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If you want to build or process wooden furniture yourself, you will need a chisel to carry out more delicate work. Joints between two pieces of wood can also be created with the help of a chisel, so-called mortise, and tenon joints.

Means you can use it to do fine and delicate work on wood, which is difficult to do with a machine. There are various types of chisels to achieve aesthetic results for different projects.

With this, we would like to make your purchase decision easier and help you find the best chisel for you.

Types of Wood Chisels

Chisels can be purchased as individual hand tools, but as a rule, the various planes and chisels are offered in a complete chisel set. Of course, this is not without reason, because the various carving tools differ in shape and are accordingly suitable for different woodwork or different steps in carving. Some chisels are particularly suitable for angles, round chisels and rounded plane blades are more suitable if the carving should be curved, round, or even only semicircular and if you want to make a flat surface you need rather a bit like carving tool that is long, large and wide. We have listed the main tools and types below.

  • Gouge: The term gouge can be seen as an umbrella term for tools used for woodworking. Gouges are further subdivided by the terms explained below according to their shapes and into coarser or finer tools.
  • Chisels: Chisels are counted among the gouges used for mortising and grooving. Chisels are finer than their big brother – the chisel.
  • Japanese chisels: Attention! Chisels are divided into regular and Japanese chisels. Japanese chisels stand out from other chisels due to their special material layers. The support layer, which merges into the shank and holder, is usually made of soft steel, whereas the cutting surface is made of hard carbon steel. This makes the Japan chisel a very special carving tool.

As you can see, there are very many gouges and chisels (round, cranked, with a certain angle, etc.), all of which serve their own purpose. We can therefore definitely recommend that you buy a whole set of chisels (at least if you do woodworking on a fairly regular basis).

Wood Chisel Tool - The Best Choice

GREBSTK Professional Wood Chisel Tool Sets

 4,9 Rating

GREBSTK Wood Chisel Tool Sets

Features:

  • The chisel handles are made of beech wood.
  • The blades chisels are made with chrome vanadium steel(Cr-V).
  • Size 1/4″,1/2″,3/4″,1″.
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The chisel sets are especially great for trimming down wood, trimming. The Grebstk brand chisel sets are suitable for amateur and professional carpenter or woodwork artist woodworking jobs. Packaging keeps the chisels separate, so they don’t hang on each other in transit.

Buyer’s guide for the wood chisel tool

This review and guide provide information on the best wood chisel tool you can find.

There are quite a few manufacturers of a wood chisel tool on the market, and the prices vary greatly. From a pure price point of view, the type of wood chisel tool can be priced from $15 to $40.

The best wood chisel tool for the money

Best Wood Chisels test

Wood chisel

One of the most popular and widespread hand carpentry tools is the wood chisel. With the help of this device, carry out work mainly with wood, but moreover, the same chisels can also be used to work with metal or leather, and to work with plastics, and so on. In this article, we will look at such a tool as a wood carving chisel, take a look at what criteria are considered when choosing a tool, and also look at how to choose and buy a wood chisel.

Variety of wood chisels and principle of operation

To date, there are a large number of different variants of chisels. The production of this tool is engaged in both professional factories-manufacturers, and professional craftsmen who know the secret of making this tool. According to the principle of operation and the purpose of the tool, chisels are of the following types:

  • Chisels, which can be used without resorting to the use of additional tools. They use only manual force, and the tool itself is quite modest and small in size, with a small metal part and handle. Such chisels are excellent for working with wood in order to cut small details and patterns in it;
  • Big size chisels, which can be used without additional tools (i.e., working with hands only) and with tools such as a wooden mallet, etc. The handle of such a chisel has a metal ring in the area of which the chisels are struck;
  • Chisels that can only be used with additional tools. So, it can be a chisel that can only be used together with a mallet – it has a rather large size, and with its help, it is convenient to process hardwood. The wooden handle of such a chisel is looped so that it can be struck with a mallet (rubber, wooden, and so on).

By the way, an electric chisel should refer to the last category of tools. This tool is quite functional, and you can use it both to restore or repair furniture (to remove varnish or paint)

How do you work with a chisel?

Professional woodworkers and carvers, as well as those for whom working with wood is more of a hobby, use chisels according to the same scheme. First, a pencil drawing is drawn on the wooden workpiece or part. Then the outline is deepened with a wood carving knife. Only after all the contours are cut through, clearly visible and not erased, proceed to work with the chisel.

The way of using the tool is chosen depending on what kind of processing is necessary to perform. There are two most common:

  • Hand pressure, where the tool is driven only by human force, such as when trimming the edge of a wooden workpiece.
  • With a mallet, when additional force is needed to hollow out notches or holes in the wood.

