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A chisel is a wedged hand tool with a characteristically shaped cutting edge on the end of its blade, for carving or cutting a hard material (e.g. wood, stone, or metal). The tool can be used by hand, struck with a mallet, or applied with mechanical power.^[1] The handle and blade of some types of chisel are made of metal or wood with a sharp edge in it (such that wood chisels have lent part of their name to a particular grind).

Chiselling use involves forcing the blade into some material to cut it. The driving force may be applied by pushing by hand, or by using a mallet or hammer. In industrial use, a hydraulic ram or falling weight ('trip hammer') may be used to drive a chisel into the material.

A gouge is a type of chisel that serves to carve small pieces from the material; particularly in woodworking, woodturning and sculpture. Gouges most frequently produce concave surfaces and have a U-shaped cross-section.

Etymology

Chisel comes from the Old French cisel, modern ciseau, Late Latin cisellum, a cutting tool, from caedere, to cut.^[2]

History

Chisels are common in the archeological record. Chisel-cut materials have also been found.

Woodworking

Woodworking chisels range from small hand tools for tiny details, to large chisels used to remove big sections of wood, in 'roughing out' the shape of a pattern or design. Typically, in woodcarving, one starts with a larger tool, and gradually progresses to smaller tools to finish the detail. One of the largest types of chisel is the slick, used in timber frame construction and wooden shipbuilding. There are many types of woodworking chisels used for specific purposes, such as:

Firmer chisel: has a blade with a thick rectangular cross section, making them stronger for use on tougher and heavier work.
Bevel edge chisel: can get into acute angles with its bevelled edges.
Mortise chisel: thick, rigid blade with straight cutting edge and deep, slightly tapered sides to make mortises and similar joints. Common types are registered and sash mortice chisels.
Paring chisel: has a long blade ideal for cleaning grooves and accessing tight spaces.
Skew chisel: has a 60 degree cutting angle and is used for trimming and finishing across the grain on a wood lathe.
Dovetail chisel: made specifically for cutting dovetail joints. The difference being the thickness of the body of the chisel, as well as the angle of the edges, permitting easier access to the joint.
Butt chisel: short chisel with beveled sides and straight edge for creating joints.
Carving chisels: used for intricate designs and sculpting; cutting edges are many; such as gouge, skew, parting, straight, paring, and V-groove.
Corner chisel: resembles a punch and has an L-shaped cutting edge. Cleans out square holes, mortises and corners with 90 degree angles.
Flooring chisel: cuts and lifts flooring materials for removal and repair; ideal for tongue-and-groove flooring.
Framing chisel: usually used with mallet; similar to a butt chisel, except it has a longer, slightly flexible blade.
Slick: a very large chisel driven by manual pressure, never struck.
Drawer lock chisel: an all metal chisel with two angled blades used for tight spaces such as cutting out the space for fitting a desk drawer lock.

Lathe tools

Woodturners use a woodworking gouge or chisel designed to cut wood as it is spun on a lathe. These tools have longer handles for more leverage, needed to counteract the tendency of the tool to react to the downward force of the spinning wood being cut or carved. In addition, the angle and method of sharpening is different.

Metalworking

Chisels used in metal work can be divided into two main categories: hot chisels and cold chisels.

Cold chisel

A cold chisel is a tool made of tempered steel used for cutting 'cold' metals,^[2] meaning that they are not used in conjunction with heating torches, forges, etc. Cold chisels are used to remove waste metal when a very smooth finish is not required or when the work cannot be done easily with other tools, such as a hacksaw, file, bench shears or power tools.

The name cold chisel comes from its use by blacksmiths to cut metal while it was cold as compared to other tools they used to cut hot metal. Because cold chisels are used to form metal, they have a less-acute angle to the sharp portion of the blade than a woodworking chisel. This gives the cutting edge greater strength at the expense of sharpness.

