All You Need To Know About Woodworking Chisels
Anyone that’s into crafting and designing their own wood pieces will certainly need a fine set of chisels for woodworking. These tools are a must-have to make sure you’re equipped when working on your wood projects and allow you to create pieces that are detailed and elegant.
There are different types of chisels. They vary in shapes and sizes. With each one yielding something slightly different when crafting your piece of wood.
That means if you already have a design in mind but are unsure of which types of chisels to use, you have to check the different sizes and shapes of blades and handles to find the type that works best on what you’re trying to make.
To help you get started on the basics of chisels for woodworking, here are some of the common types:
- Bench Chisels
These are chisels you’ll have on your hands often as they are multipurpose. Having a bevel edge shape, it can be used for chopping, paring, trimming, joinery, clean-up and so forth. - Mortise Chisels
These are chisels best used for cutting out mortise joints and remove the waste wood. It has a thick stiff blade, making it strong enough to endure heavy blows from mallets, hammers, etc. Some types of Mortise Chisels are – “Sash” Mortise Chisels, “Pig Sticker” Mortise Chisels, and “Registered” Mortise Chisels. - Paring Chisels
These are chisels with a delicate build and are used for paring, careful wood slicing and shaving off thin amounts of wood. It has a long and light blade that gives you maximum control of the action. Paring chisels should only be used with hands. Striking it with heavy blows using mallets or hammers can damage it right away.
Woodworking Chisel Tips & Maintenance
Now that you know the essentials of chisels for woodworking, you should also have an understanding of chisel maintenance & sharpening. Maintaining your chisels in good state is the key to make sure you’re always prepared when the work starts. After all, your chisels are no good if they are blunt and rusty.
Check out these tips to help you keep your chisels in top shape:
- Keep chisels sharp
Protect their cutting edge from being blunted or damaged. Look for items like – protective chisel caps (they sometimes come with the chisels you purchase) and storage cases. - Sharpen your chisels
Use a good honing stone and honing oil. You may also consider buying honing guides, as it helps in sharpening a chisel to an exact angle. - Nicks etc
If your chisel has been badly nicked, you can carefully use a grinder to sharpen it and get it back in good shape. Or take it to a professional sharpener
Woodworking Chisel Accessories
Aside from chisels, buying chisel accessories is also a good idea to look after one of your main woodworking tools.
One of the best things to start with would be a chisel roll. It’s not only handy for keeping your chisels organized and in place, it also has a double purpose of protection. Look for other accessories and find out the ones best suited for your woodworking needs.
Check this out – we’ve created a list of the Top 5 Selling Chisel Sets on Amazon along with its features, pros and cons to help with your chisel-buying decisions.
Regardless if it’s your first time trying out the wonderful task of woodworking or it’s what you’ve been doing for a long time, these tools will definitely make sure you get the job done. Let’s get started!
Amazon Top 5 Best Sellers in Woodworking Chisels:
Facts and Features
This set is made with a hornbeam wood handle, renown for its durability. This chisel set contains 4 chisels with sizes varying from: 1/4″, 1/2″, 3/4″ and 1″, making them ideal for the avid woodworker.
These chisels feature a long thin blade of high carbon steel making them strong and well designed for your woodworking tasks.
What We Liked About These Stanley Chisels
With its reasonable price, they definitely did not hold back on these as they’re built to endure and keep up with your woodworking.
The sizes make them best for quick and light chiselling, so it’s definitely handy in getting simple woodworking tasks done.
What To Look Out For
Being a socket chisel set there have been some issues with the chisel being loose on the handle. Socket chisels are good in that the handle can be replaced after wear and tear. You made need to do a little extra to ensure that the handle is seated correctly when you first start using them.
You should consider purchasing a wooden mallet to use with the wooden handle.
Facts and Features
These chisels are built with chrome carbon-steel blades, polished and strengthened to keep its cutting edge.
The handles, which measures 5.25in, are made with bi-material and have hardened strike caps. Its overall weight is 1.95lbs.
What We Liked About These DEWALT Chisels
This 4-piece set by Dewalt boasts some really good features.
