Inletting Chisels

[Cory Joe Stewart]

Hello all,

I am not a gunbuilder, but hope to take on a project once graduate school is over.  I have many questions but would like to start with this one.  What exactly do you look for in an inletting chisel?  I ahve seen companies that sale plain chisels that don't have handles which are reasonably priced, but then I have seen builders that just use regual chisels.  Which do you folks prefer?

Coryjoe

[JCKelly]

You might want to look through Fine Woodworking October 2008, No. 200 for their evaluations of chisels. Be nice to get one that will hold an edge, there are other considerations as well. One of the best bench chisels in FW's evaluation was Lie-Nielsen Tool Works, Warren, Maine, lie-nielsen.com. Japanese make some great tools, different configuration than US or European.
There is a Woodcraft store not far away from me where I can get Swiss Made small chisels for inletting locks, pipes, &c.
When I started making guns in the '59 it was "from plank" & I used Dad's not-very-sharp chisels to hack out the barrel channel, other small tools from Frank Mittermeir (gone).

[Cory Joe Stewart]

Thanks JC, I am familar with that company and publication, I will look into that.  What I am wondering more, is whether or not there is a difference between and inletting chisel, and a chisel.  Some muzzleloading building suppliers offer "inletting chisels" and I am wondering if something that specific is necessary.  The ones that I have seen did not look that great, but looking good and working well are two different things. 

Coryjoe

[rich pierce]

I make my own or re-shape flea market/garage sale chisels.  You want a shallow angle, whereas many chisels come with a stout, strong angle.  I like about 22 degrees.  I like the tip a tiny bit wider than the area behind the edge so it can't bind.  I do most of my work with 2 or 3 favorite chisels but like to have 20 to choose from.  My favorite straight chisels are 1/8" wide, 1/4" wide and 1/2" wide.  I also made a gouge with a radius just a tad tighter than the nose of many flintlocks.  With those 4 chisels I could inlet nearly everything, just needing a gouge of narrower radious for the thimbles.

I also really like dogleg chisels for inletting and keeping the inlet flat.  Make these to fit your barrel flats and to work in the mainspring cavity etc for the lock inlet.

With $5 of 3/16" or 1/4" drill rod, you can make all the small inletting chisels you'd ever need.

[Acer Saccharum]

I have to agree with RIch.

I have a box of chisels, of all sizes and shapes, ones I thought I couldn't live without.

But I hardly use them.

1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 3/8 wide straight chisels will do a heck of a lot of the work, with the 1/8 and 1/4 being the workhorses.

I like a fishtail gouge for a ton of the work, shaping, backgrounding, scraping, inletting, etc. Get one about 6 to 8 mm wide, and #3 curvature. That's the shallowest you can get, then they are also available as straights. I like the #3 fishtail gouge, as I can cut across the grain without tearing. Also use it to pare thin shaving cuts off the sidewall of the barrel channel as I am inletting the bbl. The fishtail is great for inletting the curved section of the buttplate. And across-the-grain paring cuts for inletting Ramrod pipes.

An X-acto knife is handy, or a bench knife with similar blade shape.

[volatpluvia]

I have found that your standard Stanley chisels do the flat work nicely.  You can get them sharp enough to shave with and they will stay sharp for a while if you don't try to chisel metal.  Ask me how I know that!  Often when they start to lose the peak sharpness, you can dress them up on the suede side of some nice thick leather.  It doesn't take much, but watch your fingers, blood makes such ugly spots on leather.  And your stock.
As for gouges, I inherited some from my father.  Some are really good and others are so so.  He told my to save my money, most of the gouge sets weren't that good.  I can't right now tell you brand names of the good ones because they are in storage about three thousand miles from me.
volatpluvia

[David Price]

Coryjoe,

Go to my web site,( www.davidpriceflintlocks.com), look for my tutorials.  I have one tutorial on what tools to get, another on sharpening the tools, and another on carving.  If you go there please sign my guest book.

[Roger Fisher]

You can spend a bunch and have a bunch of chisels and end up using 4 or 5 for the entire process!

The exacto blade is used often also.  So bottom line don't waste your $  Go for the individual pieces rather than an entire set!!

[Cory Joe Stewart]

I notice the same thing in my woodworking.  I own some really nice chisels, but not a whole set.  I have three and use them fairly often and never miss the others. 
But what I am seeing here is that the products generally identified as inletting chisels may not be necessary. 

Thanks for the input everyone, you have all be very helpful.

Coryjoe

[northmn]

I have a Stanley 1/4 inch chisel that has probably seen every lock mortise I have ever inletted.  A 3/8 ground to wht width of a 1" barrel flat and a couple of small ones, one an 1/8 inch and another a small V shaped for pointed ends.  X acto knife and a scrstch awl.  For a round barrel a big gouge and a smaller one. Like every one else I bet the whole inventory of what I use is close to about 5 chisels.

DP

[rick landes]

I have in times past let people come by or borrow some of my favorites to give them a try. Perhaps you can find a local builder to spend few minutes with to "test drive" their favorites...

[Acer Saccharum]

In my carving class, I let one of my students (12 yrs old) try out my parting tool. It now has a big chunk out of the cutting edge. 

But this is OK, I still have 2" of useful metal for resharpening.

I have to look at the bright side, otherwise, I'd cry.

Acer

[rick landes]

Sorry to hear that
Let's hope that your efforts put a builders bug into the students heart...the cost may have then been well worth it

[NSBrown]

It is easier to draw blood working on a longrifle than just about any other activity I do.  Every gun I've ever built (I'm working on #15) bites me hard enough to draw blood...just to remind me, that lovely as they are, they are first and foremost weapons. When it invariably happens I smear some of my blood on the cheekpiece. It never shows after finishing, but I tell the person that gets the gun that "my blood is in this gun and whenever you put it up to your shoulder to shoot it, know that I am there with you."

Stewart

[t.caster]

I think every gun project brings...Blood, Sweat & Tears. It's a TRADITION! Although I don't seem to cut myself as often and as deep as I did when starting out!