Cold chisels come in a variety of sizes, from fine engraving tools that are tapped with very light hammers, to massive tools that are driven with sledgehammers. Cold chisels are forged to shape and hardened and tempered (to a blue colour) at the cutting edge.

The head of the chisel is chamfered to slow down the formation of the mushroom shape caused by hammering and is left soft to avoid brittle fracture splintering from hammer blows.

There are four common types of cold chisels. These are the flat chisel, the most widely known type, which is used to cut bars and rods to reduce surfaces and to cut sheet metal that is too thick or difficult to cut with tin snips. The cross cut chisel is used for cutting grooves and slots. The blade narrows behind the cutting edge to provide clearance. The round nose chisel is used for cutting semi-circular grooves for oil ways in bearings. The diamond point chisel is used for cleaning out corners or difficult places and pulling over centre punch marks wrongly placed for drilling.

Although the vast majority of cold chisels are made of steel, a few are manufactured from beryllium copper, for use in special situations where non-sparking tools are required.

Cold chisels are predominantly used in Repoussé and chasing processes for the fabrication of bronze and aluminium sculptures.

Hot chisel

A hot chisel is used to cut metal that has been heated in a forge to soften the metal. One type of hot chisel is the hotcut hardy, which is used in an anvil hardy hole with the cutting edge facing up. The hot workpiece to be cut is placed over the chisel and struck with a hammer. The hammer drives the workpiece into the chisel, which allows it to be snapped off with a pair of tongs. This tool is also often used in combination with a "top fuller" type of hotcut, when the piece being cut is particularly large.

Stone

Stone chisels are used to carve or cut stone, bricks or concrete slabs. To cut, as opposed to carve, a brick bolster is used; this has a wide, flat blade that is tapped along the cut line to produce a groove, then hit hard in the centre to crack the stone. Sculptors use a spoon chisel, which is bent, with the bevel on both sides. To increase the force, stone chisels are often hit with club hammers, a heavier type of hammer.

Masonry

Masonry chisels are typically heavy, with a relatively dull head that wedges and breaks, rather than cuts. Often used as a demolition tool, they may be mounted on a hammer drill, jackhammer, or hammered manually, usually with a heavy hammer of three pounds or more. These chisels normally have an SDS, SDS-MAX, or 1-1/8" Hex connection. Types of masonry chisels include the following:^[3]

Moil (point) chisels
Flat chisels
Asphalt cutters
Carbide bushing tools
Clay spade
Flexible chisels
Tamper

A plugging chisel has a tapered edge for cleaning out hardened mortar. The chisel is held with one hand and struck with a hammer. The direction of the taper in the blade determines if the chisel cuts deep or runs shallow along the joint.

Leather

In leather work, a chisel is a tool used to punch holes in a piece leather. The chisel has between one and seven (or possibly more) tines that are carefully placed along the line where the holes are desired, and then the top of the chisel is struck with a hammer until the tines penetrate the leather. They are then withdrawn, and the leather worker then stitches through the resulting holes.

Gouge

A modern gouge is similar to a chisel except its blade edge is not flat, but instead is curved or angled in cross-section. The modern version is generally hafted inline, the blade and handle typically having the same long axis. If the bevel of the blade is on the outer surface of the curve the gouge is called an 'outcannel' gouge, otherwise it is known as an 'incannel' gouge. Gouges with angled rather than curved blades are often called 'V-gouges' or 'vee-parting tools'.

The blade geometry is defined by a semi-standardized numbering system that varies by manufacturer and country of origin. For each gouge a "sweep number" is specified that expresses the part of a circle defined by the curve of the blade. The sweep number usually ranges from #1, or flat, up to #9, a semi-circle, with additional specialized gouges at higher numbers, such as the U-shaped #11, and a v-tool or parting tool, which may be an even higher number such as #41. In addition to sweep, gouges are also specified by the distance from one edge of the blade to the other (this corresponds to the chord of the circle section defined by the edge of the blade). Putting these pieces together, two numbers are used to specify the shape of the cutting edge of a gouge, such as a '#7-20mm'. Some manufacturers provide charts with the sweeps of their blades shown graphically.

