Chisels are one of those essential hand tools that ought to find a home in everyone’s toolkit. However, in common with much other equipment, there’s a huge range from which to choose. There are a couple of simple questions that the prospective buyer should always ask.


What will they be used for and how much should I pay?

The answer to those two questions will go a very long way to determine what type of chisels are bought and just how much you'll have to pay.

There are a number of different categories of chisel, each designed for a particular range of applications. Within each category there may be several different variations to choose from at widely differing cost. So, the would-be purchaser might be forgiven for being slightly puzzled and also a little confused.

View our full chisel range here

To understand more about the different types of chisels and their uses, watch our Woodworking Wisdom video with our hand tool expert Jason Breach, or read our article below.


Bevel Edge Chisels

This type of chisel is probably the most popular. The name refers to the tapered grinding along both the long sides of the blade. Many within this range have a shatterproof plastic handle and are intended more for site use, where they can be struck continually with a hammer.

Therefore, chisels with plastic handles are likely to be used for general purpose carpentry, joinery, DIY and site work where they might be expected to perform reasonably well under fairly arduous conditions. The Rider range offers a soft grip handle with a metal striking cap, that can withstand those tougher tasks.

A slightly different, even stronger option is a chisel with a through tang, where the blade continues through the handle and is welded to the striking button.

Some users find that with sustained use, a plastic handle can become slippery and uncomfortable, particularly in use when on site and outdoors in poor weather, in which case, bevel edge chisels with a more pleasant wooden handle are an alternative. Axminster Rider Chisels also feature a range with hornbeam handles for a comfortable grip. 

Bevel edge chisels required for cabinet work and good quality hardwood joinery applications may warrant tools with a little more finesse, such as those provided by Axminster Rider Hornbeam handles, Narex and Veritas. The blades are ground with an almost knife edge bevel along each side. This makes them suitable for access into awkward spots, such as when making a set of dovetails.

Axminster Rider Bevel Edge Chisel

Butt Chisels

In many respects a shortened, more compact version of a standard bevel edge tool, which many may find more controllable. In addition, the reduction in the overall length means they may be able to reach into difficult areas where a full sized chisel can’t be used. View the Butt Chisel range

Axminster Rider Butt Chisel

Paring Chisels

Another form of bevel edge chisel, but this time the blade has been lengthened rather than shortened. These are specialist, quite delicate chisels intended for use in an application such as paring the side of a housing joint. The extra length means  they should never be struck with a mallet. View the Paring Chisels range

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Mortice Chisels

Conversely, the mortice chisel is built solely to be struck repeatedly with a mallet. The blades are often thicker than the width and reinforced with a steel hoop at the end of the handle and a leather washer on the ferrule to absorb the impacts from the mallet. Axminster Rider also produce an excellent mortice chisel with their traditional socketed hornbeam handle. The very thick blades makes them especially suitable to lever out the waste when chopping a mortice.

Axminster Rider Mortice Chisel

Solid Steel Chisels

These tools are made from a one piece, solid steel forging. They are the most rugged of all the different types of chisel, having far greater strength compared to the handled variety. Solid steel chisels should be used for all those really heavy duty jobs such as roofing and large framing joints. They are specifically designed to be struck with a hammer and are finding more varied uses on site. They can be used for lifting old ceramic tiles as well as cutting channels into brickwork and plaster.

Solid Steel Chisels

Japanese Chisels

Over several decades, Japanese chisels have become increasingly popular.  They are distinctly unique in several aspects, when compared to their Western counterparts. Firstly, the blades are very thick and a little shorter being composed of two different materials; a very hard, high carbon steel which is then laminated by hammer forging to a softer, low carbon backing. This has the effect of lending support to the all important, but very brittle cutting steel.

Once the blade has been hardened and tempered, often to over RC65, the cutting steel is so hard that it becomes very difficult to flatten and hone. It’s for this reason that much of the area of the underside of the blade is very carefully ground away. This is called the ‘ura’. It is designed to reduce the surface area so that it becomes easier to flatten and hone. One of the benefits of hot forging is that the steel will take and hold an incredibly sharp edge. However, as the steel is so brittle, a chipped and damaged edge will result if the chisel is levered to remove waste. It’s also advisable to maintain a straight bevel at all times as hollow grinding on a Tormek grinder or similar removes the softer backing steel and reduces the support offered to the cutting edge.

Find out more about Japanese chisels. 

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Blade Material

More than any other hand tool, the effectiveness of the blade depends on the quality of the steel. Questions such as the ease of sharpening and the edge obtained are crucial to the way a chisel performs. Unfortunately, many of the lower priced chisels are made from steel which is perhaps not quite as reliable as traditional Sheffield steel. There are exceptions so it’s well worth reading our unbiased customer reviews before purchase. Or, you could call into one of our stores.

The hardening and tempering process can have the effect of making the first 0.5mm of the cutting edge quite soft. This makes them liable to crumble and gives a false indication of the quality of the steel. If this phenomenon occurs, the chisel should be reground to remove the soft portion and then rehoned. It’s very likely that you’ll then find the much harder steel which will take and keep a useable edge. Alternatively, a faulty chisel can be returned to Axminster for a replacement.


Conclusion

Buying chisels can be a leap of faith, particularly if an unfamiliar brand is considered. In common with most tools, it usually pays to buy the best that your pocket can afford' As they say; "the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten".