(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . An Unnecessarily Long Post About A Framing Chisel [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-12-03 Well, I went and picked up another old tool that I will use only rarely. This time it’s a 1 ½ inch wide framing chisel, made by the Greenlee Tool Co. Greenlee was founded in 1862, based on a combination chisel/ drill bit machine they had invented that produced square holes. It was basically four chisels arranged in a hollow square with a round drill bit inside. That clever tool is still widely used to this day. Greenlee was based in Rockford, IL, and over the years they offered a wide variety of woodworking tools. The company has changed hands several times and they’re now a subsidiary of Emerson Electric. They still have a line of consumer-grade hand and power tools, but it looks like their focus is more on professional and industrial applications. So, back to this chisel I bought. Framing chisels are used for, well, chopping a hole into a big piece of wood so that another big piece of wood fits into it. Think timber framed barns.. Mine is new old stock; it’s never been used. I paid $79 for it. A decent modern new one would cost at least that much.. Based on the logo, I’d estimate this was made in the 1930’s, plus or minus a decade or so. There was still rust protection on it when it came to my doorstep, but it’d been sitting around for some 70-100 years so there was some pitting. After cleaning with mineral spirits. Still has some issues. I gave it about 12 hours of soaking in Evaporust. Still has those rust pits, though. Still a ways to go here.. I started with flattening the back face. No high tech here, a flat granite floor tile, some sandpaper, lubricant (WD-40), and a ruler. The ruler is used to slightly elevate the flat surface a few inches back from the edge so that I don’t have to sand for several eternities to get the whole back perfectly flat. It doesn’t have to be, anyway. You need it to be flat at the cutting edge, but only flat enough everywhere else. Using the ruler trick to flatten the back. I work up through the grits to 2500 for a near-mirror finish. After honing on a leather strop with 6000 grit polishing compound, at last the back face is ready. It takes a certain amount of beer and weed for this process. I speak from experience. I went through the same steps for the bevel, but I’ll not repeat showing what’s essentially the same work. It’s sharp enough to shave with, and good to go. Next, the handle had to be fitted. I think it’s hickory. The inside of the steel socket wasn’t finished, so you have to gradually sand the handle’s taper to sneak up on the right fit. Another beer-intensive process.. I got the taper to fit snug in the socket with about 1/8 “ left. Then I hammered it home. It isn’t coming out of there any time soon. Ready for seating. Hold my beer.. My work was still not complete. While the handle was tight in the socket, there was some final sanding needed to smooth the wood even with the metal. Almost there. Time for a toke and a beer! The chisel is ready for work. I had a couple scrap 4X4s so I practiced a mortise and tenon joint on them. The framing chisel was mostly used for truing up the sides of the cuts — Most material removal was done via drilling holes and chopping the waste out with smaller chisels. You can never have too many chisels. This is a weighty tool — It’s about as long as my forearm. Now I need to clean up the bench.. Lastly, here’s a look at my winter project. My old fishing boat’s carpet is decimated by years of wear and tear/UV exposure. The vinyl on the driver’s seat is split, turning it into a sponge whenever it rains. It needs attention, so I’m in the process of dismantling the interior, ripping out the old carpet, etc. The plan is to have it re-carpeted and seaworthy by May.. The fun is just beginning.. Keep safe, everyone! ER [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailykos.com/stories/2023/12/3/2209354/-An-Unnecessarily-Long-Post-About-A-Framing-Chisel?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/