A Chisel For Hard-To-Reach Places
By Benjamen Johnson
This odd-shaped chisel with two blades rotated 90˚ to each other allows you to cut square-sided mortises in tight places you’d never be able to reach with a conventional chisel.
Chris Becksvoort designed this modern reproduction of the traditional drawer lock chisel, and Lie-Nielsen manufactures it with 0-1 tool steel and precision-grinds it here in the USA.
You’ll pay $75 for a pair of these chisels. We’re not sure why Lie-Nielsen sells these chisels in a set of two — from the picture we can’t see much difference between ‘em. Maybe somebody can give us a clue in the comments.
Drawer Lock Chisel [Lie-Nielsen]
January 13th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Mirror image. The one head is completely symmetrical and could be used either way. The vertical (lower head in the picture) would have to be a mirror image to get both sides of a recess.
January 13th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
I would surmise that one is a left hand and the other a right hand. When working in tight spaces both would be required depending on whether you were working bevel up or bevel down. When cutting mortises, a greater amount would would have to be removed and plus needing to square both ends.
January 13th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
OK, now I understand, one chisel head for each of the four sides.
Thanks Corwin and Harley130
January 13th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
I have an old one manufactured by Spann Sage.
This pair - like most Lie Nielsen products looks like the took an old design and did it one better
January 14th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Can’t see the…! One is a left and the other a right bevel, no?
January 21st, 2009 at 12:03 am
but it looks like both chisels top heads are beveled the same way. flat on the top and an angle to it on the handle direction.
January 29th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
If you watch the video they have demonstrating these, you can see the application where you’d need both the left and right. In order to get to both sides of a rectangular (or square) mortise in a closed box you need the the flat spot of the blade to be on opposite sides.
September 9th, 2009 at 11:21 am
No, they’ve done this wrong. The wide chisels need to be at 90 degrees to do the longer sides of the slot and the end chisels need to be in line and would be better with bevels on alternate sides if they’re going to make a them as pairs. I think these were a rarely professionally produced tool with it being so easy to make them yourself. I’m guessing they’ve copied one that was amateur made in the less than ideal way and haven’t thought about it for some reason. Quite strange.