American slick chisel

**chambezio** · 1st September 2013, 06:55 PM

I was surfing the net and somehow got onto an American site and as you go you get further away from what you were originally looking for. Anyway I came across an American "Slick" Chisel. These were a chisel especially made for the construction of log cabins. I can imagine that they were used to carve out the half round housings that were at every intersecting wall. They range in length from about 15" (375mm) right up to 36" (900mm). They were not struck, as you would with bench chisel, they would only be pushed by hand. The blades also ranged in size ( to the final users requirements) from 2" (50mm) wide to around 4" (100mm). with their heft and length they were called apon for the fitting of the log joints. For some reason I thought I needed one. Just at the time I was "researching" Paul, AKA Bushmiller, had put up a post on a set of bench chisels he made from car springs. He gave me a few tips and away I went from there.

I figured I would like a Slick 75mm (3") wide. I only had access to Landcruiser springs which seemed a little narrow and not thick enough for the proportions I was after. We are lucky in Tamworth that we have a spring works where you can get leaf springs retempered so they will carry weight better. I had gotten my Landcruiser springs done there years before. In those times, 15 years ago, the forge would run continuously from one day to the next. Nowadays the owner may only have to light up every few days, hence the work has dropped of that much. I think he will eventually have to shut his doors and do something else, and that may be soon. I went in to see if the owner had an offcut of steel that would suit my perposes. I asked for second hand but he said he had none but would give me a piece of 70mm X 10mm flat new spring steel that was 250mm long. He would not take any payment either, so I was delighted.

With the restriction of what I had to work with as far as length went, I played around with a marking pen until I came up to what is what you see in the photos. Paul welded a piece of mild onto his bench chisels for the tang, where I incorporated the tang out of the flat I was working with. The curved shapes before the handle was cut with a hole saw set up at slow speed in the drill press. The tang is only 45 long so I made the ferrule probably extra long to make a solid connection between the blade and the timber handle. At this stage I ground the bevel at a fairly steep angle with "knot busting" in mind (Robson Valley's tip from his carving tools)

The steel was reasonably easy to work, in that it was tempered being new steel. After I was happy with the shaping and then linishing the cuts smooth it was time to commence the tempering process. I reread Paul's procedure and complimented his words with a net search. I had an Oxy/Aceteline set up which made the heating process quite quick. I had to heat the whole blade to a cherry red then quench it in motor oil making sure to swirling the blade around while submerged. This part of the process is then followed by the final tempering which brings out the hardness in the steel to accept and keep a sharp edge. Starting the heat in the middle of the blade until it reached a straw colour you have to let that straw colour move to the ground end of the blade. As soon as it reached the grinding bevel take the heat away and leave it cool slowly by placing it on an anvil or railway line, something that is is bulky enough that the heat will transfer slowly but purposely.

It was tempting to try it on apiece of timber but I had to wait until the next day when it had reach ambient temperature.
For the ferrule I used a piece of 25mm (1") pipe about 100mm long. I wanted to make it slightly conical so I used an angle grinder with thin blade to cut a triangle out of its length panel beat the opening to touch then welded it up and smoothed up the weld. The handle was turned from some Yellow box and the linseed oil.

As you can see in the picture the square is 300mm long so the chisel is around 600mm.
When I was slabbing the Camphor and Silky the other day, the slick came in handy stripping the bark from the log.
The whole process gave me an insight into tempering steel and I found that one could re-temper a tool easily with some descent heat and and some oil.

A mechanic mate was non plussed by my efforts but the other day he dropped in 2 leaves from a n old Valient he was wrecking. He thought I might need a source for more "chisel steel". With the warmer weather coming I might have to think up another project using the springs.
One could say "That's not a chisel, THIS is a chisel"

***Please excuse the crumby photos, Its very hard to get the subject to look good

**planemaker** · 1st September 2013, 07:07 PM

Nice pick up Rod. I have an idea they were a popular chisel used by early timber bridge builders.

Stewie;

**Uncle Al** · 1st September 2013, 08:54 PM

Very interesting write up. I'm not about to make one for myself, but can see such a chisel as being a worthwhile addition to the workshop.
You have been a busy bloke lately, thanks for taking the time to write about your projects.

Alan...

**rat52** · 1st September 2013, 09:52 PM

so now that you have made it how does it perform/keep it's edge. i would like to make one too and your method sounds achevable with my limited resourses. how did you heat such a thick blade.
sorry just reread your post. oxy

**chambezio** · 1st September 2013, 11:44 PM

Originally Posted by rat52

so now that you have made it how does it perform/keep it's edge. i would like to make one too and your method sounds achevable with my limited resourses. how did you heat such a thick blade.
sorry just reread your post. oxy

Yes the use of Oxy is the preferred way to heat such a large piece of steel. The full story is that I did the initial heating with Oxy but it ran out when I started to second tempering phase. I hooked up the BBQ gas with Oxy but it wouldn't get hot enough so fired up another LPG bottle with a large burner and between the two I managed to get it hot enough to harden the steel. Oxy/Aceteline is definitely the tool to use for this job.
If you were making a bench chisel LPG would probably work well enough
After an initial rub on an India Oil Stone the edge is still reasonably sharp after the little bit of work I have done with it

**pmcgee** · 2nd September 2013, 06:13 AM

I think you might need to make a Bark Spudder so you can save your Slick the hard yards with the bark!