In addition to varying blade sweeps, bevels, and widths, blade variations include:

'Crank-neck' gouges, in which the blade is offset from the handle by a small distance, to allow working flat to a surface
'Spoon-bent' gouges, in which the blade is curved along its length, to allow working in a hollow not otherwise accessible with a straight bladed gouge
'Fishtail' gouges, in which the blade is very narrow for most of its length and then broadens out near the working edge, to allow working in tight spaces.

All of these specialized gouges allow a craftsperson to cut into areas that may not be possible with a regular, straight-bladed gouge.

The cutting shape of a gouge may also be held in an adze, roughly as the shape of a modern-day mattock.

Gouges are used in woodworking and arts. For example, a violin luthier uses gouges to carve the violin, a cabinetmaker may use it for running flutes or paring curves,^[4] or an artist may produce a piece of art by cutting some bits out of a sheet of linoleum (see also Linocut).

Gouges were found at a number of historic Bronze Age hoards found in Great Britain.

References

^ ^a ^b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Chisel" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 247.
^ "Choosing the Right Jackhammer Tool for the Job" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
^ "'True' Gouges". Archived from the original on 2014-11-01. Retrieved 2014-11-01.

External links

Sharpening, Honing and Polishing Gouges and Other Carving Tools

Bibliography

Reader's Digest Book of Skills & Tools ISBN 0-89577-469-0

[1] "Chisel, n.1" def. 1.a. Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009

[EB1911-2] Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Chisel" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 247.

[3] "Choosing the Right Jackhammer Tool for the Job" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-22.

