Those clear plastic guards that come with some chisels are way too easy to lose. Only friction holds them in place and they’re so light, you can’t hear them drop to the floor and bounce under the bench — and you’ll never spot them before the vacuum gets them. And sure they may protect the chisel edge from a few bumps, but how much protection would they actually provide if you dropped the chisel?
You can forget those clear plastic guards, because now you can get hefty galvanized steel guards that stick to your chisels with rare-earth magnets. The guards are designed so any force applied to the tip is absorbed by the chisel face and bevel. They protect the chisel so well Lee Valley claims you can drop your chisel on the floor edge-down without damaging it — this sounds like something I have to try!
Available in 1″, 1-1/2″, and 2″ wide versions, these guards are all less than three bucks a piece. I do see one potential problem: the guard may magnetize your chisel. This would make it harder to remove the swarf when you sharpen the chisel.
Magnetic Chisel Guards [Lee Valley]
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9 Responses to You Won’t Lose These Chisel Guards
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Just run the chisel thru a demagnetizer before sharpening.
http://www.harborfreight.com/magnetizer-demagnetizer-5932.html
http://www.staples.com/Staples-Large-Metal-Binder-Clips-2-size-with-1-Capacity/product_831610?cmArea=SEARCH
Bider clips from Staples or other office suppliers work pretty well to protect edges in toolboxes . They come in various sizes , can be padded with a bit of duct tape or adhesive foam (moleskin) from the drugstore foot aisle, grip pretty well – and cost a lot less
Uh, I’m not so sure about these staying on while getting knocked about in a tool box. and anyway, anyone who really values a sharp chisel usually keeps them well shielded in cases or leather pouches where guard tips aren’t really needed.
Two words. Tool roll.
@ Brau and Rob
Greatuse of tool rolla and pouches for your high-end carving and bench chisels – and timber framing slicks – my solution was aimed at the single butt chisel that is typically kept in a field toolbox for utility work – and honed on some fine sandpaper between uses
How do these guys behave in a drawer or tray with other steel tools?
Do people just put one chisel – regardless of type, in a toolbox?
Yes – we often olny have a 3/4 inch butt chisel – but probably depends on the type of work you do.
Most of the doors we hang are of the pre-hung variety.
If we are doing slab doors – we bring a door hinge router template kit and templates for boring and routing the handleset hardware and strike plates.
Corner chisels are used to square up the hinge mortises if we are using hinges that demand this – although a lot of utility grade hinges are round cornered. Similarly – while old craftsman bored out doors for full-mortise lock sets – with a bit brace – and then followed up with a mortise chisel – we have a Porter Cable lock mortising rig that uses a router to accomplish this task.
I guess if you did a lot of retrofit work – salvaging old doors, repairing built-ins – fitting dutchman patches and so on – you might carry a chisel set
@Fred:
[quote]
Bider clips from Staples or other office suppliers work pretty well to protect edges in toolboxes . They come in various sizes , can be padded with a bit of duct tape or adhesive foam (moleskin) from the drugstore foot aisle, grip pretty well – and cost a lot less
[/quote]
That sounds so hackneyed and crappy-looking (not to mention the imperfect fit), that I’d rather spend $3 each (if they work) and have an elegant solution like this.
There’s always someone with a dental floss and bubblegum solution, but I just wonder why . . .