Brace Carving Palm Chisel

sequoia

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To make a long story short, a young local kid has bought himself a forge and wants to set up as a blacksmith. He is one of these really handy local kids that can't really find a job in the modern digital economy. He works as a waiter. He completely rebuilt an old school bus from the ground up into an incredible RV. You know the type.

Anyway, I thought I would be one of his first customers and asked him to make me a simple palm chisel. Immediately he starts asking me questions like: How hard do you want the steel? Folded? What length? What angle bevel? How wide a bevel? And so on. I realized I don't really know anything about a good brace carving chisel. I just want it short, sharp, bent and comfortable. Any help with these questions would be appreciated.
 
There's no maker's mark on my brace carving chisel, but it's the exact opposite of what you want. The blade is long, straight, and heavy, 3/4" wide and the bevel must be at least 1/2" and hollow ground. The weight is a great help in doing delicate work, yet also makes fast work of shaping braces that haven't been preshaped before gluing. I've found no lutherie use for my set of palm chisels. They sure look pretty hanging on the wall, though.
 
Very short isn't that good, not as a brace carving chisel. You need a bit of length and a touch of curve or 'spoon'. That helps to keep the handle free from fouling the brace. The greater the curve the harder it will be to control, to a certain extent. You just need enough clearance, which over the length of a 4 or 5" blade probably isn't very much. It is possible to use just a normal straight chisel when carving braces, you just have to use a slightly different technique.
I think 1/2" or 3/4" width is adequate. 3/4" would be my choice. The bevel can be quite low as it's effectively being used as a paring chisel, so 20 to 25 degrees. You can always put a steeper secondary bevel on it.
 
Well John, different strokes for different folks I guess. I have trouble getting good control with a long shank, light and with a narrow bevel flat ground. Thinking of getting him to make something along these lines.

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If your strong hand has a good hold on the chisel handle, the weak hand should have a firm hold on the blade end. The weak hand pulls against the strong hand, and as the edge starts the cut ---and it feels good---the weak hand relaxes and lets the strong hand push into the brace. Working one-handed with any chisel is often a bad idea except on the smallest work. I also place a shot bag on the plate near the brace to be carved. The heal of my weak hand rests on the shot bag. You may find that a chisel that is barely wider than the brace tends to skate off and jab into the plate.
Not trying to convince you, I just think you're wrong. (place stupid smiley face here).
..........
 
I hear you, but I don't think there is a right and wrong way to do things if it works well for me. Maybe inefficient versus efficient would be better terms. Anyway, I will give your technique a try and see if it works better for me. Still, it seems your chisel dimensions might be better suited to a guitar rather than the cramped area and the tiny braces of an ukulele. Thanks for the feedback though. (place stupid winking smiley face here).
 
Sorry if I seem to be writing the Commandments of Chiseling, Sequoia.No harm intended. But if you were happy with your setup you wouldn't be looking for a new chisel. I use similar chisels for all brace carving, whether making guitars at H&D or ukes at home. I confess that I tend to pre-shape all braces at home and need to do little carving, but the tools are always the same.
 
in a short palm carving tool take a look at the flexcut line. i have a couple of them, a sharp veiner and a curved gouge about 3/8". they have a lot of choice. you get a lot of control. yes there are other tools to do the same work.
i would encourage that kid he sounds like a force of nature.
 
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