Wood chisel. Note to the home craftsman: how to work with a chisel? Tool types by longitudinal configuration

Joinery and carpentry work is a very ancient skill. Quality furniture made of wood, various decorations and objects long time serve their master. But to produce all this from the material, given by nature, you need tools. Consider woodcarving chisels. What they are, what types of them are, how they are sharpened, read the article.

It is a tool that carpenters and joiners use in their work. The way of working with a chisel is manual. Small indentations in the wood are made with a cutting tool, grooves are cleaned. Use a chisel if you need to make a relief or contour thread. The tool consists of the following parts:

  • Blades made of steel. The end edge or blade is sharpened on one side.
  • A handle that snaps into the shank area or is hammered tightly into a tapered socket at the opposite end.

Sharpening chisels is a tricky business. If possible, it is best to do this using a sharpening device where the tool is placed. To fix it tightly, the screws are tightened. Tool sharpening is carried out in the same way as without using a device.

For coarse and fine woodworking, a wide range of hand tools is used, some of which have an extremely simple design.

Moreover, they are irreplaceable in joinery and carpentry. One of the most famous representatives of such a tool is the chisel.

With a chisel, a sample is made in wooden products and the dimensions of the blanks are adjusted.

However, the tool received wide use and outside the field of woodworking, its modifications are used in various industries and even in medicine.

V last years electric chisels are gaining popularity, combining the functions of a woodworking machine and a hand tool.

But first things first.

The purpose of the chisel

Speaking of chisels, we are usually talking about woodworking cutting tools.

Its versatility is expressed in a large number of work performed, including sampling of recesses, cleaning grooves, chamfering, applying contour and embossed threads.

In addition, the tool is used for planing, and more specifically, for removing material of small thickness.

Device and characteristics

Structurally, a chisel is a metal blade with a sharp blade located at the end.

On the reverse side there is a wedge-shaped shank, reminiscent of an ordinary nail, on which the handle is stuffed.

In the classical design, the handle is made of wood, and a metal cap is installed at the point of its connection with the canvas.

Its purpose is to tighten the wood fibers and prevent the tool from breaking under pressure.

Distinguish between hand and percussion chisels.

In the first case, cutting into the material is performed by hand pressure, and in the second case, by light blows with a mallet on the end of the chisel.

On the handles of impact mallets, in addition to the main cap, on the back there is a metal ring that acts as a headband and prevents wood from cracking under shock loads.

Material

In the production of chisels, chisels use a strong, but not brittle alloy.

All the requirements are fully met by tool steel grades ХВГ, 9ХС and 9ХФ.

The use of steels with similar mechanical properties is allowed.

According to the method of making the canvas, they are distinguished:

  • Stamped chisels.
  • Forged - with increased blade thickness for processing materials with increased hardness.
  • Punching - provide significant processing accuracy of products with lower characteristics in terms of hardness and density.

As for the handles of the chisels, in the classic version, the material for the manufacture is wood of viscous species, for example, maple, ash, hornbeam, oak.

In addition, impact-resistant plastic or other material with similar characteristics is used.

In modern design, the handle is:

  • Two-component - based on impact-resistant plastic with rubber inserts for easy grip and prevent hand slippage.
  • Three-component. A combination of impact-resistant plastic on the ends with a softer look in the middle and rubber inserts or rubberized coating.

For percussion options, a metal butt pad is installed on the handle.

Chisel dimensions and weight

Weight is 100 - 400 g.

GOST

Technical requirements and basic dimensions of flat and semicircular chisels are regulated by GOST 1184-80, which, in turn, contains references to GOST 14959-79, GOST 5950-73 and GOST 1435-75 ( technical requirements to steel grades of the canvas), as well as to GOST 2695-83 (regarding wood for handles).

Marking

Considering that tool steel is used in production, the marking on the product looks like the inscription “chrome vanadium”, CrV or drop forged.

In this case, a prerequisite is the presence of a mark about the manufacturer, which is a kind of quality guarantor.

On high-quality chisels for carving, the steel grade is indicated directly on the canvas by the electrographic method.

Attention!

Labels like “Hardened Steel” should not be trusted.

