Socket Chisel vs Tang


G S Haydon

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Hi All,

 

I have been looking at bevel edge chisels recently and I noticed that stanley uk now offer a set of socket chisels . I am aware that Lie-Nielsen also make them too but they are a bit out of my price range. I have no experience with socket chisels. I have read a few reviews on-line with mention of handles coming loose due to seasonal movement, with fixes such as sticking on the handles with epoxy! To me that seems such a shame/nuisance? I also watched a Lie-Nielsen video where they show taping and removing handles. It all seems a bit too much hassle or am I missing the point?

My first set of chisels some 15 years ago was a Sheffield made Marples Splitproof  set. They were always ready to go, I never needed to stick a handle on and the held a good edge. When my tool chest is finished I intend to add some chisels, new or second hand (not decided). My gut says stay with what you know and socket chisels are the Emperors New Clothes (not wanting to be rude and willing to be convinced otherwise) or am I missing the point?

Would welcome your opinions.

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I have a few Lie Nielson socket chisels. The advantage with the bench chisel sets that I can see is that you tap the handle on its side. You can then remove it and, in LN case, replace it with a longer handle and do some paring with the same chisel, the longer handle giving you more control. When you are done tap it on its side again, put the original handle back on, and you are set back in bench chisel mode.

I haven't seen the Stanleys yet but will have a look.

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Hi - I have those Stanley Chisels.  I picked up the full set (8 chisels) at a great sale price at Woodcraft.  I think they are quite good, but I am by no means an expert.  I spent a little time with each chisel to properly flatten the back, but one (I think it was the 1/2" chisel) was very tough and took me a good half hour to get reasonably flat.  After that they sharpened easily.  I like the weight and balance of them, and I find the handles very comfortable.

 

As for your concerns....I have never had one of the handles pop out unexpectedly.  They come shipped with the handles loose and you need to "insert" them.  A good whack with a mallet seated them and I've had no issues since.  I've also heard that seasonal movement can cause them to come loose but I've not witnessed it.  I've read that hair spray is a good way to get some additional grip when seating the handles into the socket.  I can't imagine using epoxy!!  Some people like having the ability to remove them if they ever want to replace or repair a handle.

 

One good piece of advice I've been following lately is to always check the handle before using the chisel - the last think you want is to have it fall out unexpectedy.

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I have them as well and I really like them. If the handle is loose just rap the chisel handle first on the bench and you are good to go. If I was buying today I'd give the Lee Valley chisels with the new steel a try. By te way, It's an old style of handle, so I would guess its proved its value over time.

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Haha - I cursed myself! Last night I went to use a chisel to scrape some glue squeeze out and sure as shinola, the handle came right out of the socket! I placed it back in the socket and gave it a rap against my bench handle-first as Barron said and it was good to go.

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Haha - I cursed myself! Last night I went to use a chisel to scrape some glue squeeze out and sure as shinola, the handle came right out of the socket! I placed it back in the socket and gave it a rap against my bench handle-first as Barron said and it was good to go.

Thanks all for your feedback, the above is what fear happening more over time although they are still a tempting buy. Especially as the are UK made :). Look forward to hearing some more feed back from others. My gut is still saying go for a regular chisel. It's a shame the blue handled and split proof marples brand are no longer UK made. :(

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I don't own these and have only tried them briefly  but Ashley Illes MK2 Bench Chisels are reportedly very very good chisels , and are much less expensive than the LN and LV chisels. I have and am very happy with my Veritas chisels but if I were buying a set and didn't have the budget for the LV/LN chisels I would without hesitation get the Ashley Illes.  Plus, they are made on your side of the pond.

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Thanks Chris,

 

The AI Mk 2 look really nice, probably the way I would like to go if the budget can stretch that far or possibly these Narex that are really well priced. Just had a quick search again and found feedback on forums where people are delighted with the socket chisels although many are saying "a drop of epoxy" "wrap in paper and add some glue" etc. All about personal preference but looks like I will stick with the tang. 

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I hear the drawback with tangs is over time that tang can act as a wedge and split the handle.  With sockets, like you mentioned, is seasonal movement causes them to shrink/swell which affects the fit.  However, with socket chisels the more you whack them with a mallet (assuming you're not talking about paring chisels) the more you drive the handle into the socket.

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