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T O O L S AND E Q V I P M E X T

1.8 Fishtail being used to stab into a corner.

CHOOSING THE MAKES

of Tool

Again. I rccommcnd that you are careful about -;jh make of chisel you buy, as unfortunatcly orne are not as good as you might expect. Ask : - ressionals who have Had cxpcrience of many -:.-.cs which are safc to buy. If I were to put -odern manufacturers in my own order of : . crence I should regretfully give first place to sc ne foreign makers.

riaors to consider are edge-holding ability, --.sth combined with slenderness (and .: -ostency of these factors in all tools of the same . competitive price, width of rangÄ™ and : c.. ability. Somc tools are sold alrcady . rpened. Some makes are always sold with their polished, a largely cosmetic exercisc. Some - : ivailablc without handlcs, which gives the ner the chance to make his tools quickly â€¢Â£c:-gni2able.

: wn list (overleaf) is not exhaustive, but is risr • n my own experience and that of students colleagues over many ycars. Some foreign I have used only occasionally.

. ranese chisels have an cxcellent reputation for t»: : r.g a sharp edge. However, the way they are riC: ~.cans that the bevel tnust be stecp, which tt.ong cuts difficult. The Japanese style of carving is to use short, scooping cuts. These chisels are expensive.

lt is a mistake to think that it is scnsiblc to start with cheap tools (not that price always cquals qualitv). Tools which are clumsy, impossible to bring to a sharp edge or will not hoÅ‚d an edge cause many beginners to become frustrated or lose confidence.

Buying Old Tools

Tools madÄ™ before 1940 are gcncrally safe exccpt for ones which look very short - they may havc been favourite tools, but they are morc likely to have been endlessly sharpened because they were poor. Rust is best avoided unless you know what you are looking at. Rust on the inside of the flute of a gouge is only acceprable if you are confident it will be cut through to bright metal with an inside bcvcl, something which is best avoided on bent and V chisels. Rust on the underside is easier to cope with. Bad pitting on the inside, or on the side or ncar the handle, weakens a tool and may make it worthless. The best-known second-hand makes are Addis and Herring Bros. Earlicr tools can sometimes be dated. If a tool has ‘Prize medals 51* stamped on it, it was madÄ™ between the exhibitions of 1851 and 1862. Earlier tools have only the makers' names. Tools madÄ™ before 1900 seldom havc their sweep numbers stamped on them. Some old tools were home-made and are not name-stamped, and you take your chance with them. Unfortunatcly, collectors who only want old tools for display have pushed up the price. Incidentally there are new tools with the name Addis on a label on the handle, but I have not yet used them and so must reserve judgement.

Whcn buying unhandled chisels ensurc that the shape and alignment of the tang are truć {see Fig 1.1). The tang should be straight in linÄ™ with the blade. It should be of square section, with sharp edges. Unless you have drill bits of exactly the

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