Foreign manufacturers almost always indicate in the marking the elements present in the alloy, conventionally designated, for example, as W + Cr + V, or Cr + W, simply Cr or W.

The steel grade itself is also often indicated, for example, 86CrMoV7 or 62SiMnCr4.

Types of chisels and their price

The names of the chisels almost completely determine their features and the nature of the work for which they are intended.

So a chisel for wood processing happens:

  • Manual - cutting into the material occurs from the pressure of the hand on the handle.
  • Impact - cutting into the material occurs by applying light blows with a mallet to the end of the handle, which has a metal butt pad.

The classic chisel has a shank length of 150 - 170 mm, while the shortened one is 65 - 85 mm.

The following chisels are distinguished by purpose:

Joiner

For fine and precise machining of workpieces, for example, a shaped chisel that allows carving in hard and soft wood.

The latter include spruce, poplar, linden.

Plotnitskaya

For rough, rough processing of workpieces of various types of wood.

Lathe

For manual processing parts rotating in a lathe, they are often called turning tools.

According to the shape of the longitudinal section of the chisel blade is:

Straight

The most common option with straight, like a ruler, blade and blade.

Curved

With a buckling of the entire blade and blade.

With a sharp bend of the blade in the longitudinal direction, the beginning of which is almost at the end of the straight blade. Used, for example, when cutting door locks.

If the blade of the tool has a sharpening on the reverse side, the corresponding classifier word is added to the name, for example, reverse clucarze.

By the way, the reversible blades allow you to create convex parts of the decorative relief.

According to the shape of the cross-section of the chisel blade, it happens:

Flat

With a straight flat cross-section. There are both wide and narrow, thick and thin (according to the parameters of the canvas).

The shape of the blade, in turn, is oblique and straight. In the latter case, the cutting edge is perpendicular to the blade. It is used for rough processing and creating straight lines.

Oblique

Previous version with a bevelled cutting edge relative to the perpendicular to the blade.

This angle of attack makes it easier to cut into wood, increasing the roughing speed.

Corner

The cross-section is made in the shape of an angle (with the letter “V”). The angle itself, as a rule, is in the range of 60 - 90 degrees.

With this tool, you can perform contour and embossed carving, and also the contour of the future workpiece is assigned to them.

Radius

The cross section is in the form of a semicircle. Hence another name - a semicircular chisel.

It is designed to perform a neat and smooth penetration into the material, which is probably why it is considered the most popular and demanded.

Such models are used for threading along a contour that has irregularities, where there are no sharp and right angles. The cutting part can be of two shapes, flat and sloping, it can also be with a different radius of curvature.

Bracket (box)

Straight cutting edge with sides different heights, and different angles between these elements.

Suitable for even narrow sampling of material.

In structure, it is close to the semicircular version, but has a much smaller thickness. This figured instrument is used in artistic carving.

Price the types of tools described above are not too different from each other.

As a rule, the average price is 300 - 700 rubles per unit, and it depends, first of all, on the quality of materials and the brand itself.

So there are models costing 1300 rubles and above.

At the same time, the promotion of the manufacturer's firm affects the pricing, not least of all.

For comparison, a set of chisels "Tatyanka" for manual carving made of U10A steel (made by milling, 12 elements included) with a beech handle will cost about 10,000 rubles, that is, about 800 rubles. a piece.

At the same time, the Japanese ones are made according to a different from the traditional manufacturing technology (two-layer steel with a hardness of 60 HRc), with a handle from Japanese red oak.

For a similar set from Hattori (10 pieces) you will have to pay about 12-13 thousand rubles, which is already 1200-1300 rubles apiece.

However, the latter can be sharpened to razor sharp.

Kits with more tools are of course more expensive.

In addition to tools for woodworking, there are options for work:

  • For metal - an impact version of the tool with a specific sharpening configuration that allows you to machine soft metals such as aluminum.
  • For stone - a percussion tool, used for chipping material. The stone chisel is also suitable for shaping a workpiece into a thin, faceted shape.
  • For concrete - actually a chisel, but with a different configuration of the working part, including a semicircle. In most cases, it has a victorious soldering, acts as a nozzle for a perforator.

