your hand contacts the chisel at that intersection a lot more often, and cutting a leather washer to fill the gap can be a lot easier than working a really tight fit between the handle and socket.

Leather and chisels

Bob Hackett

>While I would agree that leather between a tanged chisel and the handle may be a good idea,I don`t think the same about a socket.

It`s been my experience that nothing should come between the wood of the handle and the socket.The fit needs to be mated in order to keep the handle on and save your toes every time you pick the chisel up.

Likewise there should always be a gap(1/8 to 1/4")between the end of the socket and the handle.This gap allows for seasonal wood movement and the fact that the socket will seat deeper this time of year in a heated shop.A close fit or a leather washer will keep the socket from seating.

The glue used to bond a leather washer to wood needs to be flexible or the constant impact will fracture it eventually.This is especially important if stacking washers one to another.I`ve been using contact cement.Some of the new(condition) old handles I`ve seen seem to be glued with Hide glue so that should work.

I only use leather if I can`t talk the person I`m making the handles for out of using it.As per William`s suggestion there are better choices for both handles and the things which are going to strike them.

Mainely,Bob

SWotC

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>The Scott Post web page to which Russ Allen provided a link states that he put the leather on the end of the Buck gouges to make it easier on his palm when pushing the gouges.

You have sort of hinted that you have had hand problems from this sort of activity. What do you think of the leather disk solution?

Re: Applying Leather To A Chisel Handle

Tom Colligan, Peoria

>Good point, Bill. These are socket chisels. I do have access to Easter Hophornbean, aka ironwood but it's {green} branch wood and has the pith in it. More to the point "why the leather?". Only because I see it on most of the socket chisels being sold on ebay and I wanted to try and replicate what the originals were. Tia,

Re: Leather and chisels

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>I agree with your concerns regarding keeping the handle firmly seated in a socket chisel. I did not mean to suggest that the whole gap be stuffed full of leather. A thin ring, just to protect the hand from the sharp edges of the socket might be useful, depending on how carefully the chisel was manufactured. This is not a problem on my L-Ns, BTW. If one needs a bit of padding at this junction, maybe some of that PSA-backed orangish foam gasket material often found at Neanderthal get-togethers would work even better, since it is compressible.

Re: SWotC

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>I haven't had any serious problems because I stopped doing it when it started to hurt. Other people, many of them, according to ergonomic studies, have not been so lucky, and have developed CTS or other RSIs. No matter what the handle is made from you should be wary of applying pressure with the center of the palm of the hand. Make the butt of the chisel larger, and smoother, so the force is distributed to the pads around the center of the palm, or make the handle longer so it is gripped between the fingers and the pad of the thumb, or strike it with a mallet. Never strike the butt of the chisel with the open palm of your hand (or with your forehead:^). If pushing the chisel doesn't work, sharpen it, take a thinner shaving of strike it with a mallet.