It is worth noting that for all its apparent simplicity, this is quite a complex and time-consuming task. This is largely because you need to use tools very carefully and very precisely. After all, somewhere not pressing the chisel, and somewhere overpressing, it is very easy to spoil the part. One awkward movement with your hand or not too good blow with a mallet – and all the work will go in vain. You will have to start everything from the beginning.

If you want to avoid similar failures we recommend reading this article. Here you will find some useful tips for working with chisels and picks.

and to work with other objects in the apartment – the removal of carpet from the floor, for example.

Wood carving chisels are very popular. With their help, you can create the most diverse and unique details – panels, engravings, and so on. Moreover, if you buy a set of wood chisels, working with them will be much more convenient. A set contains 5 and more chisels that have different shapes of cutting edges. For example, there are spoon cutters that have a curved shape along their entire length. Previously, this type of chisel was used to make wooden spoons and bowls.

Today, chisels have undergone some changes during which, they became convenient to use not only by hand but also by machining the wooden workpiece on a lathe.

Whether a chisel is cut along, across, or along the wood fibers will determine the proper position of the tool and the carving technique that the craftsman uses. When the chisel works along the fibers – it is called trimming, at an angle to the surface – side carving, and across the fiber – trimming the ends. Let’s go into more detail on this.

Trimming. When there is a need to quickly get rid of an uneven edge of a wooden part or workpiece, a chisel is taken. The tool is held with the unsharpened side up – it is controlled with two hands, and if you grab the sharp edge, you can get a serious injury. When cutting, one hand rests on the handle, and the other grasps the tool blade so that the thumb is pointed at the handle. This hand position gives better control of the tool’s movements and allows for more effort. There is a small secret of skill: that after processing the surface was perfectly flat and smooth, when the wood is cut along the fibers, the chisel is slightly rotated, so that the flat side always points to the direction of movements of the master.

Side carving. One of its varieties is a selection of grooves. To get a rectangular groove, they use flat chisels. They have a straight blade with a flattened cross-section. The sharply sharpened cutting edge can be both straight and oblique. Usually, flat chisels are sharpened on one side only, but it is said that a properly sharpened chisel blade should resemble a shaving blade. Semicircular chisels are used for round grooves. Their blade has a cross-section in the form of half or one of the segments of a circle. But whatever kind of chisel for cutting grooves, it is necessary to work with it across the wood fibers. The chisel is held in the same way as when trimming. The cutting edge of the tool should be at an angle to the surface, so several notches are made. After that, the notches are completely selected by the notches. This can be repeated several times, gradually increasing the depth to the desired level.

Trimming the ends or perpendicular threading requires a different hand position on the tool. The handle is gripped in one hand, and the chisel blade is clamped between the thumb and forefinger of the other hand. This is necessary to increase control over the course of the tool and to give greater precision to each movement of the chisel. The part of the blade closest to the craftsman will serve as a guide. To cut the ends of a wooden part or workpiece, start from the far corner. At the same time, the tool is guided so that it goes forward and down. If you press down on the blade of the chisel with your thumb while pulling it down behind the handle, you will get a very smooth sliding cut. This work requires a great deal of force and very fine woodcuts are made at one time.

How to choose a wood chisel?

There are a huge number of options and tips regarding the choice of wood chisels. Therefore, we will give our own criteria with which you can choose a particular wood chisel or a particular set of wood chisels.

Impact or nonimpact chisels. First of all, pay attention to this. You need to know what the chisels will be used for. If it is thin and precise work or works with softwood, there is no need for an impact chisel. If you will be using a hardwood chisel, however, you may have to buy an impact chisel in order to give good blows with a mallet.

Length of the chisel blade. Also, it is very important to know what size the surfaces you are working on will be. The larger the workpiece will be, and the deeper it is necessary to make cuts in it, the bigger the chisel, and the longer the blade you need to choose. At the same time, a shorter tool blade is more maneuverable and controllable, so that is its advantage.

Blade thickness. Plays a very important role, because the greater the thickness of the blade, the more forceful the chisel will be, and the more forceful cuts can be made with it. So, for convenient and comfortable carving on hardwood, you should use chisels with a blade of 2.5 mm or more. For working with softwood or for making thin notches, you should pay attention to chisels with a blade thickness of 1 mm, 1.2 mm, and less.

So, in order to buy a wood chisel, you only need to know these, the basics. Of course, it is necessary to pay attention to the manufacturers of chisels and to refuse Chinese variants of tools. Do not confuse Chinese chisels with Japanese chisels – Japanese chisels are good enough and handy for fine and accurate work.