Electromeshka

Together with the usual tool for everyone, they actively use its electrical modification, which is called an electric mesh, which is also a renovator.

The working element is a special nozzle made in the form of already familiar chisels, which is selected depending on the type of work.

This versatile machine is also called an electric chisel, multi-cutter, or electric scraper.

The electric chisel has a high performance, allows you to make precise fine threads.

The cost of such models is 5-9 thousand rubles.

In turn, it happens:

  • Network - powered by a household network.
  • Rechargeable - powered by a removable rechargeable battery.

In addition to the standard ones, there are also special chisels:

Surgical

The medical instrument is made of surgical steel.

Vivid examples are the otolaryngological chisel for rhinoplasty and the Voyachek grooved chisel, which is used for trepanning the mastoid process using the hammerless method.

Apiary

A tool for the daily work of the beekeeper.

The multifunctional chisel with the function of a nail puller and devices for lifting glued frames is called "European".

The price is about 300 rubles.

For hinges

Specially designed tool for knocking out rounded corners of seats for door hinges and locks after milling. They also call her - corner chisel, but structurally it is very different from the tool of the same name described above.

The domestic modified version is a chisel by Pavel Soldatov, after the name, in fact, of the manufacturer.

The cost of the latter is around 3400 rubles.

Plastic

For the repair of car wheels, or rather - for cleaning the protrusions, removing irregularities and burrs from the tire.

An alternative name is a scraper chisel.

In fact, an exact copy of a flat straight tool, but made entirely of plastic.

The price is about 200 rubles.

Pocket

A variant that resembles a multitool in design, however, without additional tools.

In fact, this is a folding chisel, where, when folded, the blade is between the halves of the handle.

This allows the instrument to be transported and stored safely, for example in a pocket or bag.

Cost - from 600 rubles.

Mini chisel

A miniature version of a full-size tool, mainly used for fine carving in soft materials.

Beveiler (beveller)

A flat-cut tool designed to thin the skin at the folds.

Alternative names are bevelling or French chisel.

Cost - from 200 rubles.

Chisel-chisel

Impact type of tool used to gouge out excess parts of the material.

Power sculptural knife (jamb knife) designed for embossed geometric carving.

Each tool for processing wood from the ones listed above has its own field of application, and therefore, to create just one decorative relief, you may need up to 10 different types of it, moreover, of different sizes.

Which chisel to choose?

The following criteria will help you choose good tool for home:


You should not pay attention to unknown domestic and Chinese manufacturers.

Even if the steel can withstand severe mechanical stress, problems may arise with the handle. it is the most fragile part in the structure.

In addition, a high-quality brand tool blade does not have to be sharpened often.

The optimum length of the tool blade is 100-150 mm.

In this case, it matters in what way it was made.

So, punching models ensure accuracy high level when processing materials with low hardness and density.

Stamped chisels require a thrust washer.

Otherwise, when hitting with a mallet, the handle will "sit on the shank" and eventually collapse.

NOTE:

There are two types of handle attachments: with a shank and with fitted cones-skirts. The latter are a priority, since they are able to withstand large loads on bending, twisting, as well as direct and lateral impacts, which, when performed different works plays an important role.

What you need to know about chisels?

A forged shank is always better.

The reason for this is that the hardness of the material is more evenly distributed over the chisel.

It can be determined by the characteristic lines of the metal flow.

Otherwise trouble spot becomes the zone of transition of the shank to the blade, where a concentration of stresses is observed, which will eventually lead to the formation of cracks.

Chisel manufacturers

Manufacturers are considered time-tested:

  • Sandwik,
  • Bahco,
  • Narex,
  • Anchor.

The latter should be bought only in the case of Russian manufacture, and not China.

Also popular:

  • SANTOOL,
  • Stanley,
  • Sturm,
  • Truper,
  • Unipro,
  • VIRA,
  • Hardax,
  • Hart,
  • Irwin,
  • COBALT,
  • TOPEX.

One of the main tools that every joiner and carpenter uses to cut wood is a chisel. This tool is made of a steel flat bar with a cutting blade, wood or plastic handle... If you are a beginner in carpentry, then this article is for you. Take our advice.

