Technique for sharpening chisels - choosing the right angle. Home master

1. Definition
2. Types of tools
3. How to do it yourself
4. Chisel from a milling cutter
5. Semicircular chisels
6. We use a file
7. Files
8. Angle chisels

Any craftsman who works with wood has carpentry chisels in his arsenal. This hand tool helps in processing wooden workpieces; a well-sharpened blade of various shapes is used for carving of any complexity. You can purchase ready-made sets of devices, experienced craftsmen They prefer to make wood chisels with their own hands - they turn out to be perfectly adapted to a particular carver.

Definition

What is a chisel: this is a professional tool for a carpenter or joiner, which is used to prepare wooden blanks for processing, for chamfering, and applying carving patterns by removing excess layers of wood. The design includes a plastic or more often a wooden handle and a sharpened blade of various shapes.

Types of tools

Wood chisel in different options execution helps the craftsman process wooden blanks and decorate products. For these purposes, take tools from different shapes blades. Types of chisels for wood carving:

The presented types are used by craftsmen in different quantities. Their modifications can also be different: flat can be wide or narrow, angular - wide-angle or narrow-angle, round bend flattened or radial. Ready-made kits contain tools in different configurations, which are not always complete or necessary for a particular master. Therefore, many joiners and carpenters prefer to make chisels for wood carving with their own hands. The quality of work with such devices is no different from using factory tools.

Application for wood carving

Any woodworking professional should know how to work with this tool.

Wide chisel with a straight blade shape suitable for initial processing wooden blank. With its help, coarse fibers, knots, and other irregularities are removed. The tool can be used as a chisel to knock out holes using impact pulses.

The device is used to remove chamfers, the ends of narrow edges, and to machine recesses.

The tool is universal in use: it can be held at a right or sharp angle, depending on the desired effect. The lines are drawn by hand or using a ruler; for this it is better to use a metal one.

Curly chisels are used as needed in a similar way: to work surface Place the tool and remove excess wood using pressure movements. The impact force will allow you to get deep cuts and clear shapes.

How to do it yourself

Manufacturing quality instrument begin with the right choice materials. For the blade you can take:

• Metal cutter. Among other blanks, this one has sufficient rigidity and holds an edge well.
• Metal drills will become the basis for narrow mini-chisels.
• A semicircle can be easily obtained from a used punch.
• A chisel for corners can be made from any profiled tool.
• The file will also be an excellent source for a carpenter's chisel.
• Needle files become the basis for creating a thin tool.

To make a mini chisel, you can take a small piece of metal as a blank. It is more convenient to create small instruments at home.

For the handle we'll take wooden beam. It is much more reliable than plastic, and it sits more confidently in the hand.

On the market you can find forged chisels for wood carving. They are made from durable carbon steel, they are resistant to wear and keep their shape and sharpness longer.

We will look at ways to create professional chisels from scrap materials.

Let's prepare the tool:

1. Metal cutter;
2. Pliers and forceps;
3. A container of water to cool hot metal.

Chisel from a milling cutter

A do-it-yourself chisel is made very quickly using the following algorithm:

In this way you can make straight or beveled mini chisels. Instead of a disk, any part made of durable steel will do.

Metal drill tool

How to make a chisel from a drill is not difficult:

• The end is flattened with an impact load or cut off;
• We give the knife the required form. A drill makes excellent marigolds or rivets;
• Using the given algorithm we make a handle.

Chisels from drill are widely used in carpentry practice: they can be made easily and quickly, and most importantly - according to the required, thinnest sizes and shapes.

Semicircular chisels

The most common semicircular chisel for wood carving is obtained from a punch - the workpiece already has the desired shape. All that remains is to cut off the excess metal and sharpen the blade.

How to make a semicircular chisel:

1. Take a punch of the required diameter.
2. Use a saw to cut off the excess part of the radius.
3. While the metal is warm, it can be given the desired roundness, for example, a semicircle can be slightly flattened to obtain a semi-oval.
4. Sharpening the blade.
5. Let's make a handle.

