Blackswanwood wrote:
So at what point does a firmer chisel become a mortice chisel Rob?
To my way of thinking, as I mentioned above, a 'firmer' chisel has a true, rectangular cross-sectioned, blade. When the blade is still rectangular in section, but maybe slightly chunkier and the handle has a leather washer and steel ferule on the end (aka Japanese style) it's a 'registered firmer' and is made for sustained, heavy duty chopping.
A mortice chisel still has a rectangular or square cross-section (depending on size), but in use it's turned through 90deg, the extreme example being the traditional 'pig sticker' type, where the cutting edge could be say, 6mm wide but the depth from front to back much deeper, say 10 or 12mm.
The variations between the different types/styles are obviously open to individual interpretation, but that's the way that I've always classified them - Rob
I no longer work for Axminster Tools & Machinery.