Banging a chisel around

[whitecree]

As some or most of you may know, I'm still new to the world of chisels having used knives to carve with almost exculsively up until I discovered a Ramelson.

Now, I know some chisels are actually built to use a mallet on, but can all chisels - including palm tools - take this?

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

nope, palm tools aren't designed for mallets, they are designed for palms lol and a lot of the so called european style el cheapo chisels won't take a mallet either.....I don't think there is anyway around getting very good (unfortunately) expense tools if you plan on beating on them! lol have you considered buying a drum? Hammer Happy

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

This style of Ramelson tools were advertised as being o.k. for light mallet use. Being one of those persons who is skeptical unless I've done it, I purchased some and a small mallet and tried carving so oak. They worked fine. Pulled the handle off one and the tang had a flat end. That combinied with the ferrule probably accounted for the ability to handle small wacks from the mallet. That being said, after a lot of use any tool is going to require a new handle. Which is one of the reasons handles on quality tools are not firmly affixed to the tang.

Now the out and out palm tools, are probably a different story, haven't tried them with a mallet. Have plenty of other tools to use.

[Bill]

There are a lot of good chisels that are designed for mallet work, have to agree with Hi Ho, the cheapo's aren't worth your time or money. It looks like Rick could be a good supplier.
Bill

[squbrigg]

Why do you want to use a mallet Whitecree? Pushing Ramelsons will work just fine, just take small slices. You can use a light touch with a mallet on the straight handled Ramelsons. What kind of wood are you working on? Most of your BC stuff is soft so should be okay....Cedar, Pine and Douglas Fir. Don't tell me you are getting into exoctic hardwoods....like Maple, Oak, Birch or Beech???

Bob

[Kenny_S]

Seen Russ Hewitt use plam gouges with a very small mallet like device carving his Gouge chip carving. But I don't think the plam gouges are made for even medium mallet wackings.
SWean(kcwaterboy) could tell us more on that.

Of course my little bride can tell you that the head is good for wacking though! Ooouch!

[Just Carving]

Whitecree,

I have a number of Ramelson palm tools. I don't use a mallet simply because I haven't found the need plus I don't want the noise. I've carved basswood, cherry, walnut, maple, red oak, white oak, and some other found wood that I'm not sure what it was. The only one that I had trouble with was the maple--and I think that was a rock maple, but I was still able to carve it. Like Squbrigg said, take thinner slices. Hope this helps.

[rick-in-seattle]

Here is some very good information on carving chisels.
http://www.henrytaylortools.co.uk/ampro.html
Notice the shoulders on the tangs in all of these pictures.
That tells me they are all mallet tools.

Most palm tools have a straight tang of a constant diameter, and no shoulder.
Without shoulders, there is nothing to prevent the chisel from splitting the handle in two when driven by a mallet.

Mallet tools will also have a substantial ferrule on one or both ends of the handle.

Some mallet tools will even have a leather washer to reduce the shock of mallet use.

[whitecree]

Thanks, one and all. Rick, I've noticed those little knobby things on some chisel tangs, and always wondered what they were for. I thought at first they were meant as some sort of splinter deflector or some such.

Mostly curiousity. Haven't felt the need to smack my Ramelson at all, but I can see where in some cases, it would save a lot of time/aggravation just to bang my way through some rough out work.

Mostly, I use a small elbow adze for rough outs as well as various saws/grinders. But in some small, tight areas, I can see where a small bent chisel would work wonders with a mallet (and save me a few grey hairs).

SMALL slices? What's that?Jester

[Scott]

If the tool has a ring around the top of the handle to keep the wood from splitting from the impact of a mallet then wail away. If it dosen't it will split and disintegrate. http://www.caribooblades.com