My good bench chisels enjoy a safe home near my workbench, but my jobbers aren’t so lucky, as they’re typically banging around unfettered in my toolbox. Looking for a way to protect freshly-honed edges from accidental abuse, I experimented with a few scraps of thick-walled vinyl tubing left over from a plumbing project. I found that the tubing (sold by the foot at most hardware stores) offers good protection and even allows me to carry chisels safely in my shop apron. To outfit a chisel, simply pinch a short section of tubing to widen its opening, and then slide it over the chisel tip. The vinyl springs back and clamps tightly onto the blade.
Matching tubing and chisel sizes involves some trial and error. For a nonslip fit, select a tube with an interior diameter (I.D.) that’s slightly less than the width of the blade. Smaller-diameter tubes compress to only about 1⁄8" wider than their interior diameter, while larger tubes flex enough to fit blades 1⁄4" to 1⁄2" larger than the I.D.
-Joe Hurst, senior editor