[4] "'True' Gouges". Archived from the original on 2014-11-01. Retrieved 2014-11-01.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Short description|Tool for cutting and carving}}
-{{About|the cutting tool|a hardware description language (HDL)|Chisel (programming language)|the Australian rock band 'Cold Chisel'|Cold Chisel}}
+{{About|the cutting tool|the hardware description language|Chisel (programming language)|the Australian rock band 'Cold Chisel'|Cold Chisel}}
 {{more citations needed|date=April 2014}}
+[[File:Neolithic chisels 4100-2700 BC.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Neolithic stone chisels from Schleswig-Holstein, Germany around 4100 to 2700 BCE]]
+[[File:Wood chisels.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|A selection of modern wood chisels]]
+A '''chisel''' is a [[wedge]]d [[hand tool]] with a characteristically shaped cutting edge on the end of its [[blade]], for [[carving]] or cutting a hard material (e.g. [[woodworking|wood]], [[lapidary|stone]], or [[metalworking|metal]]). The tool can be used by hand, struck with a [[mallet]], or applied with [[mechanical advantage|mechanical power]].<ref>"Chisel, n.1" def. 1.a. ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © [[Oxford University Press]] 2009</ref> The handle and blade of some types of chisel are made of metal or wood with a sharp edge in it (such that wood chisels have lent part of their name to a particular [[Grind#Typical grinds|grind]]).
-[[Image:Neolithic chisels 4100-2700 BC.jpg|thumb|Neolithic stone chisels from Schleswig-Holstein, Germany around 4100 to 2700 BCE]]
-A '''chisel''' is a [[tool]] with a characteristically shaped cutting edge (such that wood chisels have lent part of their name to a particular [[Grind#Typical grinds|grind]]) of [[blade]] on its end, for carving or cutting a hard material such as [[wood]], [[Rock (geology)|stone]], or [[Metalworking|metal]] by hand, struck with a mallet, or  mechanical power.<ref>"Chisel, n.1" def. 1.a. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009</ref> The handle and blade of some types of chisel are made of metal or of wood with a sharp edge in it.
 Chiselling use involves forcing the blade into some material to cut it. The driving force may be applied by pushing by hand, or by using a [[mallet]] or [[hammer]]. In industrial use, a [[hydraulic ram]] or falling weight ('[[trip hammer]]') may be used to drive a chisel into the material.
-A [[Chisel#Gouge|gouge]] (one type of chisel) serves to carve small pieces from the material, particularly in [[woodworking]], [[woodturning]] and [[sculpture]].  Gouges  most frequently produce concave surfaces.  A gouge typically has a 'U'-shaped cross-section.
+A [[Chisel#Gouge|gouge]] is a type of chisel that serves to carve small pieces from the material; particularly in [[woodworking]], [[woodturning]] and [[sculpture]]. Gouges most frequently produce concave surfaces and have a U-shaped cross-section.
 ==Etymology==
-''Chisel'' comes from the Old French ''cisel'', modern ''ciseau'', late Latin ''cisellum'', a cutting tool, from ''caedere'', to cut.<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Chisel|volume=6|page=247}}</ref>
+''Chisel'' comes from the Old French ''cisel'', modern ''ciseau'', Late Latin ''cisellum'', a cutting tool, from ''caedere'', to cut.<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Chisel|volume=6|page=247}}</ref>
 ==History==
-[[File:Bone Chisel reconstruction.jpg|thumb|Reconstruction chisel made from a robust [[Limbs of the horse#Legs| cannonbone]], cutting a [[mortise and tenon|mortise]]]]
+[[File:Bone Chisel reconstruction.jpg|thumb|Reconstruction chisel made from a robust [[Limbs of the horse#Legs|cannon bone]], cutting a [[mortise and tenon|mortise]]]]
+Chisels are common in the archeological record. Chisel-cut materials have also been found.
-Chisels are one of the oldest tools used by early humans, examples have been found from the stone, bronze and iron ages. The first chisels were made from flakes of flint in the early stone age, these were then used to cut and shape softer stone tools and wood. As the ice age was ending humans became less nomadic and started building permanent houses out of wood, the chisel became one of the most important tools for their survival. Using chisels, axes and the adz they were able to "turn wood into an almost universal building material, for a host of new things was now possible, such as dugout canoes of oak, paddles and framing for hide-covered boats, sledges, skis, wooden platters and ladles, as well as other household gear."(Hartenberg)