When choosing a chisel, pay attention to:

  • quality of steel;
  • compliance with size (in millimeters) and shape;
  • hardness and correct sharpening of the blade;
  • purity of processing;
  • comfortable handle shape;
  • a crimp ring made of high-quality metal should not have sharp lumps and burrs;
  • its length, the shorter the chisel is, the stronger it is;
  • the blade should have short burrs left during sharpening;
  • choose the one that is more comfortable for your hand.

There is a large assortment of chisels on the modern market, and in order to choose the right tool for your job, first find out about their features. A chisel happens:

  • forged,
  • cutting,
  • stamped.

The forged chisel has a refined nib against the cutting edge. Its feather is thicker than that of other species, which makes it suitable for working with harder woody materials.

A punching chisel has a feather that is much smaller than a forged chisel. It is used for wood carving, because it is convenient to handle soft material with great precision.

The stamped chisel differs from the previous ones in that its side edges are wide.

Before choosing a chisel, you need to decide what type of woodwork you need it for:

  • for geometric threads
  • for sculpture and relief.

If you do geometric thread, then you can use several knives - jambs. And for sculptural and relief work, you will need both percussion and non-impact chisels.

Impact chisels have a specially designed handle that can be tapped with a mallet. Use them for hard woodwork and large sculptures and reliefs.

Use non-impact chisels for detailing work. They are suitable for both soft and hard woods.

Use chisels with a short blade for shallow reliefs and small sculptures and for detailing work because they are easy to maneuver and control.

And the thickness of the blade matters a lot. The thicker the blade, the deeper and wider the cuts are.

In general, you will need both power and non-power chisels with both thick and thin blades. It will be ideal if you purchase a set of chisels different sizes and types. If your budget is tight, buy a few piece chisels first. You will definitely need:

  • flat chisel,
  • semicircular chisel,
  • cranberry (semicircular and bent like a scoop chisel),
  • corner.

Choose the width or radius of the chisel according to the size of the elements of your future work.

A variety of chisels is a shtikhel . It differs only in that it has a mushroom-shaped handle. It is very convenient for them to carve miniature figurines or small parts great works. It is impossible to take it with both hands and you cannot knock on it with a mallet.

As you have already seen, in order to purchase the best chisels, you do not need to think and choose for a long time while standing in front of the window.

Main selection criteria

Remember 3 important qualities that the chisel must meet:

  • durable tool,
  • resistant sharpening,
  • reliable handle.

The sturdy chisel is made of quality steel and a sturdy handle, which are conscientiously processed and connected to each other.

Resistant sharpening and cutting quality depend on the grade of steel from which the blade is made and on the correct sharpening.

The steel should be hard and tough, preferably chrome vanadium alloy steel (chromium vanadium or CrV; XBG; or C105W2). Carbon steel (labeled U7 or U8) is cheaper, but very fragile and breaks down quickly. Sometimes there are such marks on fakes, but if you are careful, you will recognize them at a low price and the absence of the manufacturer's address.

The chisel handle must be strong and have a steel cap at the end, on which you will knock with a mallet or hammer. These hard blows often cause the wood of the handle to fall apart. Therefore, it is better to buy a chisel with a sticky plastic handle.

Of course, in the modern market there are also electric chisels with replaceable nozzles different shapes. They are used to remove a large mass of wood, making the work process faster and easier.

You should not fork out for too expensive chisels, because very often, purely by accident, you will hit them on metal objects, such as nails, screws, staples, and this deteriorates the blade. Choose inexpensive but high quality tools. The main thing is not to forget to sharpen them in time and keep them in order. But above all, learn to use them correctly, without harming your health and the integrity of the tools.

Manufacturers

An important role is played by the quality of the tool and the company that produces it. Next, let's do short review of these firms and the goods provided by them.

  • Pfeil chisels

The Pfeil company has been producing highly professional cutting tools, including surgical ones, in Sweden at its own factory since 1902. True, in the beginning they made cutlery, and woodcarving tools began to be produced in 1942. This family business is already in the third generation of the Pfeil family. They value their reputation and therefore use high quality materials with added chromium and vanadium. Maple, cherry, ash, pear and hornbeam are used as wood for the handle. All tools have a Pfeil engraving on the handle and a two-digit code indicating the profile / bend and edge width in millimeters.

