Figure 1: Chisel set
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Chisels are cutting tools with sharpened edges at the end of metal blades. They come in different types, shapes, designs, styles, and sizes to fit different purposes. The choice of a chisel type mainly depends on the workpiece. A chisel is a powerful tool in woodwork, metalwork, and masonry. This article explores the main types of chisels, how to use them, and the different materials chisels can work with.
A chisel is a cutting tool with a characteristically sharpened metal edge. The metal forms the cutting blade or edge at one end. Chisels cut, sculpt, scrape, or shape stone, wood, and metal. They have a handle on the opposite side of the cutting edge to allow the operator a firm grip with one hand while striking with the other using a hammer. The chisel&#;s cutting edge or the sharpened blade comes in different shapes, designs, and sizes to generate a variety of cuts or grooves on the workpiece as desired. The edge penetrates the workpiece (metal, wood, or stone) as one directs force by hand, mallet, or hammer (electric/pneumatic). Pneumatic and electric hammers are handheld tools for chiseling that provide fast, smooth, and accurate cutting compared to manual hammers.
Chisels come in different shapes and sizes, giving a wide array to choose depending on the working material. Chisels classification is based on the work for which they are designed. They are broadly categorized into three classes: wood, metal, and stone. Within these three classes, numerous sizes and cutting-edge shapes are designed for different cutting, scraping, and shaping purposes. They can also be identified according to how they are operated: those that need hammering and those that shouldn't be hammered.
Hammered chisels work with a hammer or mallet. Chisels that require hammering tend to have thicker and tougher blades to withstand a higher force. The handles have a flat head designed to be struck by a hammer. The various types of chisels that require hammering when working on metal, wood, or stone and their applications are discussed below.
The bevel-edged chisel is a strong chisel that is neither too long nor too short. It has a beveled or angled side and a straight edge. The beveled and straight edges allow maximum access to dovetail joints and make it easier to access corners.
Figure 2: Bevel-edged chisel
Bench chisels are shorter than bevel-edge chisels and are strong chisels fitted with a tang or socket. A hoop at the top that enables the maximum amount of energy to reach the cutting edge when struck with a hammer. They are ideal for chopping, paring, trimming, and joinery in furniture work.
Figure 3: Bench chisel
Firmer chisels, as the name suggests, comprise hard material like steel for use in heavy-duty work. They are one of the oldest chisel models. They have a blade with a rectangular cross-section and a 20-degree bevel. Due to their shape, they are ideal for creating incredibly sharp 90-degree corners. The handle of a firmer chisel comprises hardwood or hardened plastic to withstand the strikes of a hammer or mallet.
A mortise chisel cuts deep mortise joints. The chisel comprises a heavy blade that is thicker than its width. The blade consists of huge forged bolsters to prevent bending when hammering. The handle of a mortis chisel comprises hardwood, capped, or steel hoops to withstand pressure and repeated heavy striking. The chisel's head is typically cut to an angle between 30 and 40 degrees. Due to their design, they are long-lasting and can withstand repeated hammer strikes. They are ideal for chopping out joints and levering out waste woodwork.
Figure 4: Mortising chisel
Also known as a brick chisel, a bolster chisel cuts straight lines into bricks, metal, or stones. They have a flat handle and a strong beveled edge blade that will cut through most hard materials at the strike of a hammer or mallet.
Figure 5: Bolster chisel
A butt chisel has a uniquely short blade. It derives from firmer or bench chisels and has both beveled and straight cutting edges. These are excellent for installing butts and hinges in carpentry. Also, they are useful when working in hard-to-reach or cramped areas of a workpiece.
A concrete chisel breaks up concrete floors, sidewalks, and paving slabs. It comprises a large striking area and a head design that reduces mushrooming.
Figure 6: Concrete chisel
A cold chisel cuts through and shapes hard materials likecold metal in which the stock is thick and other tools like hacksaws, shears, and tin snips are unsuitable. The descriptor cold means that metal is not preheated before using the tool. Cold chisels are typically tempered carbon tool steel, making them hard enough to get through metal and masonry. The cold chisel can be of various types like flat, cape, round-nose, and diamond-pointed chisels. Read our article on cold chisels for more information on the design and applications of cold chisels.
Figure 7: Cold chisel set
Other chisels that require hammering include round, cape, framing, and corner chisels.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Non-Sparking Flat Chisel Tools. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
The most common chisel that doesn't require hammering is atang chisel. They include the following types.
The paring chisel has a light, thin blade and a cutting edge with a bevel ground at a 15 degree angle. The blade tends to be longer than those of firmer chisels, and the handle is different. A paring chisel is for light work and therefore isn't designed to be struck with a hammer or mallet.
Dovetail chisels create dovetails and finish joints. They feature a long blade and cutting edge with beveled edges at 20-30 degrees. Due to their long length, they are ideal for cleaning out and sharpening joints.
Figure 8: Chisel used to create a dovetail joint
The slick chisel works almost the same as a paring chisel but with a broader and straighter blade. They have a distinct baseball bat-shaped handle for a comfortable grip when paring off thin pieces of wood from the woodwork.
