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Buck Bros chisel - why this pattern?

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Buck Bros chisel - why this pattern?

9/5/05, 12:12 AM #1

Bill Houghton
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Buck Bros chisel - why this pattern?

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>We went out garbage saling today - confirming once again that Sundays are lousy days. We did stop by one sale, hosted by a very nice guy that we run into at sales, so we had a nice chat, met his daughter, who has moved in with him and with whom he seems to enjoy a loving, teasing relationship, and walked out $5 lighter with a few toys for me...

two of which were Buck Bros chisels, 5/8" and 1/4" (true measure, no metric chisels here). Now, most of the Buck chisels I've found have been socket chisels, with one carpenter's gouge thrown in for variety, but these two look more like the brothers were channeling Moxon (see picture), with bolstered tangs and shanks narrower than the chisel.

Is there some advantage to this pattern?

Re: Buck Bros chisel - why this pattern?

9/5/05, 2:37 AM #2

William Duffield, on the Cohansey
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Re: Buck Bros chisel - why this pattern?

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>I think almost every Buck Bros. (except a couple of new plastic-handled ones that carry the name) in my shop is of that pattern. Most of mine are crank-back patternmaker's chisels, however.

There are some advantages, when compared with socket chisels. They are easier to manufacture, and they require less steel. For precise work, e.g., paring, they are lighter, and thus easier to control. The combination of bolster and ferrule makes them durable enough for a bit of tapping with a mallet, even though this design is really intended to be used with two hands, as a paring chisel.

The one in your photo is very short. Most of mine are much longer, so I guess that one has seen a lot of sharpenings. When used two handed, the shift of balance towards the cutting edge is not as significant an issue as it would be for a chisel used with a mallet. I think the balance of yours would have been better when it was new, but imagine how much more difficulty you would have controlling a socket chisel that short, with even more of its weight towards the handle.