I'm not sure what DF wood is. I have a scrap of fir in the shop. I'll have
to chop a large mortise in it to see how it goes.
Douglas Fir, here in California it is the only standard construction lumber
for house and small building framing. I believe it is in the pine family. It
has a very wide open and knotty grain, irregular grain but there is the straight
grain and knot free cuts as well, more expensive. The color is very orange.
You would not dare use the basic knotty cuts for fine work in any genre. I am
using it for the trestle of my first woodworking bench. The top however, will
be hard sugar maple. In the grain of DF, the harder ribs of grain can be extremely
tough.
When I build wooden fence gates, I put a header across the gate posts at 90" above grade. I make the connections in the 4"treated
pine M&T joints. I was using a 2" carpenter's slick but some previous owner has lost the wooden handle and generations have struck
the steel socket with a steel hammer. I decided this both dangerous and sacrilegious. I went to the local hardware man and
purchased a 2" plastic handled Stanley no. 60 (recent manufacture) After giving it the treatment, the chisel performed reasonably
well chopping mortises in the treated pine (with it's wet stringy fibers).
I have an old Stanley 200 series 1/4" currently made, and the replacement model
for 60 series is the current 900 series. On the website, both product listings for
900 and 200 say that the steel is "ball bearing grade", well this 200 I have simply
grinds down like chalk when scary sharpening. I hope your 60 is better than that.
But, modern factory chisels like that are made for exactly what you are using it
for, construction work. Not dovetails and benchtop work.
The current Buck bros. chisels have a plastic handle and a black steel cap and a
thinner blade, there is a fellow in my adult ed. class using one for dovetail work
on a large mahogany blanket chest, as he bought it accidentaly intending to pick
up a stanley, he has no complaints as i spoke with him about his opinion on it.
My strop is a piece of rawhide glued to a flat board. I have a "brick" of wax impregnated with aluminum oxide. The strop is
charged with this compound. This waxy surface will almost polish the edge to a mirror sheen. I wouldn't want to use a nice
horsehide strop in that manner either. Each of us use the sharpening technique we like and I certainly was not impugning those
that scary sharpen their tools. :-)
I bought the horse butt just for stropping, I just wouldn't use it for burs. No
impugnation taken. It is the only leather I have right now. Get your self a rip
of it, thin and smooth perfect and very high quality, link:
http://www.brettunsvillage.com/leather/sides.htm
Scroll down to "North of Cordovan", large piece for the money, that's a yard
sitting on them in the picture.
I think obviously you are not satisfied with the Buck Brothers chisels. With you having examined the conditions surrounding their
use, I think conversation with the people that sold them to you would be appropriate, to determine if they thought your set is
defective. I would be inclined to take some of the hardness out of your chisels and see if it made an acceptable difference. See
the Jim Cummings tape to learn the technique. I hope you get it worked out. :-)
I'll keep'em. The wider blade merely meant more resistance. Thanks for the great
reply too, kinna hard for me to get one in this n-group.
--
Alex
cravdraa_at-yahoo_dot-com
not my site:
http://www.e-sword.net/