Witherby chisels oversing?

Re: Witherby chisels oversing?

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>Hi Dave

Do you think you got the metric versions? :)

I have not noticed any oversizing on my bevel edged Witherbys (1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4 and 1"). Are yours BE or Firmers?

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: Witherby chisels oversing?

Dave Thompson - Champaign

>I like the metric theory ;-)

My 3/8", 1/2" and 1" are firmers. All of the rest are bevel edged. The 3/8" is 3/8", while the 1/2" and 1" are oversized.

The ones I didn't mention which are not oversized include:

1/8", 1/4", 3/8", 5/8", 1 1/4", 1 1/2", 1 3/4".

I have two 2" BE. Both are oversized by 1/32".

Doubt they're metric

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>If your measurements are accurate, they're probably not metric.

1/2 + 1/32 = 13.49+ mm

25/32 = 19.84+ mm

1-1/32 = 26.19+ mm

2-1/32 = 51.59+ mm

Though, of course, half-millimeters are hard to measure (fifths of millimeters even harder).

Let's hear from the European crowd: are 20 mm, 26 mm, 51 or 52 mm common metric sizes?

Metric ?

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia

>Was anyone doing metric when Witherbys were being manufactured?

metric... I think that was a joke...

Dave Thompson - Champaign

>

Witherby holding their value *LINK*

Dave Thompson - Champaign

>Ok, I take what I said back about Witherby prices declining recently...


Witherby firmer set for $537 on e-bay

Re: Witherby chisels oversing?

Todd Hughes

>You can better believe I have measured many dozens of chisels and this is not that rare of a thing. Not just with Witherby but have seen it with Swan and Stanley and others, English chisels as well.I do not think it is a result of user modification as I have had some pretty minty chisels that was slightly over [or under] size. I think it reflects that they were hand finished and to have it an "exact" size was not considered all that important tradtionaly ......Todd

Re: Witherby chisels oversing?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>It's amazing to me that the sizes are as close as they are normally; but then I've gotten used to the Japanese handmade variety. Besides, it's seldom to never that I work from a chisel's size, since it's much easier to take measurements from the chisel itself.

Pam

Re: Witherby chisels oversing?

paul womack

>This is most apparent and becomes an issue when paring the sides of mortises.

Shouldn't do. Standard practice IMO is to set the mortice gauge to the size of the chisel, and use the mortice gauge to mark the mortices and tenons.

As long as yoyu have "enough" chisels that you can get as near as need be to the tenon 1/3 the thickness of the stock rule, I see no problem?

BugBear (who has enough chisels :-)

Re: Witherby chisels oversing?

Dave Thompson - Champaign

>Agreed, if one just uses a chisel. Although I usually use a drill pr*ss to remove the bulk of the material... (an auger/brace if my power were to go out), and then clean up with the chisel.

Re: Witherby chisels oversing?

paul womack

>Although I usually use a drill pr*ss to remove the bulk of the material

Well, if I were drilling out waste, I'd want the drill to be generously undersized to the marks; otherwise you have to position the wood very accurately.

I certainly wouldn't use a (e.g.) 1/2" drill in a 1/2" mortice.

BugBear