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Determined to design a better mortise chisel, IBC and I teamed up and developed what I consider to be the best woodworking mortise chisel on the market today. These chisels meet all five criteria of a great mortise chisel: comfortable, high quality steel, sides square to the back (+/- .002 of an inch accuracy), flat back, and the ability to change handles.
Product Details:
Handle: Cherry handle is turned precisely on a lathe so they fit nicely to the ferrule and end cap and have a butter smooth surface. Shaped for a comfortable grip in the hand, they are finished with four coats of tung oil.
Steel: Made from AISI High Vanadium A2 tool steel which holds an edge beautifully. Fully stress relieved, triple tempered, cryogenically treated and hardened to 60-62 HRC. Primary bevel is ground to 30°.
Flat Back. Each chisel is tested on a granite reference surface to ensure the back is flat to within .0005 of an inch.
Design: The blade tang extends through a hardened steel ferrule and into a threaded hardened steel core that is inserted through the center of the wood handle and is securely attached to an aluminum striking cap. This design allows you to easily replace the standard cherry handle with your own custom turned wood handle.
IBC chisels are exceptionally well crafted, a pleasure to work with.
I just wish they would get around to making some plain blades.
I think I have my "set" of mortise chisels now (1/4, 3/8, 1/2). I've also purchased the half-blind and 1/8" 17° softwood chisels.
All of these are so nicely balanced that my old Robert Sorby bench chisels seem clunky and borderline uncomfortable by comparison. So I guess I need to replace them next…
By the way, I much prefer the Cosman cherry handles to either the Walnut or Maple handles from IBC. They just feel better in your hand. Can I buy replacement handles from you, Rob?
I purchased, or invested in, three mortise chisels recently. I’m super excited to use them, and to hone my mortise and tenon skills. I am thrilled with the quality of the handles and steel. It would be nice if a blade protector was included but I can live with that. I’ve attached a picture of the backs after the initial attempt to polish them. According to the product description the backs are checked for flatness to a tolerance of .0005” however two of the three had convex backs and I did not have anything with me more coarse than 300 grit to quickly remove the excess. I used a Trend 300/1000 two sided diamond stone and a Shapton 16000 ceramic stone. I don’t mind flattening the backs a bit more and honestly it’s not a deal breaker for me. Still love them!!!
In the pic, you can see clearly that the center is more polished than the edges - especially on the 1/2” on the left and also pictured separately.
Came well-packaged, very sharp out of the box. Very sturdy, well-balanced quality tool!
Super nice mortise chisel. Excellent feel and heft in my hand.
