Buck Bros. · Firmer
The Buck brothers learned edge-tool making in Sheffield, worked for D. R. Barton in Rochester, and set up on their own in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1853. In 1864 they built a shop in Millbury on the old Witherby water privilege, and from 1878 the Riverlin Works there turned out chisels, gouges and carving tools. Their 1913 list sells firmer chisel handles in a fancy polished applewood style with cast brass ferrules or in leather-tipped hickory, and the 1936 list fits firmers with leather-tipped hickory or Southern dogwood for a little extra. We didn't find boxwood handles in those lists, so a boxwood-handled Buck may well be rehandled. The family sold the business in 1948. Brian Welch dates Great Neck Saw's purchase to 1951, and Wikipedia says only that Great Neck owned it by 1971. Tools made from 1875 can carry a buck's head trademark.
Identify and date it
Buck made tang firmers, with the handle fitted over a spike, and socket firmers, where the handle sits in a cone. Look for BUCK BROS and the buck's head, used from 1875 though not on every tool, and Riverlin Works or Millbury on boxes and labels. Charles Buck's separate firm made similar tools in Millbury from 1872 until it was merged back in 1915.
Tang chisels loosen in their handles and ferrules split or go missing. Old firmers are often pitted on the back near the edge and ground out of square.
Buying guide
There are about 124 Buck chisels listed, most asking $20–35 delivered, and six-piece sets ask about $27 delivered, so a set is the buy if you want a kit of users. Look for the cone of a socket or the ferrule of a tang chisel in the photos, since most titles don't say which it is, read BUCK BROS or the buck's head on the blade, and ask for a photo of the back near the edge, where deep pitting is a problem. No listing here titles a boxwood handle, and Buck's 1913 and 1936 lists didn't offer one, so a boxwood-handled Buck may well be rehandled, while amber and yellow plastic handles mark later chisels. Skip the four-piece amber set at $57, twice what either six-piece set asks.
$12.99delivered
At $13 with free shipping it's the lowest delivered Buck chisel here, a 1-inch. The amber plastic handle marks a later chisel, so buy it to use, and check the back near the edge for pitting.
BUCK BROTHERS 1" WOOD CHISEL AMBER HARD HANDLE OVERALL LENGTH 8-3/8" MADE IN USA
$26.70est. delivered
Six chisels for about $27 delivered, roughly what one single asks, and the title names the 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and 1-inch widths. Ask which widths the other two are and for a photo of each back near the edge.
BUCK BROTHERS WOOD CHISEL SET 6 PCS 1/4 1/2 3/4 1 USA MADE NICE COND
$25.47est. delivered
A sensible first chisel at about $25 delivered, inside the band. It's titled sharp, so you can start using it before you've learned to sharpen.
803 Razor Sharp Buck Brothers 1/2" Bevel Edge Socket Chisel
$25.47est. delivered
Titled razor sharp, so this 1/2-inch bevel-edge socket chisel should cut the day it arrives. Ask whether the handle seats tight in the socket.
803 Razor Sharp Buck Brothers 1/2" Bevel Edge Socket Chisel
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 11, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Snapshot
Checked . Some may have sold.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 11, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Used$12.99delivered
$12.99 · free shipping
Buy It Now$12.99
Good buy
1-inch with an amber plastic handle. A later user chisel, the cheapest here.
Seller: gary737
100% positive
Used$26.70est. delivered
$16.00 + $10.70 shipping
Buy It Now$16.00
Good buy
Six chisels, four widths named in the title.
Seller: earlyweed
100% positive
Used$25.47est. delivered
$16.00 + $9.47 shipping
Buy It Now$16.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
1/2-inch bevel-edge socket chisel, titled razor sharp.
Seller: stj2
100% positive
Used$14.99est. delivered
$8.99 + $6.00 shipping
Buy It Now$8.99
Our take
3/4-inch with a yellow and black plastic handle. Later production.
Seller: discman946116kf9
100% positive
For parts$24.00delivered
$24.00 · free shipping
Buy It Now$24.00
Our take
Early Millbury marking per the title, but no handle. Budget for one.
Seller: jlhf1
100% positive
Used$26.79est. delivered
$17.99 + $8.80 shipping
Buy It Now$17.99
Our take
Six-piece set titled clean. Ask which widths are in it.
Seller: cresnik1234
100% positive
Used$34.35est. delivered
$25.00 + $9.35 shipping
Buy It Now$25.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
1/4-inch tang firmer, titled with the buck's head logo. Check the ferrule.
Seller: eagerbeaver3
100% positive
Used$57.00delivered
$57.00 · free shipping
Buy It Now$57.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Priced high
Four amber-handled chisels at twice what the six-piece sets ask.
Seller: digitalretailconnection
100% positive
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