Note! When you work with a chisel by hand, you do not try to remove a lot of material at once. You need to remove excess wood gradually along the marked line.

If you use a hammer to help you

For chopping and nibbling one usually uses both chisels and mallets. For both of these operations, the mallet is taken in one hand, and the chisel is held perpendicular with the other. When the hammer is struck with the chisel, it is rotated at the same time. How to achieve that the end of the tool is always in the right place.

There are special tools designed just for chiseling, they are called chisel-chisels.

The handles of such tools should be shockproof and very durable because they will be often hit with a hammer.

If with chisel operation everything is simple enough and clear – take a chisel, take a cudgel and with their help make holes and hollows of rectangular or semicircular shape – then the process of chopping may cause some difficulties. Chiseling with a chisel is possible, in particular, for door hinges.

Virtually any modern door has a layer of board or organ board between the layers of natural wood, it helps to avoid warping (changing shape). But if the wood is not well dried, even this will not protect against warping. The door hinges will need some shrinkage. To set the depth of seating of the hinges, the material is chopped along the fibers, striking the chisel with a mallet.

Cutting direction each master chooses for himself and works as he feels more comfortable – to himself or from him. At the same time, it is necessary to use the chisel very precisely and carefully not to damage the material and not to hurt oneself. When coming close to the marked line, it is necessary that the chisel spring back after striking. To do this, the hammer blows with a pullback. When selecting wood on the edges of the marking, it is better not to use a hammer, and to do everything manually, applying a little more effort to remove excess material.

Pay attention. If the wood has flaws, such as knots or places swollen (where the fibers are located haphazardly or twisted), it is necessary to make shallow notches in these places to pass them more easily.

All our reviews are based exclusively on expert judgments or practical experience with most of the wood chisel tool we have tested. We strive to make our guide as independent and as detailed as possible.

Wood chisels in comparison

Hurricane Wood Chisel Set

Hurricane 4 Pieces Wood Chisel Set
  • Drop forged chrome-vanadium steel blade.
  • Suitable for all softwood.
  • Colored Transparent High Impact Handle.

 4,8 Rating

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Advanced design

Wood Chisel of 4 Piece Set, perfect for a range of woodworking tasks around the home or workshop. Finely honed heat-treated cutting edge for long-lasting sharpness and no chipping. The narrow side bevels design will allow you to flatten and sharp with quickness and precision.

REXBETI Premium Wood Chisel Set

REXBETI 10pc Premium Wood Chisel Set
  • 6 piece wood chisel set.
  • CR-V steel blade.
  • Honing guide & sharpening stone.

 4,9 Rating

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Anyone that loves working with their hands

Set is perfect for the beginning woodworker or for those who need to replace or upgrade their current equipment. This REXBETI wood chisel set that really puts an emphasis on the “set” part. You will get 6 different chisels, a honing guide, a sharpening stone, 2 carpenter pencils and a hard case for storage and transportation.

Enertwist Wood Chisel Set

  • Material: CRV Steel Alloy.
  • Includes: 13pcs.
  • Cutting Size: 1/4″ to 1-1/2″.

 4,8 Rating

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Comfortable, durable and easy to carry

Chisel Set with Storage Case is perfect for the woodworker or the people who need to replace or upgrade their current woodworking tools. It can be done for cutting, shaping, shoveling, repairing. Suitable for home woodworking and professional craftsman.

Buying criteria of chisel

Whether you want to order a chisel online or buy it in a specialty store, it is important to know what is expected of the product and how it will be used. In terms of its quality and design, the chisel set should be chosen so that it can be adapted to one’s own needs and wishes.

Form

The shape of a chisel set can be quite different. Which shape is chosen depends on what woodwork is to be done.

Purchase individually or as a chisel set

A chisel is certainly available for purchase individually, but also in a practical set. The set often consists of four to six different chisels, which have a different width blade. In this way, versatile woodworking can be performed.

Handling

Handling is particularly important so that various woodworking tasks can be carried out over a longer period of time. The handle should therefore lie comfortably in the hand without being annoying.

Wood Chisel test

Wood Chisel Price:

Under $50

  • Hurricane Wood Chisel Set
  • GREBSTK Professional Wood Chisel Tool Sets
  • REXBETI Premium Wood Chisel Set
  • Enertwist Wood Chisel Set
Max Welder

Max Welder

Hi! I'm Max Welder (toolsproper.com). I always wanted to work with my own hands, repair something, do things. Now I combine my knowledge with computers and my own knowledge in the field of mechanics in order to understand which tools I like the most. I hope to convey some knowledge and experience.

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