Chisel Basics
In this tutorial I discuss the modern chisel. Chisels have been in use in
woodworking shops for centuries and are
a very versatile tool. Chisel use can
range from fine tuning joints to paring wood to creating
the actual joinery.
Chisels are but one tool in the hand tool
arsenal which every fine furniture shop should strive to
acquire. The first
part of the tutorial describes the
different types of chisels and their uses. Following
this section an introduction
to chisel and paring techniques is
described.
The subsequent section offers some step
by step sequences on how to effectively use the chisel
to create both
a stopped rabbet and a
mortise for a small hinge. There is also a step by step
sequence of cleaning and tuning
a corner joint which has been previously
roughed out on a bandsaw.
Workshops can be primarily machine oriented at one
extreme and primarily hand tool oriented at the other
extreme.
In between we have hybrid workshops which
benefit from both machinery and hand tools. I tend to
favor the type of
workshop which allows one to utilize
machinery to process wood from the rough stage and then
use hand tools in
the later stages of furniture making.
Very often, it is more expedient to simply tune a joint
or create a joint using
chisels rather than go to the trouble of
setting up machinery to do the same. The dust free and
quiet environment
which chisels provide is a large
advantage for the small shop or where noise is an issue.
I use chisels extensively
in my own furniture making workshop. As
an example, the dovetails in the furniture I create are
made exclusively
with chisels and small dovetail saws.
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Chisel Basics $7.50