We use a file

A file chisel is made on a grinding wheel. This is how thick straight cutters and chisels are made. It is necessary to sharpen the file under the right angle and insert the workpiece into wooden handle.

If desired, you can turn a corner chisel from a square file. To do this, you need to stock up on a good abrasive for a metal wheel.

Files

A thin needle file will make an excellent tool for cutting any shape. Moreover, you can do it right in the kitchen over the gas stove.

Angle chisels

For their production we use any profile product made of durable steel. Using the methods already described, we cut off the excess metal and sharpen the workpieces at the desired angle.

The tool can also be made by bending a workpiece of any shape, although this is not suitable for cutting hard wood.

I once sharpened a couple of narrow chisels, they seemed sharp, they cut well, but the chamfer, which in theory should be flat, always turned out to be semicircular. These are, of course, all little things and don’t affect the quality of the work, especially if you don’t do wood carving and use chisels only occasionally, when you need to cut out grooves or recesses for hinges and locks. It’s easy to get rid of this jamb on an electric sharpener, but when manual sharpening somewhat tedious.

And when it came to a 4 cm wide chisel, I realized that I needed to make some kind of holder (corner). I didn’t want to bother too much with its design, since we use chisels once every five years and won’t have to sharpen them very often. At first I tried to make it on a hinge so that I could adjust the sharpening angle, but I quickly abandoned this idea, the design turned out to be shaky, and when you set the angle to less than 40°, the design begins to take up a lot of space.

In general, I assembled a monolithic corner from three pieces of chipboard, a couple of corners and several screws. The length of the main piece was determined using a chisel (so that the handle did not rest against the counter).

This piece (platform) is needed so that the handle of the chisel does not get in the way when tightening it with the plate.

We drill, countersink and screw the platform.

I screwed a plate from a window shutter as a clamp.

I placed the stand and marked the holes on it

Before screwing it into place, I sawed off the corners to make it easier to hold the corner when sharpening

Reinforced with two long self-tapping screws.

Tests showed a slight backlash when pressing strongly on the corner, so it is better to install metal corners with a stiffening rib or cut triangles from the same chipboard instead of iron corners. Better yet, just cut out a ready-made monolithic corner in the shape of the letter L from chipboard or plywood, thus getting rid of any joints in the corner, but this will be a completely different design. The dimensions were not particularly calculated, everything was assembled from pieces of chipboard, but just in case I drew the dimensions.

In this place (photo below), from the corner on which the corner stands, I cut off a couple of millimeters of the PVC edge, since during sharpening such a long contact area slowed down the corner very well, I left only three centimeters at the edges as legs, the best option it would be possible to screw the rollers around the edges, but this would complicate the already complex design. :-)

This is a very old homemade chisel on which I will check the corner, a little broken of course, but the piece of iron itself is good :-)

Everything is assembled and ready for sharpening.

I sharpened it on regular sandpaper in three passes, the lightest and the paste is for showing off, but more on that below :-)

Here I made a mistake that increased the working time several times; before sharpening, I slightly aligned the cutting edge with the Dremel so that it was smooth and not a semicircle, but as it turned out, the chisel had slight wear on the opposite side at the corners. This means that to get a straight edge I would have to chamfer 5-6 mm. I know that it’s supposed to be smooth, but I decided to make an exception for myself. :-)

This photo shows how easy it is to set the desired sharpening angle; I didn’t get too carried away with geometry, I simply placed two pieces of chipboard under the chamfer and thereby obtained the angle that this chisel had before sharpening.

The chamfer is brought to the plane.

The formation of a burr begins, the rounding of the corners of the edge is already visible due to the wear on top of the corners. I didn't dwell on it.

After the burr has appeared along the entire edge, we move on to paper with a finer grain, and then to the finest grain, the more steps the less consumption paper.