  • Chisels Narex

In the Czech Republic, since 1992, there is the Narex Company, which produces a whole range of tools for woodworking and carving at an affordable price. They release tools in three categories: extra, pro and simple. Judging by the reviews of consumers, the steel is good, hardened and keeps sharpening for a long time, but there are unsuccessful specimens in all three categories, and the “simple” type of chisels is generally of dubious quality.

  • Stayer Chisels

Stayer was once a good Italian factory and made quality power tools. After bankruptcy, a few years ago, it was acquired by a Russian firm that sells cheap Chinese and Russian instruments under this brand. So judge the quality for yourself.

  • Stanley chisels

The English company Stanley (or Sheffield, made in England - as it is written on the packaging) is a pitiful remnant of the former stately 100-year-old company. From 1988 until then, the state-owned metallurgical enterprise was privatized and production fell sharply. Since 2007, the Indian company Tata Steel has bought the entire stake and the internationally renowned firm has become an Indian subsidiary producing low-grade products.

  • Chisels Bison

Zubr products are manufactured at one of the former Soviet military - industrial complexes in the city of Mytishchi. But, according to customer reviews, you can compare its purchase with a lottery ticket. You never know if you will win or not, because some details, and sometimes finished product are of Chinese origin.

  • Chisels Bosch

Like all products of this world famous company, the universal electric chisel (saws, grinds, cuts) is different high quality but also at a decent price.

  • Chisels Kirschen

The German company Kirschen-Werkzeuge has been producing hand tools designed for carving known as Two Cherries. Chisels are manufactured from durable carbon steel. Sold individually and in sets of chisels of various shapes and sizes.

  • Bahco chisels

In 1889 in Sweden, Mr. Berg, who had previously made knives and hand tools at home, opened his own production, buying a new factory building. From 1959 he retired and the company was acquired by a large manufacturer wrenches and AB Bahco pliers, and the Berg brand was no longer used. The first chisels had wooden handle, but since 1950 they switched to plastic ones. Chisels are very popular among professional carpenters, as they are of very high quality.

Chisel It is a carpentry and joinery cutting tool designed for sampling in wood. Its application is necessary for solving a wide range of tasks. Chisels are - carpentry, carved and turning. Joiners are used to adjust the size of a wooden blank, carved for artistic cutting, and lathes are used in cases where it is necessary to turn wood on a lathe.

What can be done with a chisel

This tool is almost universal for woodworking. With its help you can:

  • Make a sample of the groove.
  • Clean the groove.
  • Remove the chamfer.
  • Apply embossed or contour threads.

The capabilities of the chisel depend a lot on the shape. cutting edge working canvas. According to the principle of operation, the tool is of the hand and impact type. The hand chisel cuts into the wood from the pressure exerted on the handle by the hand of the master. The percussion type is immersed in the tree as a result of striking the handle, carried out with the help.

Tool design

The chisel consists of two main elements - a canvas and a handle. The blade itself has a sharp edge at the end, which plunges into the wood. The blade shank is sharpened and looks like a nail. It is stuffed directly onto the handle. The handle itself is made of wood or plastic.

In the classic wooden version at the section of its connection with the web, a metal cap is installed, which prevents the destruction of the end as a result of strong pressure. If the tool is intended for impact processing of workpieces, then a metal headband in the form of a ring is stuffed on the back of the handle to prevent cracking.

Form and its purpose

There are several dozen popular forms of chisels, which differ in the ease of use of the handles, the size, width and bend of the cutting blade, as well as the sharpness of the edge. The most common forms include:

  • Straight.
  • Oblique.
  • Radial.
  • Brace.
  • Corner.
  • Clucarza.
Straight

The chisel has a flat cutting edge profile. Such a cutter can have different widths. Its purpose is to provide a smooth, accurate cut to achieve a perfectly flat surface. The tool allows you to make a recess with a straight bottom, as well as remove excess wood surface on outside blanks.

Working with a straight cutting edge, even with sufficient sharpness, is quite difficult. For this reason, most of the proposed factory instruments with such a surface are percussion, which allows sampling without using their own muscle strength.