-Once people realized that naturally occurring metals such as copper and iron could be worked into different shapes they began using metal for tools as it would hold an edge better and was more resistant to breaking. Copper was the metal of choice at the beginning of this era since it was much easier to work with due to it being more malleable than iron and became stronger through cold working. As metalworking techniques became more advanced people began adding different metals to their copper to enhance the material properties, in doing so they created bronze. The Egyptians used copper and bronze chisels to create the pyramids.
-When metalworking techniques like annealing and casting came about iron became much easier to work with and process into steel, which then became the metal of choice for tools due to its strength, ductility and edge retention properties. This brought about the modern steel chisel, however, there have been many advancements in chisel shapes used to perform a specific job. There has also been advancements to the blades of chisels that allow harder materials to be cut like embedding diamonds or using very hard alloys.
 ==Woodworking{{Anchor|Woodworking chisels}}==
 [[Image:Wood chisel.JPG|thumb|right|A sharp wood chisel in combination with a [[Forstner bit|forstner]] wood drill bit is used to form this mortise for a half-lap joint in a timber frame.]]
+[[File:Firmer-chisel.png|thumb|Parts of a wood chisel]]
 Woodworking chisels range from small hand tools for tiny details, to large chisels used to remove big sections of wood, in 'roughing out' the shape of a pattern or design.  Typically, in [[Wood carving|woodcarving]], one starts with a larger tool, and gradually progresses to smaller tools to finish the detail.  One of the largest types of chisel is the [[Framing Slick|slick]], used in [[Timber framing|timber frame]] [[construction]] and wooden shipbuilding. There are many types of woodworking chisels used for specific purposes, such as:
 ; Firmer chisel : has a blade with a thick rectangular cross section, making them stronger for use on tougher and heavier work.
@@ Line 28: / Line 26: @@
 ; Mortise chisel : thick, rigid blade with straight cutting edge and deep, slightly tapered sides to make [[mortise and tenon|mortises]] and similar joints. Common types are registered and sash mortice chisels.
 ; Paring chisel : has a long blade ideal for cleaning grooves and accessing tight spaces.
-; Skew chisel : has a 60 degree cutting angle and is used for trimming and finishing across the grain.
+; Skew chisel : has a 60 degree cutting angle and is used for trimming and finishing across the grain on a [[wood lathe]].
 ; Dovetail chisel : made specifically for cutting [[dovetail]] joints. The difference being the thickness of the body of the chisel, as well as the angle of the edges, permitting easier access to the joint.
 ; Butt chisel : short chisel with beveled sides and straight edge for creating joints.
 ; Carving chisels : used for intricate designs and sculpting; cutting edges are many; such as gouge, skew, parting, straight, paring, and V-groove.
-; Corner chisel : resembles a punch and has an L-shaped cutting edge. Cleans out square holes, mortises and corners with 90 degree angles.
+; [[Corner chisel]] : resembles a punch and has an L-shaped cutting edge. Cleans out square holes, mortises and corners with 90 degree angles.
 ; Flooring chisel : cuts and lifts flooring materials for removal and repair; ideal for tongue-and-groove flooring.
 ; Framing chisel : usually used with mallet; similar to a butt chisel, except it has a longer, slightly flexible blade.
@@ Line 39: / Line 37: @@
 == Lathe tools ==
+[[File:Working at Wood-turning lathe.jpg|thumb|[[Woodturning]] with a long handled chisel]]
-A lathe tool is a woodworking gouge or chisel designed to cut wood as it is spun on a  [[Lathe (tool)|lathe]].  These tools have longer handles for more leverage, needed to counteract the tendency of the tool to react to the downward force of the spinning wood being cut or carved. In addition, the angle and method of sharpening is different; a secondary bevel would not be ground on the tool.
+[[Woodturner]]s use a woodworking gouge or chisel designed to cut wood as it is spun on a  [[lathe]].  These tools have longer handles for more leverage, needed to counteract the tendency of the tool to react to the downward force of the spinning wood being cut or carved. In addition, the angle and method of sharpening is different.
 ==Metalworking==
@@ Line 45: / Line 44: @@
 ===Cold chisel===
-[[Image:ColdChisels.jpg|thumb|Top: Bull point chisel<br />Bottom: Cold chisel]]
+[[Image:ColdChisels.jpg|thumb|left|Top: Bull point chisel<br />Bottom: Cold chisel]]
-A cold chisel is a tool made of [[tempered steel]] used for cutting 'cold' metals,<ref name=EB1911/> meaning that they are not used in conjunction with heating torches, forges, etc. Cold chisels are used to remove waste metal when a very smooth finish is not required or when the work cannot be done easily with other tools, such as a hacksaw, file, bench shears or power tools.