The blades are tough and exceptionally sharp, so they’re great for frequent chiselling and can cut easily through wood. They’re also polished, so even if you don’t usually put it in a storage case or toolbox, it won’t go rusty right away.
Each chisel also has a rubber-like handle that gives you a solid, comfortable grip, as well full control on the chiselling action.
Lastly, these chisels are built with hardened strike caps, meaning they can withstand heavy blows from hammers and mallets. Despite having caps, they’re still pretty light. So whether you’re doing quick or hefty chiselling tasks, it’s gonna be a breeze with this set.
What To Look Out For
Although it’s a good set for both light and heavy chiselling, it does have its downsides.
Frequent heavy blows can cause some nicks and chips in the blades right away. They blades may be razor-like sharp, but it also turns brittle after frequent, heavy use.
So even with the features added to the blade to avoid nicked edges, you’re still going to have to make sure it’s maintained by sharpening it.
Facts and Features
This chisel set is built with chrome vanadium-steel blade, heated to set high quality cutting edges.
They have different sizes- one that’s 1/4″ (6mm); a 1/2″ (12mm); a 3/4″ (19mm); and a 1″ (25mm). The handles are made from Polypropylene and have steel strike pads.
Each is also designed with an integral linking rod for improved force conduction and steady handling.
What We Liked About These Tacklife Chisels
This set packs some good quality with its sharp blades that you can use right away once it’s out of the box.
The slim build of each chisel makes it good for woodworking.
The handle also gives you a soft grip, comfortable enough for using in long periods of time.
The steel strike pad also comes in handy for heavy strikes using mallets or hammers, making it a flexible set for your woodworking tasks. This set has a unique rod design as well that lessens the shaking impact when being struck, A great feature for beginners who are practicing control in chiselling.
What To Look Out For
The blades are not incredibly sharp when you first try to use it, so you may need to sharpen them before beginning chiselling.
Aside from that, this is definitely a good quality chisel set built for long and hard tasks.
Facts and Features
This Stanley set is made with tempered carbon-steel blades, polished for toughness and rust resistance.
Each chisel varies in size: a 1/2 (12MM), a 3/4 (18MM) and a 1 (25MM).
The handles are shock absorbent and are made from Black polypropylene, which gives it a shiny look.
What We Liked About These Stanley Chisels
This is a chisel set that’s perfect for beginners in woodworking.
The sizes and simple design make them good for light chiselling tasks.
The handles, with its shock-absorb feature, make it easier for you to strike it with mallets or hammers while being in control.
What To Look Out For
These chisels don’t come out of the box perfectly sharp though.
A bit of honing is needed to make sure it gets your tasks done right. So ensure that you have or purchase a honing stone and oil.
Facts and Features
This bevel edge bench chisel set from WORKPRO is made from tempered chrome vanadium blades for fine sharpness.
It has 3 chisels with different sizes: 1/2″, 3/4″, and a 1″.
Each has a red and blue handle design and is made from bi-material for a fitted grip, along with steel butts for extra protection.
What We Liked About These Stanley Chisels
The blades on this set are reliably sharp and can be used right out of the box without being sharpened beforehand.
The bevel edges makes it a multipurpose tool and its handles have a soft rubber feel that give you a comfortable but tight grip, perfect for long hours of chiselling.
They’re also equipped with steel butts, so you can definitely use this for chiselling with mallets or hammers.
What To Look Out For
The chisels are not that durable as they may get some chips and nicks after a few uses.
Regular maintenance is needed for this set if you want it to last longer.
The Winner Is
Which bestseller set do you think stands out?
Well, the DEWALT Short Blade Wood Chisel 4-piece set convinced us that it’s the star among the sets. These chisels are packed with features that benefit both woodworking beginners and pros.
It’s perfect for simple chiselling since they’re all light weight; and it’s also great for heavy tasks that require hammers or mallets because it has the strike caps. It’s a bonus that it has a neat design as well that would definitely look good in the toolbox.
Conclusion
Aside from knowing the best chisels, understanding what you want is the key in deciding which tool or set to buy. We hope that this review guide helps you find the chisel set that works best for your woodworking needs.
