[EastexToolJunky]

Like a lot of folks here, I've purchase a set of the Narex chisels. I picked them based on price, info from here, and the Fine Woodworking chisel comparison from a while back. They are a great deal, and a huge leap from my Stanley Fatmax chisels when it comes to blade shape and overall weight. The one thing I do not care for is the handle shape. On the wider blades, the handle is fine because I mainly use them for paring. On the narrow chisels the blade length and handle size make then feel awkward in my hand. I wanted to try making new handles for them, but could not find much info on the tang shape/size of these particular chisels. So, in the interest of discovery, I decided to start a re-handle thread. Hopefully anyone else who has contemplated this se project will find the info useful.

 

[EastexToolJunky]

When I got my chisels from lee valley, the 5/8 was back ordered. I flattened and sharpened the other six, and received the 5/8 about 2 weeks later. Since I had no sweat equity in this one, I figured it was the best candidate to start with.
I started by putting a couple pieces of gorilla tape over the sharp bit to cut down the chance of cutting down my fingers.



Since I've re-handled a few turning tools, I knew the easiest way to get the old handle off was with a hammer and stump of hard wood.


Lay the tool flat on the wood, and bash away. A few swings of the hammer later...



After I pulled the splinter wood apart I was left with this.



The tang is squarish, and measures 3/8x5/16x1 3/4".

 

[EastexToolJunky]

Now I've got to decide on a handle shape and material. You can see the difference between the old handle, and my comfy Lie Nielson socket chisel. I own only 1 of these (a Father's Day gift from my wife).



I'll be searching the web for ideas, and will post the handle build when I'm able to get back out to the shop/garage. I did find these, and they look pretty good.



I want to be able to hold both the blade and the handle for better control when using a mallet. If anyone has any suggestions, please post a pic.

 

[tc65]

Thanks for taking us along on the ride.

 

[Gilgaron]

I can respect wanting to change the handle, but I must say that the picture of the old handle all shattered makes me cringe.

I like the shape of my Stanley Bailey chisels, but I'm hardly a coinosseur.

 

[Brian T.]

Thanks for the pix in post #2. A very bash-worthy hammer. I use a 32oz.
I recover the hook knife blades from farrier's tools and convert them into
crooked knives for wood carving. I have yet to extract a blade without the terminal sacrifice
of the handle. They are not made to cooperate.

Narex. I have 2 pairs of 1/2" skews scrubbed down to 20 degrees for carving.
The handles all look like yours. Non-slip and they don't roll, the size is OK for my big front paws
but the shank coud be 1-2" shorter.

 

[Wema826]

I dont have a picture handy, But when I rehandle any chisel or turn screw or handle of the likes, I did my copy of the Blue Spruce handles. they are very comfortable in the paws. and can be made to fit any size.

 

[EastexToolJunky]

Looked them up. Those look pretty good. The ones I posted looked too much like the original. I will probably make a hybrid of the blue spruce pattern you posted and the Stanley everlasting pattern.

 

[Billy De]

Man those blue spruce chisels look nice almost to good to use.
I posted a thread some time ago on converting cheap tools thought it may be interesting to you Here`s a link
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f11/cheap-tools-38203/

Good luck with the handles Billy.

 

[amckenzie4]

Thanks for the picture with the tang exposed... I have a project in mind that may involve removing the handles from a few Narex mortise chisels, and I wasn't sure what I'd find underneath.

Also, let us know what you come up with!

 

[EastexToolJunky]

Temps got into the 20's last night, so I spent my time in my warm living room. I studied the way I grip my chisels.



This is the grip I use when paring material. The butt of the handle is pushed by the ball of my hand with the fingers guiding the blade.




This is the grip I use when chopping. I use my thumb and index to grip the recess in the handle. The blade is grabbed by the other fingers and the ball of my hand is used as a fulcrum to pivot the blade.

So with that info I drew up this...



I will use copper pipe for the ferrule and try turning this to see how it feels. I may need to file the tang a bit so my hole won't need to be as large.

 

[EastexToolJunky]

I got a chance to turn my new handle this evening. I used Bois d'arc because it's tough and I have a bit of it. I filed the tang a bit to get it in my 23/64 hole.



I made sure it would bottom out in the hole by measuring both (a couple times). I usually put a little thick CA glue into the hole on my turning tool handles, so I figured it wouldn't hurt here. The tolerances were pretty good, so it probably wasn't necessary.



Here it is with the new handle. I'm going to sharpen it and use it for a while then decide what modifications I want to make before re-handling the whole set.

 

[EastexToolJunky]

Not to belabor this thread, but I decided to go ahead and do another chisel from the set. After messing one I made for the 5/8 I came to a few conclusions. The ferrule didn't need to be as long
The indent was to angular feeling. The handle was still too big overall and didn't give
Me the weight reduction I was going for. With this fresh in my mind, I decided to revamp the 3/8". Here's what I came up with.







I can really tell the difference now. Only time will tell if it holds up. I'm sure that if I keep the chisel sharp, thus requiring only minor taps with a mallet, This will last a while. If I could go back, I would have probably just bought a couple of higher end chisels and then filled the "set" as needed. I am getting lots of tuning and sharpening experience with these, not to mention having tools that far exceeded what I had before. The main reason I posted this was because I couldn't find a picture of what was inside of the handle on a narex chisel. Maybe someone else who was hesitating re-handling theirs will have the info they need to get started.