Nice job. Cheers,
Paul

This one is rather truncated ...

20130902_030015.jpg 20130902_030003.jpg 20130902_025850.jpg

**IanW** · 2nd September 2013, 09:53 AM

Now THAT'S a chisel, alright! Don't envy you the job of flattening its back, but once that's done, I'll take it, thanks.....

My understanding is that when tempering, cooling is optional - you can cool either quickly or slowly once the metal reaches the desired colour (unlike the hardening step, where the metal must be cooled rapidly ('quenched') to preserve the carbide structure).

Cheers,

**Ball Peen** · 2nd September 2013, 10:12 AM

Nice work indeed! Will you get the slick reviewed by an " online review guru "?

This purfling pick was made for me by a mate. The exact other end of the scale. One of my favorite tools.

**chambezio** · 2nd September 2013, 10:58 AM

I must confess (with cap in hand, looking at the ground and kicking imaginary walnuts) the debarking was only successful if it had lifted off the timber. To shift the stubborn stuff I used a "Rotary Chisel" on a 4½" angle grinder (3 Tungsten Teeth). Boy that ripped the bark off.

Ian, yes I did rub the back of the chisel with a diamond plate for quite some time. I didn't get it dead flat but good enough to give me a keen edge. It can be one of those "What can I do for a half hour" jobs while waiting for something else.

Mr Ballpeen, mmm a Purfling Pick. Can you elaborate? What are they used for? and what do you do with it? I just liked the look of the Slick and so I am now looking for a job for it to be used

Paul McGee a Bark Spudder. I have seen something similar in catalogues but never in the flesh. I think our early settlers were happy enough building "cottages" out of saplings unlike the Yanks building Log Cabins. One thing about the sapling walls they would be good for our hot summers to get a breeze through them. What do you do with your Bark Spudder?

**Ball Peen** · 2nd September 2013, 11:22 AM

wrongful typing, sorry.

**Ball Peen** · 2nd September 2013, 11:24 AM

After scribing the inside and outside lines the pick removes the waste.

Purfling Pick | Bluefiddles

**IanW** · 2nd September 2013, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by chambezio

..... a Bark Spudder. I have seen something similar in catalogues but never in the flesh. I think our early settlers were happy enough building "cottages" out of saplings unlike the Yanks building Log Cabins. One thing about the sapling walls they would be good for our hot summers to get a breeze through them. What do you do with your Bark Spudder?

Rod - what my old pot called a 'bark spud' was a short crowbar with a very broad, sharpish end which was slightly curved to make it easier to insert under the bark on a round log. You either split the bark with an axe first, or more often just dug the spud in & levered away a goodly chunk of bark. It wasn't needed very often, because we mostly cut a white stringybark, that for at least 6 months of the year, was extremely easy to bark with an axe alone.
As for Australian pioneer architecture, I've just been reading about that, & it seems there were several styles, depending on which colony you found yourself in. The huts they first made at Sydney cove were pretty crummy affairs! Up my way, there was a plentiful supply of easy-splitting & durable timber available, & they liked to use split slabs for walls. These were stood up in rebates in horizontal beams between the posts. Dressed by a skilled bloke with a broad-axe, the slabs were amazingly straight & true, but being put up green, they would shrink, & needed chinking with something to keep the breezes down....

Cheers,

**pmcgee** · 2nd September 2013, 02:57 PM

Originally Posted by chambezio

What do you do with your Bark Spudder?

Oh .. you know ..

.. same as everyone, really.

**Robson Valley** · 4th September 2013, 07:37 AM

Log Building Tools Log Home Building and Timber Frame Specialty Hand tools Magard Ventures LTD in BC Canada.

Building log homes is very much alive and well. Study the dumpy little hovel on Magard's home page.
He's been in the log home building tool game for 30+ years. Makes drawknives 4 dozen at a time.
He sells everything out of a big warehouse, outfitted with shelving and aisles like a grocery store.

I'd like to learn how to make either an elbow adze or a 'D' adze with a spring leaf. I have a Stubai
wood carver's adze (about a 5/75 or so) and is is exhausting to swing.

**hiroller** · 7th September 2013, 07:11 AM

The arrival of the first English settlers in Australia pre-dated the industrial revolution which brought wider availability of better quality tools. This no doubt impacted the style and quality of early settler architecture.
A recent trip to the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens ( a must for any wood lover - so many trees!) found this interesting sign on how the soft axes that arrived with the first fleet were no match for the local hard woods:

image1.jpg

Thread: American slick chisel

Thread Tools

Search Thread

American slick chisel

purfling pick

purfling pick

Similar Threads

japanese 'slick' chisel

"slick" chisel used for timber framing

Now that's a chisel (slick)

The Yanks call them a Slick - now that's a Chisel!

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions