Jump to content
I Forge Iron

Chisel tong


c.baum

Recommended Posts

Hi folks, 

I've got the honor to refurbish some wood splitting wedges for a coworker. Due to the fact that the wedges can't be held with ordinary tongs (especially when working on the head) i made a pair of chisel tongs as shown in Blacksmith's Manual Illustrated by J.W. Lillico. Maybe not the most perfect tool i made (could have been forged much cleaner), but they work really really fine! I hope you like it and maybe someone has some helpful critique. 

IMG_20180206_180618.thumb.jpg.364032d381248b7213685b00f2397d10.jpgIMG_20180206_180632.thumb.jpg.7cb655e03b4323b1d022facd0fcf125b.jpgIMG_20180206_180735.thumb.jpg.2997123598b93ed407679b42678266af.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

JHCC -

Thanks! I agree, the transition looks a bit thin. But i made the tong out of an old drive shaft, so i hope i've got some bonus in strength. 

jlpservicesinc -

The wood splitter is about 2 inches in diameter, so 3-6 lbs suits i think. Didn't weigh them. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like they'll work well enough for the job.  The ol' timers had tons of oddball tongs for just such types of work and it's always fun to try and decipher what they were used for.

There doesn't seem any good way to hold a wedge, imo.  Part of me wants to make the one jaw a box that better wraps around the taper of the wedge while the opposing jaw is just a finger to push the wedge into the box.  But, you certainly got something that'd work and that's what makes the difference.  

If you have a bunch of them to do, or think there will be more in the future, you can always upgrade the design.  Maybe come up with something truly stellar then put out the word that you'll be happy to reshape wedges for folks.  Don't know how much of a demand there is for such, but....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...