Oblique

The chisel, due to the beveled angle of attack of the cutting edge, provides a more efficient and easy plunge into wood. As a result, the sampling process is significantly accelerated. Often the tool is used for rough work, after which finishing will be carried out. In most cases, this type is used to create grooves, but when

Radial or semicircular

A type is a tool whose cutting edge is curved in a semicircle shape. Its use allows accurate deepening. The overwhelming majority of cutters for curly processing are made in this form. The radius tool effectively penetrates the wood fibers without allowing the workpiece to crack. With such a cutting edge, you can easily thread along an uneven contour that does not have straight or sharp corners.

Bracket or box

The chisel type is a straight cutting edge with sides of different heights. They are used to draw narrow sampling along a straight line, preventing cracks from diverging to the side. Such a tool is used much less often than round, oblique or straight blades. The angle between the cutting edge and the side edges is straight.

Corner

The chisel has a specific profile in the form of an angle. Its shape is V-shaped. The angle itself in various designs ranges from 60 to 90 degrees. A similar tool is used to designate the contour of the future selection. It can also be found in embossed and contour carving. Sharpening a V-shaped cutting edge requires special skill, as uneven chamfering of the profile results in a difference in jaw heights.

Clucarza

It is the most unusual instrument of this type. It has a longitudinal curvature of the blade, located closer to the cutting edge. This type is used for manual picking of wood in recesses, when the usual flat profile is not able to provide sufficient grip for cutting.

Clucarza can have either a flat or a rounded cutting edge, which significantly expands the range of applications. This type of chisel is necessary for cutting the lock into door leaf... The start of work is carried out with an ordinary direct tool, and when the already sufficient deepening is carried out, the master switches to the cranberry. Attack angle curved profile more acceptable for contact with wood in deep depressions. This prevents the formation of chips on upper layers workpiece, which happens when using a flat blade.

How a chisel is sharpened

In order for the tool to provide a high-quality cut with minimal effort, it is necessary to ensure its correct sharpening. Working with a blunt chisel is dangerous because it significantly increases the risk of injury.

For comfortable work the sharpening angle should be between 20 and 35 degrees. A conventional tool is predominantly sharpened at 25 degrees, and a cleaning tool at 20 degrees. To achieve a quality result, it is important to use an even stone. A block cut over the years is of little use and will not allow you to achieve razor sharpness.

In order to achieve razor sharpness, you must use at least three types of bar. First, the work should be carried out on a coarse-grained stone, after which you will need to switch to medium, and it is better to finish on a velvet bar with a minimum grain size. This sequence allows you to achieve a mirror surface.

Manual sharpening gives a much better quality result than working on emery. The use of an emery machine is acceptable only in cases where it is necessary to remove the existing notches on the blade in order to align its cutting edge, before directly starting manual dressing.

During sharpening, the blade must be guided back and forth. In this case, it is advisable to lubricate the stone with special oil, or soak it for several minutes in plain water... The duration of sharpening depends on the quality of the chisel steel and the hardness of the stone. A regular whetstone will do the job in 10-20 minutes, while a diamond one will do the job several times faster.

An excellent result can be achieved using a special fixing machine, which allows you to fix the chisel profile under right angle... This eliminates the possibility of surface wobbling. Each reciprocating motion will ensure correct metal filings are removed to achieve the desired sharpness.

If the chisel will be used as cutting tool high precision, you need to add a micro bevel. To do this, after finishing turning on a fine-grained stone, set the blade at an angle of 5 degrees to the final processing bar and make several reciprocating movements. This will be more than enough to create a miniature bevel on the working tip, barely visible to the eyes.

With an average intensity of use of the tool, sharpening is usually carried out no more than twice a year. Professional carvers who use high quality hard steel chisels do not do this more often, since the working edge of a good blade is practically not dull.

It should be noted that there are quite a few electric sharpening machines on the market that allow you to make the blade sharp in just a few minutes. Such equipment is usually used by amateurs, since in the absence of proper skills it is rather difficult to achieve optimal sharpness manually. Professional carvers prefer hand-sharpening because they can achieve better results.

