tanged or socketed (billhooks)

[mr dazzler]

Just a thought-of those who use billhook's, what is your preference gent's. Tanged or socketed? This topic comes up in discussing framing chisle's, some prefer socketed for better strength and easy to do a quick improvised handle replacement if it break's, Others prefer the full tang experience What does anyone think?
cheers Jonathan

 

[Shinken]

full stick tang with the end peened and a strong wood for the handle so it dont break

 

[Dave Budd]

I prefer tanged coz they are more comfortable to use. I use socketed slashers and largeer tools for the extra strength and ease of refitting the handle if broken. I personally wouldn't want a fulltang (ie slab tang) billhook becuase of the torsional stresses I sometimes put the tool through can crack glues; the wood tends to swell and shrink in the weather, giving me raised areas that can rub; also the bare metal tang is cold in the winter

 

[Hedgehog]

I prefer tanged coz they are more comfortable to use. I use socketed slashers and largeer tools for the extra strength and ease of refitting the handle if broken. I personally wouldn't want a fulltang (ie slab tang) billhook becuase of the torsional stresses I sometimes put the tool through can crack glues; the wood tends to swell and shrink in the weather, giving me raised areas that can rub; also the bare metal tang is cold in the winter

I'm enclined to agree, full tangs are fairly superfluous on most large blades IMO - as Dave says - a stick tang will also be more flexable & reduce stress on the hand from vibration during use.

 

[markheolddu]

Stick tang, Handles are cheap to buy, easy to fit and comfy in the hand.

Mark

 

[mr dazzler]

Handles are cheap to buy, easy to fit and comfy in the hand.

Is there a place where you can get the ferrule's for to fit onto a new billhook handle?

 

[Dave Budd]

most of the ferrules that i use come by the meter OK they are actually either copper tubing or steel pipe that I get from the scrappy I hold on to a range of sizes of tubing with different wall thicknesses for different tools. That way I can cut them as long as I liike and I can change the shpe of them, flare them, roll over one edge, etc

 

[mr dazzler]

most of the ferrules that i use come by the meter OK they are actually either copper tubing or steel pipe that I get from the scrappy I hold on to a range of sizes of tubing with different wall thicknesses for different tools. That way I can cut them as long as I liike and I can change the shpe of them, flare them, roll over one edge, etc

So is it aceptable to use a ring type ferrule same sort as you would put on a mortice chisle top? I have done a few of those, just had to make sure the inside of the steel ring is relieved a bit with a file so it doesnt foull on the wood and shave it away instead of compress it. The purpose made ones seem to have a rectangular hole for the tang? I have some sections of 3.5 mm walled 30 mm outside diam (aprok size's) high tensile tubing. Would they be suitable? Would it be advisable to fix the ferrule with a draw-pin or rivet?
Cheers Jonathan
PS I have a tanged hook and also a socket one (I only got the socketed one last week, so not a lot of experiance with it so far. so not really able to say for sure what my preference is

 

[Dave Budd]

The tubing I often use for billhooks and similar projects is heavy duty pipe that I found on a building site. I't about 30mm OD and has walls of about 3.5mm (has red paint if that helps identify?). I tend to leave these ones parallel and chamfer the inside of teh leading edge so it compresses the wood and doesn't leave a sharp corner at that point of the handle. I don't normally use a pin to secure them, but if you are uising green wood handles then it would be worthwhile (a dop of epoxy will sort it is it comes loose )

If I'm using thinner tubing (say less than 2mm) I often fit it with about 1/4" excess and then hammer the edge over to form a cup of steel(or copper) around the tang when the handle is fitted.

 

[mr dazzler]

Thanks Dave. The tube I have was from an engineering work's, they cut it into short lengths on there bandsaw which left nice square and clean edges. Would you advise forming a stepped down tennon for the ferrule to sit on, so that when the ferrule is fitted, it is more or less continuous with the profile of the wood handle (instead of being raised up 3 1/2 mm or whatever? Just for more comfort in use ) ? Is there anything else to consider that I forgot??
Last time I did some chisle's I was too hasty and impatient and fit up the ferrules too early, the ash was still a tad green. It shrunk some little more and the 2 ferrules loosened slightly, the epoxy would work on the lower one, good tip. The top one tightens with use anyway. I used a scrap of sole leather scrounged from the shoe repairer to make the shock absorbing washers.
cheers Jonathan

 

[markheolddu]

The handles we fit come with the ferrule fitted
Cheap from most farm supply shops

Mark

 

[Dave Budd]

Mr D, yep I normally step the handle down if the ferrule is larger than the diameter of the handle, it's much more comfortable and looks better I've never bothered with a shock absorbing washer on tools that are generally gleud in place coz the movement would break the glue I think it probably works better on green fitted handles where glue isn't used, but who knows