I used this paper as a scratch paper, (it’s the same one at the top) and removed the remaining burr on it.

After zeroing you can already see the reflection almost like in a mirror :-)

And it cuts paper quite well, although with a little effort, and at the same time it must be moved from side to side, the movements are similar to how bread is usually cut.

In principle, this kind of sharpening is enough for me, but I still decided to try to bring it to planing hair. To show off, I used what was at hand, namely, paper with even finer crumbs and goyim paste.

I didn’t find a belt or a piece of leather, I just applied the paste to a sheet of paper and polished the chamfer on it.

The result was a mirror, the paper began to be cut a little easier, sometimes it is even unnecessary to move it from side to side, but simply feed it onto the blade. It doesn't cut hair well, it only cut off a few hairs, so you can say it doesn't cut hair at all. Most likely I'm sharpening incorrectly, but that doesn't matter, the thread is about a corner for sharpening flat pieces of iron, and everyone sharpens in their own way. :-)

Video fragment. Well, somehow, somehow, she cuts my paper. :-)

In general, I am satisfied with the corner, the geometry in the reflection does not break much, which means the corner does its job.

Proper sharpening of the chisel ensures precise cutting and ease of control of the tool. However, not only the sharpness of its blade is important, but also the sharpening angles, which depend on the type of tool and the characteristics of the work performed. If you sharpen the cutting surface correctly and maintain the appropriate chamfer angle, the carpenter will make much less effort when removing chips and can easily maintain their thickness. And this directly affects not only the cutting accuracy, but also labor productivity.

The cutting part of the chisel can be sharpened and finished using both manual and powered abrasive tools. As a rule, these are various sharpening stones, sandpaper-wrapped stones, sheet abrasives, polishing bases made of cloth and felt, as well as vertical and horizontal sharpening machines. In order to sharpen a chisel, you first need to fix it at the desired angle to the abrasive plane. Many people do this manually, which, with certain skills, provides more or less acceptable quality. However, most craftsmen sharpen chisels using special devices, fixing their blades strictly at a given angle.

The chisel is manual carpentry tool, consisting of a handle and a blade, which in everyday life is also called a blade (see figure below). Her metal part made of tool steel, and the handle is made of hardwood: oak, beech, hornbeam, birch, acacia. IN Lately modern materials are also used as material for handles polymer materials. Wood is cut using a chamfer cutting edge, the sharpening angle of which depends on the type and purpose of the chisel.

Sharpening a chisel yourself is not difficult if you follow certain rules. Regardless of what and how you assemble it (manually or using an electric sharpener), its blade must be rigidly fixed at a given angle, not only in the longitudinal direction, but also in the transverse direction. Inclinations of the chamfer to the right or to the left are unacceptable, as this causes the tool to drift and uneven chip removal.

The chamfer can be sharpened using a grinding stone with a grain size of 300÷400 microns. The main thing is to achieve its linearity and equality of angles of inclination on both sides of the canvas. The finishing and sharpening of the cutting edge is carried out on a grinding stone with a grain size of 50÷80 microns.

The inclination of the chisel blade chamfer depends on the type of work for which it is intended. Typically its value lies in the range of 25±5º. This value is standardized by GOST 1184-80, but in practice it may differ slightly in one direction or another. Typically, the angle at which a chisel blade needs to be sharpened is directly related to its thickness: thicker blades tend to have a steeper bevel.

To perform slotting work using a mallet, the chamfer must be sharpened at an angle of 27÷30º. The steeper angle prevents damage to the cutting edge when significant impact forces are applied to the chisel. If you have the only chisel at home, it is better to sharpen it with a bevel of about 25º - this is suitable for most carpentry work. But for accurate trimming and removal of thin chips, the tool will have to be sharpened to 20÷22º. The bevel of the cutting edge relative to the chamfer plane is usually about 5º.