An electrical grinder motor powers the power chisel and does the work of a hammer. These are quicker and more efficient than other conventional hand-held chisels.
Figure 9: An electric hammer with a chisel.
Chisels are also categorized according to the materials they work with. Whether they require hammering or shouldn't be hammered, they can work on wood, metal, or stone.
A chisel cuts, sculpts, scrapes, or shapes stone, wood, and metal by hammering, manual pushing, electric power, or pneumatic machinery.
Steel comprises almost all chisel types. Hardened or carbon steel comprise cold chisels This enables them to withstand repeated hammer strikes and increase their lifespan. Some of them, especially those that don't require hammering, are comprised of aluminum bronze or beryllium copper.
To sharpen a chisel, you'll need a sharpening stone (oil or water stone), honing guide, safety glasses, leather gloves, and a dust mask.
We get a lot of
questions about chisels. Some of the questions are about different brands,
but many are about how different styles of chisels are used for different
applications. A century ago, tool catalogs carried pages and pages of
chisels - different sizes, different shapes, different styles, an amazing
array. A good many of the styles and shapes popular then have disappeared.
However,
the basic criteria for selecting a set of chisels have stayed the same.
The descriptions below are not exhaustive. They'll to help explain the
basic styles and use of each type of chisel. Click on any of the photographs
to get to the department where we stock those type of chisels and for
more information on specific models of chisel. (For the moment we have
left out unusual styles and special purpose chisels to concentrate on
the styles that are most popular.) For a detailed definition of the
entire family of chisels and in fact all and woodworking tools we highly
recommend the classic (but sadly now out of print) Dictionary of Woodworking Tools by R. A. Salaman.
Not too short and not too long these chisels are the most common and most useful chisel found in a cabinet shop. The most important criteria are that they should be comfortable in the hand, hold a good edge, and be easy to sharpen. The backs of the chisel should be flat or very slightly hollow for ease of sharpening. They are beveled on the sides for allowing maximum access to dovetails. They are the most important first set of chisels for any shop with the widest array of sizes available. Some versions are hooped to strengthen the handle for malleting but this isn't really necessary, and plenty of styles have no extra hooping for a lower balance point.
Not really used much in furniture making. This is a fine choice for boat building and to a lesser extent timberframing, or any application where the joinery is big and complicated. However because demand is so low we do not stock this style of chisel.
Similar in size to Western bench chisels, of laminated steel construction and in general thicker than their Western counterparts. The major difference is that Japanese bench chisels come from a framing tradition and usually have less of a beveling on the sides (especially in the narrower sizes). Other then that they usually are a very high quality chisel, hooped and with hollow ground backs. The edges are harder than Western chisels, which is why they do so well on lab tests. Japanese chisels are designed to take a very keen edge for cutting softwoods without crumbling, and to resist the natural abrasion of topical exotic woods. A special type of dovetail chisel was introduced for western woodworker which is triagular in section and has narrower edges then any Western chisel.
In the classic tradition of mortising, a chisel is malleted into the wood and then levered out to remove waste. Bench chisels don't have the thickness to withstand the levering out, nor the stout blade angle to resist abuse, nor the length to put leverage behind the levering out. In addition, the abuse would quickly chip the blades and mushroom the handles of a nice set of bench chisels used for fine joinery. A special class of mortising chisel was developed. True English mortise chisels had not been manufactured for over 50 years. We take great pleasure in bringing them back to the market. These are heavy chisels, thicker than they are wide, with giant forged bolsters and oval beech or oak handles to take pounding. However, you will find them very easy to handle and a joy to use. Now available in sizes 1/8" - 1/2" by 1/16". It is perfectly acceptable to just have one mortise chisel ( 1/4" or 3/8" being the most common) and size all your mortises accordingly. With rare exception, mortise strength is determined by total glue surface, not width of the tenon.
Sash mortise chisels are light mortising chisels that are easy to handle and were originally used for chopping the relatively shallow mortises found in the mullions and muntins of a wooden window. If you consistently drill out the waste when mortising, these chisels will work well even for deep mortises. However, they are of thinner section than regular mortising chisels (see comment about heavy duty mortise sash mortise chisels below). Traditionally, mortise chisels were sold in a wide range of sizes, but were bought in a much more limited range. Demand has been very low since we started selling regular mortise chisels and we no longer stock this style.
Originally developed in Continental Europe, these chisels are a heavier version of the sash mortise chisel. They are more general purpose and will get the job done. The round handles and square chisel section make them less comfortable to use than true English mortise chisels, but these features also make them less expensive to manufacture, and they certainly work. Prior to the re-introduction of true English mortise chisels, we were pretty happy with this style. Now we recommend them only for the occasional mortise. Due to low demand we no longer stock this style of chisel.
Paring chisels are light, long, thin, almost flexible chisels which are never malleted. They are used primarily for carefully shaving off thin amounts of wood when fitting joints. The long length gives maximum control. One hand on the handle pushes the chisel forward while the other hand, up front on the blade, guides the cutting action. A classic use is to dress the sides of a mortise after roughly chopping it square with a mortise chisel. A secondary investment, very handy to have if you do a lot of joinery.
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