New (to me) old chisels and saws.

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Talladam
Posts: 123
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2015 9:43 pm

New (to me) old chisels and saws.

Post by Talladam »

Here are a couple new finds. I love looking at vintage tools people find and rehab, so here are mine:
chisels.jpg
These are a couple of ebay chisels. I got them at $20 for both. The top one is "Kronan Eskiltuna" It is 1 1/2". I wanted it mostly for paring knife walls before sawing. Its style looks exactly like the Berg chisel I have. The chisel came with the edge badly rolled over, which made me nervous thinking the steel may be soft. I flattened and sharpened it without much trouble. Some previous user had done most of the grunt work. The handle looks like a chunk of shovel handle, and isn't really the perfect style for me, but it works fine for now and I'll leave it until I have the inclination to change it (that may be awhile). I've only used it a bit but the edge seems fine. I don't have a ton of experience with different steels to tell for sure if it is great or not, but time and use will tell. I don't anticipate chopping very much if at all with it, so it'll probably be fine even if it is a bit soft.

The bottom is a "Charles Buck" I guess this would be a firmer chisel since it doesn't have bevels. It is my first tang chisel, and I really like the handle. It is also nice and firmly attached, so no fuss there. It is 1" wide and the edge came chipped out (what did this guy do with his chisels?). I haven't fixed it up yet. I may take it to work and use the bench grinder to take out the chips in the edge and put a hollow grind on it. For some reason I really love the vibe of this one so I hope it turns out to be a good user.
rust hunt 1.jpg
Here's a pic that includes the handsaws I got recently from a local guy who didn't really seem to have ever used them. The big saw is a Shurly Dietrich 7ppi filed crosscut. I think it's pretty old and the blade is in great shape. The handle is cracked and weathered like crazy. I'm waiting for a saw file to come in from Lee Valley before I try my hand at rehabbing this one. I am tempted to file it rip because I really want a rip saw, but I'm not sure if 7ppi would make it too slow. I think I'll patch up the old handle rather than remaking a new one.

The other panel saw is a Disston D23 (I think) and I don't guess that it's that old. I'm a newb though, so who knows? It is 11ppi crosscut and the blade is very thin. It has a tiny curve near the toe, but very gentle. Hopefully I'll be able to work it out.

The hacksaw is a Millers Falls #68. I got five saws for $20 and this one was just included. Being an electrician I've already got hacksaws up the wazoo, but this one's a really neat looking one, and has adjustable length! (for when I want a really short hacksaw blade?) Anyway, if it works ok I'll keep it around the bench for the odd metal cutting job.

The other two saws were pretty junky. One is a compass saw and one is a worked over Home Depot special with Japanese teeth. They may someday become scrapers or marking knives.

Thats it for now. I'm trying not to collect too many tools that aren't usable so hopefully I'll finish fixing these up before I get anymore.
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ruby@magpage.com
Posts: 1564
Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 8:03 am
Location: Chestertown Maryland

Re: New (to me) old chisels and saws.

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

The Eskiltuna chisel is a keeper for sure. And the width is great for flattening the faces of a tenon, or, as you say, opening a knife wall. Charles Buck was one of the buck Brothers and he left them in. His stuff is generally better than his brother's stuff.

The smaller saw also looks like a keeper - shorter length, good quality, 11 ppi. My user rip is a D-23 6 ppi and I would not recommend any more teeth on a rip saw - for more than an 1" thick I use a 5-1/2 ppi.
Here is a description of the D-23 over the time it was made to help you date it:

http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/d23page.html

Look for things like the medallion, a nib (which I don't see in the picture), and the blade being covered with wood at the top.

To bring up the etch - if any is still there - use a flat hardwood block with a piece of 600 grit emory paper (wet or dry paper) on it, spray a bit of WD-40 in the area of the etch and sand firmly along the length of the blade. You can do the whole blade if you feel it is worth it - I generally do just the are around the etch to the metal, and the rest to just knock off any stray material.

Good finds

Ed
Ed M
Kbore
Posts: 299
Joined: Sun Jun 25, 2017 3:58 pm
Location: St. Louis area

Re: New (to me) old chisels and saws.

Post by Kbore »

Looks like you scored. I don't know much about antique tools, but like you say, I love the vibe they give. I just bought a German jewelry to cut inlay with. Old tools rock!!
Measure Twice,

Karl B
Diane Kauffmds
Posts: 3246
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Re: New (to me) old chisels and saws.

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

I prefer old tools too. Many have a quality in workmanship and materials, lacking in todays tools.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
tippie53
Posts: 7011
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:09 pm
Location: Hegins, Pa
Contact:

Re: New (to me) old chisels and saws.

Post by tippie53 »

I too enjoy refurbing the older tools. I do have a new set of stanley sweetheart chisels and a few 2 cherries. Good tools are a blessing cheap tools a curse.
old chisels are a hit and miss till you learn the names. But you got some winners here
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
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