Chisel

Areas of application for the chisel

Chisels are a type of wood chisel used in woodworking. They are also known as chisels or chisels. Chisels have a cutting function and are characterised by their thick blade. This blade is higher than it is wide. The chisels are used to chisel recesses in wood. Special chisel models such as gouges and edge chisels make it possible to chisel holes. These are often used by wood turners and carpenters. Chisels are also used in the craft sector, although it should be noted that nowadays many tasks are carried out by machines. Chisels are generally used by artists such as wood carvers and other creative professions. Chisels should always be bevelled towards the waste wood. The reason is that the waste wood spreads away.

Structure of a chisel

Chisels consist of a handle and a tang. The handle is the grip, which is made of wood or plastic. At the end of the handle is the tang, as the blade is called, which is made of tool steel. The blade is ground on one side at an angle of 25-40 degrees and is also known as a bevelled edge. The opposite side is called the mirror and is never ground. The handle is usually reinforced at both ends with a metal ring, the so-called ferrules. This metal reinforcement makes it possible to drive the chisel into the wood with a hammer without the chisel itself giving way. The ferrules are omitted on fine, hand-held chisels.

Differences in the designs

Chisels differ mainly in shape, thickness and length. Chisels with straight blade edges are referred to as A-shaped and chisels with bevelled edges as B-shaped. The width of the chisels also varies. There are three different strengths of chisels, ranging from light to medium to heavy. The easiest way to recognise the strength is by the thickness of the blade. Light chisels have a blade between 5 and 6.5 mm. Medium chisels range from 6.5 to 8.5 mm and heavy chisels from 8.5 to 11 mm. The chisels are available in short, medium and long lengths.

Important information on using a chisel

When using chisels, care should be taken to ensure that they are ground or sharpened. The chisels should also be kept clean.

Tips for handling chisels:

• Chisels must be sharp
• Clamp the workpiece securely to the workbench using a clamp, for example
• Right-handed users should clamp the piece of wood so that the joint to be worked on points to the right
• Only hold the chisel by the handle, the handle
• Mark in advance with a knife or chisel to achieve cleaner edges
• Be particularly careful when chiselling the first few millimetres
• Do not pry, but loosen the wood fibres with a few more strokes

Sharpen the chisel

Heavily worn chisels can usually only be sharpened with a machine. A grinder without water cooling is suitable for this. The grinding disc should reach the required wedge angle of 25 degrees. The wedge angle is the angle that forms the point. The final sanding can then be carried out with a whetstone. As not everyone has a grinding machine to hand, chisels can also be sharpened by hand. A whetstone or whetstone is usually used for sharpening. A lubricant (water or oil) is essential for this method. When sharpening, attention must be paid to the correct angle of the bevel in particular. In order to grind the angle evenly over the entire bevel, the use of a sharpening aid is recommended.

The scraper

A scraper is not just a small piece of hard steel. It is essential for smoothing the wood surface after chiselling or mortising work. Similar to a planer, the scraper cuts off the protruding wood fibres. This allows the processed workpieces to be smoothed and shaped. However, a scraper can not only be used for pulling, but also for pushing and pressing. When using it, it is important that the blade is properly sharpened and has a sharp burr. Otherwise, the fine chips of the wood will not be removed. When using the scraper, it should be held firmly with both hands. Scraper blades are available in the following sizes, 0.25 to 1 mm thick. The thinner ones are easier to bend than the thicker ones. The thin scraper blades offer a clear advantage, especially when working on small surfaces and details. The disadvantage of the thin blades is that they become blunt more quickly.

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