+A cold chisel is a tool made of [[tempered steel]] used for cutting 'cold' metals,<ref name=EB1911/> meaning that they are not used in conjunction with heating torches, forges, etc. Cold chisels are used to remove waste metal when a very smooth finish is not required or when the work cannot be done easily with other tools, such as a [[hacksaw]], file, bench shears or power tools.
 The name cold chisel comes from its use by blacksmiths to cut metal while it was cold as compared to other tools they used to cut hot metal. Because cold chisels are used to form metal, they have a less-acute angle to the sharp portion of the blade than a woodworking chisel. This gives the cutting edge greater strength at the expense of sharpness.
@@ Line 55: / Line 54: @@
 The head of the chisel is chamfered to slow down the formation of the mushroom shape caused by hammering and is left soft to avoid brittle fracture splintering from hammer blows.
-There are four common types of cold chisels. These are the '''flat chisel''', the most widely known type, which is used to cut bars and rods to reduce surfaces and to cut sheet metal that is too thick or difficult to cut with [[tin snips]]. The '''cross cut chisel''' is used for cutting grooves and slots. The blade narrows behind the cutting edge to provide clearance. The '''round nose chisel''' is used for cutting semi-circular grooves for oil ways in bearings. The '''diamond point chisel''' is used for cleaning out corners or difficult places and pulling over centre punch marks wrongly placed for drilling.
+There are four common types of cold chisels. These are the ''flat chisel'', the most widely known type, which is used to cut bars and rods to reduce surfaces and to cut sheet metal that is too thick or difficult to cut with [[tin snips]]. The ''cross cut chisel'' is used for cutting grooves and slots. The blade narrows behind the cutting edge to provide clearance. The ''round nose chisel'' is used for cutting semi-circular grooves for oil ways in bearings. The ''diamond point chisel'' is used for cleaning out corners or difficult places and pulling over centre punch marks wrongly placed for drilling.
 Although the vast majority of cold chisels are made of steel, a few are manufactured from [[beryllium copper]], for use in special situations where non-[[Ember|sparking]] tools are required.
-Cold Chisels are predominantly used in [[Repoussé and chasing]] processes for the fabrication of [[bronze]] and [[aluminium]] [[sculptures]].
+Cold chisels are predominantly used in [[Repoussé and chasing]] processes for the fabrication of [[bronze]] and [[aluminium]] [[sculptures]].
 ===Hot chisel===
@@ Line 90: / Line 89: @@
 A ''plugging chisel'' has a tapered edge for cleaning out hardened [[Mortar (masonry)|mortar]]. The chisel is held with one hand and struck with a hammer. The direction of the taper in the blade determines if the chisel cuts deep or runs shallow along the joint.
+==Leather==
+In [[leather work]], a chisel is a tool used to punch holes in a piece leather.  The chisel has between one and seven (or possibly more) tines that are carefully placed along the line where the holes are desired, and then the top of the chisel is struck with a hammer until the tines penetrate the leather. They are then withdrawn, and the leather worker then stitches through the resulting holes.
 == Gouge ==
@@ Line 131: / Line 133: @@
 ==Bibliography==
-{{commons|Chisel|Chisels}}
+{{commons}}
 * [[Reader's Digest]] Book of Skills & Tools {{ISBN|0-89577-469-0}}
-* Hartenberg, Richard S. “Neolithic Tools.” ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/technology/hand-tool/File
-* “The Egyptian Pyramid.” ''Smithsonian Institution'', https://www.si.edu/spotlight/ancient-egypt/pyramid#:~:text=Egyptians%20had%20copper%20tools%20such,cut%20the%20relatively%20soft%20stone.&text=Workmen%20may%20have%20used%20an,with%20the%20drills%20and%20saws
-* Lowe, Maria. “To Use or Not to Use a Minoan Chisel? Ancient Technology in a New Light.” ''EXARC Journal'', 15 May 2014, https://exarc.net/issue-2014-2/ea/use-or-not-use-minoan-chisel-ancient-technology-new-light
 {{Cutting and abrasive tools}}

v t e Stonemasonry
Types	Ashlar Rustication Carving Dry stone Letter cutting Masonry Post-tensioned stone Massive precut stone Monumental Rubble Sculpture Slipform Snecked
Materials	Artificial stone Brick Cast stone Decorative stones Dimension stone Fieldstone Flagstone Gabion Granite Grout Lime mortar Limestone Marble Types Mortar Sandstone List Slate Stone veneer
Tools	Angle grinder Bush hammer Ceramic tile cutter Chisel Diamond blade Lewis (lifting appliance) Trowel Non-explosive demolition agents Plug and feather Stonemason's hammer Straightedge
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Organizations	International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland Mason Contractors Association of America Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' International Association Worshipful Company of Masons