There are many minor repairs a homeowner can do for themselves. A toolbox filled with useful and common tools will make the repairs go much easier. This is all you need to know about wood chisels for your home tool box.
Let me count the ways you can use a wood chisel. As a screwdriver? As a pry bar? To open paint cans? Chisel concrete? Well–sure. You can if you want to. If that’s what you’re going to do then go out and buy the cheapest set you can find. Throw them in the toolbox and go happily on your way. It doesn’t bother me. They’ll do what you want and everybody will be happy.
However–if you’re going to use your chisels to pare, mortise, gouge, carve, trim, and otherwise work with wood, then you’ll need to put a little thought into what you buy. I can help you with that.
I’m not a tool purist. I don’t buy tools to impress the neighbors, or to put on display. Oh–I do have a pretty good collection of tools, and I admit to being a tool junkie. But, for the most part, I buy tools to use and I’ve used them for a long time to make a living.
As a professional wood worker I’m very familiar with the care and use of wood chisels. No–I don’t open paint cans with a wood chisel, but some of the things I do with them will make a tool purist gasp in horror. I use them–hard. I’ve been using chisels for over 50 years, and hope to use them 50 more.
Types of wood chisels
You can choose from western chisels and Japanese chisels. Japanese chisels are perceived as being of better quality than western chisels. The general idea is that the Japanese use the same techniques on wood chisels that they learned while fabricating fine samurai swords. Sounds good! May actually have been true in the past, and the technique might have transfered to modern chisel fabrication. Maybe not. You’re not going to find many Japanese, or western tool makers, sweating over a hot forge, while hand laminating layers of steel to make a chisel. The biggest difference in the two schools of wood chisels is that western chisels have a flat back and Japanese chisels have a hollow ground back. You can find quality or crap in either school of chisel.
There are bench chisels, mortise chisels, paring chisels, skew chisels, dovetail chisels, cabinet chisels, carpenter’s chisels, butt chisels, firmer chisels, socket chisels, and a whole lot more. But none of this matters much. Until you become an experienced wood worker, or encounter specific needs, you won’t need anything more than a basic set of chisels.
What kind of wood chisel to buy
The best general purpose chisel for your shop, or home, is the bench chisel . The bench chisel has a flat back, square or beveled edge, and a beveled cutting edge. Bench chisels may have a metal or plastic strike cap. You can use it by hand or with a hammer. A chisel purist might say, “…tapped with a mallet,” but I hit it with a hammer. There are, of course, Japanese bench chisels, but they have a hollow ground back (but not always!). Backs, shapes, and styles are not completely consistent. I know–it gets confusing. Most chisels that you can easily buy in any big box store, or mom and pop hardware store, will be a variation of a bench chisel. That pretty much makes the decision of what to buy easy. You buy what the store has–unless you just have to have the finest set of Ashley Isles cabinet chisels. In that case you go order them and pay out the nose.Yeah, the Ashley Isles chisels may be worth it to an experienced craftsman, but not to a homeowner needing a basic tool box.
I prefer a bench chisel with a fairly long handle and long blade. You could almost call this a paring chisel. After sharpening it a couple of hundred times it will be short bench chisel. I use it to pare anyway. So–go figure.
A good starter set of chisels would be from 1/4″ wide up to 1 1/2″ wide in 1/4″ increments. If you can only buy one chisel, then start with the 3/4″ bench chisel.
Where to buy a wood chisel
Most people can find an adequate wood chisel at any big box store, lumber yard, or hardware store. This is not rocket science. It’s chisel science! Take a look at what’s offered. Check the handle and the blade. Does it look sturdy? Does the handle fit your hand? Does it cost $3.00? If so–put it back and look at the $10 chisels. What the heck. You can find a good enough chisel for $7.00 or $8.00. You can also spend $50, $60, or $100. Yes–for one chisel. You don’t need to, but you can. Only a professional, or very proficient amateur who delights in high quality tools, needs to (or should) spend that kind of money. I’m a professional wood worker and I don’t normally spend that kind of money on a chisel. The most used chisels in my shop are a $20 set I bought at Harbor Freight. For very fine work I use a higher quality chisel. I loan out my cheap chisels. I don’t loan out my good chisels.
This pretty much covers how to buy a first set of chisels for the homeowner. Don’t stress out over it. Don’t hock your dog. Just make your choice and move on. You can add to the set, or upgrade if you ever need to.
Source: Personal experience
