Witherby · Socket framing, 1 inch · 1840s–1955
Framing chisels are the big, heavy socket chisels made for timber framing work. The Winsted Edge Tool Works listed its T. H. Witherby socket framing chisels with an 8-inch blade in 1918, plain or bevel edged, on a hickory handle topped with either an iron ring or a leather tip. The catalog numbers were 30 and 35 for one pattern and 60 and 65 for another, with LT added for leather tips. Witherby's name was made in T. H. Witherby's own Millbury, Massachusetts shop, but the chisel you find almost certainly came from Winsted, Connecticut, where the brand was made from 1868 until the works closed in 1955. Other makers sold the same pattern. Greenlee's 1969 catalog lists a socket framing chisel with an 8-inch blade and a steel-ringed hickory handle, and adds that some got used as wrecking tools.
Identify and date it
A framing chisel is longer and heavier than a socket firmer, with an 8-inch blade in Witherby's 1918 list. Look for T. H. WITHERBY and WARRANTED on the face; Brian Welch recorded one Winsted mortise-type chisel marked T.H. WITHERBY FRAMERS. An iron ring on the handle top means it was made to be struck hard.
Framers took heavy blows, so expect split or replaced handles, mushroomed ring tops and cracks around the socket. Many have been ground short or out of square.
Buying guide
Only six Witherby framing chisels are listed, so the $55–110 delivered band is a sketch, and none is titled 1 inch, so choose the width you need from 3/8 to 2 inches. For a working framer, the 1 1/2-inch chisel marked Warranted with two more chisels at $82 delivered is the buy. Ask for the blade length from socket to edge, since Witherby's framers had an 8-inch blade and many have been ground short, and look for a tight iron ring or leather tip with no splits below it. Skip the $225 set, which gives no count or widths.
$52.99est. delivered
A 3/8-inch socket framing chisel, 15 1/4 inches long per the title, for about $53 delivered, the lowest here. Ask for the blade length, since Witherby's framers had an 8-inch blade.
WITHERBY 3/8" X 15 1/4" SOCKET FRAMING CHISEL w/ BEVEL EDGE
$81.68est. delivered
A 1 1/2-inch framer stamped Warranted, the usual Winsted mark, plus two more chisels for $82 delivered, inside the band. Ask what the other two are and for a photo of each socket.
Vintage T.H. Witherby Warranted 1 1/2” Framing Wood Socket Chisel & 2 More
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$52.99est. delivered
$45.00 + $7.99 shipping
Buy It Now$45.00
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Good buy
3/8 by 15 1/4 inches, bevel edge.
Seller: coop602012
100% positive
Used$81.68est. delivered
$75.00 + $6.68 shipping
Buy It Now$75.00
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Good buy
1 1/2-inch framer marked Warranted, plus two more chisels.
Seller: ironheadsox
100% positive
Used$53.00est. delivered
$42.50 + $10.50 shipping
Buy It Now$42.50
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
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Our take
2 inches wide, 10.5 inches long. Ask whether that's the blade or overall.
Seller: lkneib
99.9% positive
Used$77.01est. delivered
$69.99 + $7.02 shipping
Buy It Now$69.99
Our take
1 1/4-inch socket chisel titled for timber framing.
Seller: red-rat-chaser
100% positive
Used$114.84est. delivered
$99.99 + $14.85 shipping
Buy It Now$99.99
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
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Our take
No width in the title. Ask for it and the blade length.
Seller: erikvt1975
100% positive
Used$225.00delivered
$225.00 · free shipping
Buy It Now$225.00
Priced high
A set with no count or widths given, about twice the band top.
Seller: olgm
100% positive
Prices change daily. The live eBay search shows everything listed now, including anything new since Oct 11, 2026.
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