It is worth noting that the tool is made of solid steel, which is prone to corrosion, therefore, the working blade, along with the blade, is often covered with rust. When sharpening, plaque is removed from the cutting edge, but remains on the rest of the blade surface. As a result, the tool penetrates much worse into the wood, and besides, it stains it.

To avoid these problems, you need to wipe new instrument removing moisture from it after each use to keep it shiny. When corrosive stains appear and sanding is required. It is also important to store the instrument in a dry place. If there is excessive moisture in the workshop, then the chisels can be placed in sealed boxes or specialized boxes that limit contact with steam and condensate.

All photos from the article

A chisel is a tool used to work on various materials, including wood. On this moment specialists can use an electric chisel for wood, its traditional manual option or a cutter for lathes.

The very word came to us from German language... In it, the term "Stemmeisen" means "gouging".

Varieties of hand tools

The hand chisel has been used by carpenters and joiners for hundreds, if not thousands of years. It serves for sampling grooves in wood, cleaning grooves, sampling chamfers, as well as for contour and relief carving.

The traditional tool consists of the head of the handle, the handle itself, the cap, the blade and the blade. Devices such as chisels, spoon cutters, cranberries, in fact, are also chisels.

The described tool can be classified according to the method of its advancement, configuration of the handle, blade and blade, size and other characteristics. The main division of chisels takes place according to the principle of operation (method of advancement), as well as according to the shape of their blades.

It can be longitudinal or transverse. In this case, the device is often classified simultaneously according to these two values.

Classification of devices according to their transverse shape

Based on the shape of the end (transverse) profile of the tool blade, there are such varieties of it:

  1. Radius make up 95 percent of the entire array of cutters. Can be called: sloping, semicircular chisels for wood carving, semi-flat. In fact, these are chisels, transverse section whose profile is part of a circle.

Note! The model, marked as 20/2 (1), has a blade width of half a circle with a diameter of 20 mm (20/2). The last number means the thickness of the blade is 1 mm.

  1. Flat cutters have a straight (flat) transverse profile. They can differ in the thickness and width of the blade, as well as the shape of the blade - it can be straight and oblique.
  2. Brace, they are box cutters- these are straight (flat) chisels with sides of different heights.
  3. Angle tool has a V or angle profile. Its size is determined by the height of the sides of the corner of the canvas or by the value of the angle enclosed between the sides, in degrees. As a rule, it is 60-90 °.

Tool types by longitudinal configuration

Based on the shape of the lateral, in other words, the longitudinal profile of the canvas, there are such chisels for do-it-yourself wood carving:

  1. Straight incisors have a correspondingly perfectly straight blade that has no bends.
  2. Cluckars have a steep, longitudinal curvature of the blade. It starts towards the end of the canvas. Clucarza can be flat, semicircular, reverse, etc.
  3. Curved incisors have a longitudinally curved blade. Unlike the previous version of the tool, their entire canvas is bent.

With the help of the sounded classification, the main types of hand chisels are highlighted; however, there are other varieties of them, for example, those with a sharpening on the back side. They are called that - reverse chisels.

What to consider when choosing

The chisel blade can be made from forged, die-cut or stamped metal.

  1. Forged tool has a refined feather relative to the cutting edge of the blade. However, it is thicker than other varieties. This makes it possible to use the cutter for processing hard wood.
  2. Cutting analogs possess a feather that is much smaller than forged. They are convenient for precise processing of soft ones.
  3. Stamped cutters have wide side edges.

The three most important qualities that a good chisel should meet are as follows:

  • overall strength;
  • sharpening durability;
  • reliability of the handle.

Note! The durable tool consists of a sturdy handle and a blade made of high quality steel. Accordingly, they must be well processed and bonded to each other.

Cutting quality and sharpening resistance depend on the steel grade of the blade and blade.

Its shape also matters, including the angle of sharpening of the chisel on wood.

  1. The metal must be tough and hard. The best cutters are made of alloyed chrome vanadium steel (marking on the blade “chrome-vanadium”, “KhVG”, “CrV”, “C-105-W / 2”).
  2. The price of carbon steel is lower (the marking on the canvas is "drop forged", "U-7", "U-8"), but it is rather fragile, therefore it breaks down quickly.

