Making a New Chisel Handle for Tired Hands, Part 2

Hello Fine Woodworking readers! I have been working on a series of blog posts about making/modifying tool handles to help with my chronic hand pain. Last time, I made a tang chisel handle, and now I am working on a socket chisel.

The style of handle I am talking about is like the Stanley 720/750 series chisels.

Note that the end of the blade forms a socket and the handle fits inside. These handles have a swell near the front, probably to register your grip. I prefer the tang chisels I talked about last time, but this style is the most popular in America, so it seems right to work on one. My goal is to make a slightly oversized version that has a swell for the palm, instead of the more cylinder shape of the Stanley. I have an old gouge that needs a handle that I got in a old tool chest from a sawmill operator in eastern Oregon. I believe that this used to be a chisel but was reforged and…