My favorite chisel snapped in half while I was trimming a tenon on Thursday afternoon

I was barely putting any pressure on it, just a light tap from my mallet, and the blade just cracked at the handle on an oak tenon for a library bookcase I'm building in Springfield, has anyone else had a decent brand chisel fail like that out of nowhere?

3 comments

3 Comments

jakejones1mo ago

Man, that stinks! Oak can be sneaky like that though, especially if you hit a grain reversal or a tight knot just right. I've had a couple socket chisels crack on me over the years, usually the Narex or old Stanley ones when I'm being too lazy to sharpen. Bet the steel might've had a hairline crack from the forging too. What brand was it?

emerym361mo ago

Feel for you, man. Oak can be a real pain and @jakejones is right about hidden grain issues catching you off guard. I've had a nice chisel chip on me just like that, and it always seems to happen on the easy cuts. Hope you can get it replaced or at least grind it down into a shorter beater chisel.

spencer7821mo ago

Nah, I'm not so sure it's always the wood's fault. A lot of times those chipped edges come from a dull edge that's already micro-fractured or a bad heat treat from the factory. Oak is tough but it shouldn't just pop a chunk out like that if the steel is right.