Can any of you come up with a plausible explanation for modifying a
gouge in this way?

http://www.goantiques.com/detail,addis-special-fish,451675.html

My first take was to boggle at asking so much for a grievously damaged
chisel, but following the 'view other images' link shows the edge is
finished.

Thanks,
cur - whose sole memories of shop consist of burning cherry on the
belt sander and making the teacher cry by nailing my gun rack
together.
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Hi Curt & Galooterati,

The SJ Addis catalog shows the No 11 as a straight (sweep) gouge, so I can at
least confirm that it has been modified.

As to why it was modified, that can only be a guess, my guess is that
it was for a carving of some sort that the full sweep couldn't get into.

The seller, seems to think it was for carving a spiral, that's plausible,
but the price is way too high... (unless I'm not seeing something)

I have been picking up an SJ every so often, I prefer JB generally a
lot less than that price.

Regards
Ray,

Waiting for the drought to break in Victoria.

On 11/10/2008, "curt seeliger" <seeligerc@g...> wrote:

>Can any of you come up with a plausible explanation for modifying a
>gouge in this way?
>
>http://www.goantiques.com/detail,addis-special-fish,451675.html
>
>My first take was to boggle at asking so much for a grievously damaged
>chisel, but following the 'view other images' link shows the edge is
>finished.
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------

It looks to me as if a carver needed a gouge that he didn't have, so  
he modified one to suit. It's a nice job of modification, but it is  
now worth about a dollar. Altered tools generally have little if any  
value.

I personally would just have used 2 other tools rather than to cut up  
a good and valuable tool. It is a shame.

On Nov 9, 2008, at 7:25 PM, curt seeliger wrote:

> Can any of you come up with a plausible explanation for modifying a
> gouge in this way?
>
> http://www.goantiques.com/detail,addis-special-fish,451675.html
>
> My first take was to boggle at asking so much for a grievously damaged
> chisel, but following the 'view other images' link shows the edge is
> finished.
>
> Thanks,
> cur - whose sole memories of shop consist of burning cherry on the
> belt sander and making the teacher cry by nailing my gun rack
> together.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Ray Gardiner wrote:

> The seller, seems to think it was for carving a spiral, that's  
> plausible,
> but the price is way too high... (unless I'm not seeing something)

GG

If you look at the business end of the chisel - that is all that was  
needed for the job - spiral or not.  A craftsman would have to be  
pretty hard up to alter a nice big expensive fishtail to a partial  
sweep that he probably already had in the box.  Notice the oval  
handle for control - my bet is that he hit it hard enough with a  
mallet that he both broke the edge and broke the handle,

Ed Minch
------------------------------------------------------------------------