Note! Sometimes there are fakes, the canvases of which are marked as "chrome-vanadium". They can be distinguished by their suspiciously low cost and the lack of details of the manufacturer.

  1. The handle of the cutter should have a steel cap at the end. The worker knocks on it with a hammer or mallet. As a result of such blows, the tree often breaks. Based on this, the instruction recommends purchasing a tool with viscous plastic handles.

  1. Leading manufacturers classify wooden and plastic handles as "Euro" and "Master". Professional woodcarving chisels are labeled "Profi" and are often additionally equipped with rubber inserts. They prevent the hand from slipping and increase the comfort of the grip.
  2. The blade width for different cutter models is 4-50 mm. This value affixed to the marking. Chisels with a wide working part are optimal for creating grooves and grooves, removing layers of wood, planing. Narrow tools are used for delicate types of work: cutting patterns, embossed wood processing, etc.

Electric tool

An electric chisel is a combination of a cutter and a miniature woodworking machine.

Design and principle of operation

Many builders know the electric chisel as a mechanical or pneumatic scraper. It works on the same principle as jackhammers.

The attachments for such a tool, in fact, are a blade with a blade (straight, angled, semicircular) fixed on a handle with a drive (motor). Usually the device comes with several different attachments. They must be serviced in the same way as the blades of hand chisels: keep in working order, correct or resharpen as necessary.

Manufacturers produce electric chisels in various sizes, so they can be used for the most different types works. Compact models are easy to hold with one hand, they are convenient for handling small parts and objects.

The oversized tool can be used for cutting whole trunks, carving large sculptures, and more.

Applications

  1. Electric cutters are used for working on hard and soft types of wood, as well as for processing outgrowths on it - suvels, burls.
  2. They simplify and speed up wood processing, make it possible to remove more material in a shorter period of time, with a minimum of labor.
  3. Electric chisels are used by both joiners and carpenters - for cutting grooves, removing floors and other work.
  4. Often, such a tool is used when carrying out rough operations. The final processing takes place with the help of manual chisels.

Note! It is highly desirable to fix a device, especially a large one. So it will not move in the process of work; thus, the worker will not cut more than necessary.

Turning chisels

Chisels for lathe on wood have different shape, their canvases are mounted on elongated handles. When working with a carriage, cutters that do not have handles are used. Machine tools are divided into roughing, finishing and special.

Their main types are as follows.

  1. The cut-off chisel is used for picking out grooves, grooves and cutting blanks into elements.
  2. The flat counterpart has a beveled blade and is designed for finishing.
  3. A roughing tool is needed for roughing work.
  4. The grooved cutter is used for turning shaped surfaces and samples, for example, at the ends of workpieces.
  5. A flat scraper chisel is required for rough handling wood.

Roughing cutters - reers have a semicircular (grooved) shape and are used for roughing wooden elements... The width of the blade is 4-30 mm, the length is dense up to 30 cm.

Rayers are sharpened from the convex part of the canvas into a semi-oval. The bevel angle of the blade is 25-30 degrees. In addition to roughing operations, such cutters are used for grinding concave shapes, as well as for picking out internal cavities during head-turning.

After processing the element with a semicircular cutter, its surface remains rough.

To level the workpiece and remove roughness, finishing knives-jambs (meisels) are used. They are sharpened at an angle of 20-25 degrees on both sides. The cutting angle at the working part is 70 -75 °, in width it is 5-50 mm.

The angular sharpening of the blade allows you to work with its middle when you need to sharpen straight or convex planes. By applying sharp corner, with a meisel, they carry out the finishing of the profiled surfaces, cut the ends of the workpiece. Using an obtuse angle, sharpen elements and create rounding.

A scraper chisel with a straight blade and one bevel helps to sharpen depressions with right angles. A similar tool is used for head turning, for creating round tenons or trimming cylindrical workpieces.

Shaped chisel for wood carving in the form of a hook, ring is used to cut grooves, internal cavities, turning external sections of the desired profile.

Output

Chisels designed for wood processing are very diverse in shape, size, materials of manufacture. The scope of their application is diverse and covers many areas of carpentry and joinery ().

The video in this article will continue to inform you on its topic.