Sharpening accessories

A standard chisel sharpening kit includes three main components: an abrasive for initial processing, abrasives for finishing, and a sharpening mandrel for fixing the angle at which the blade needs to be sharpened. The latter is divided into two types: equipment, with which the cutting edge can be sharpened to abrasive wheel electric sharpeners, and manual mandrels for grinding on bars and sheet abrasives.

Manual devices have many options: from homemade wooden devices, in which the angle is set using wedges, to factory-made metal products with angular adjustment. All of them are designed approximately the same and consist of two main functional components: a carriage for moving along the abrasive surface and an inclined platform with a clamp, which is set at the required angle before sharpening the blade. In order to sharpen a chamfer, use both hand tools, and a power tool, but the finishing of the cutting edge is done only by hand.

Using a wheel and sandpaper

When forming a chisel chamfer, various sharpening stones are used: both round ones on an electric sharpener, and flat ones in the form of sharpening and grinding stones, as well as sheet sanding material on fabric and paper based. To sharpen the bevel of a chisel, you need to make sure that its speed and the sharpening wheel installed on it will not cause overheating and release of the metal of the chisel. The rotation speed of the spindle of the electric sharpener should not be higher than 1800÷2000 rpm, but a viscous, medium-soft one with a grinding filler (for example, aluminum oxide) should be used.

In order to sharpen and polish a chisel blade efficiently, it is necessary to use abrasive products that combine both grinding and polishing qualities. Sharpening water stones are best suited for this role. Before starting work, they must be soaked in water, which rises to the surface during sharpening, mixes with abrasive dust and creates a viscous grinding suspension. Fine-grained sheet metal is also well suited for this type of work. abrasive material. During the sharpening process, it must be wetted, so it is advisable to use waterproof sandpaper. You can sharpen the chamfer and edge of a chisel using this material by securing it to a flat surface or wrapping it around a wooden block.

Having sharpened the chamfer at the desired angle, you can proceed to the finishing operation, during which the cutting edge will be brought to the utmost sharpness, all micro-irregularities and scratches will be removed from the working surface, and it will be polished to a mirror shine. IN in this case grinding is a consequence of finishing, since the main goal at this stage is the linear accuracy of the working surfaces.

Finishing and grinding are inherently different operations. The first provides the geometric accuracy of the chamfer plane, and the second - the class of its roughness. An ideal mirror surface can be tilted to the left or right or have a significant convexity, which will lead the chisel to the side when moving.

There are two ways to sharpen the cutting edge at the finishing stage. Either simply bring the working end of the chamfer to the required sharpness, or form a small bevel at its end a few millimeters wide with an inclination to the chamfer of approximately 5º. To do this, first the main plane is adjusted, then the sharpening mandrel is set at an angle of 30º, after which grinding continues until it reaches given width bevel.

The process of sharpening a chisel with your own hands

Sharpening the cutting edge of a chisel with your own hands requires a strong grip, attentiveness and patience, as well as a minimum set of sharpening and grinding materials. If you need to significantly change the sharpening angle, it is better to first use sharpening machine. If there is no such need, then you can sharpen your chisel in the following order:

1. Grind the chamfer using an abrasive stone until there are no visible holes or damage. It is necessary to strictly maintain its inclination not only in the longitudinal, but also in the transverse direction. This can be done either manually or using a homemade clamping device from several wooden blocks.
2. Check the line of the cutting edge, which should be strictly perpendicular to the chisel blade. If not, straighten it with a sharpening stone and then re-sharpen it to a sharp point.
3. Wrap wooden block fine-grained sanding paper, secure it with nails or staples, moisten it with water, and then, carefully pressing the chamfer to the abrasive surface, grind it to a shine and an extremely sharp edge. If desired, the blade can then be polished on a felt wheel using polishing paste.
4. If you need to sharpen a chisel with a bevel on the edge, then grinding is best done with a stop, lifting the blade up by about 5º.
5. After finishing work, carefully wipe the chisel dry.

To properly sharpen a chisel, you need to remember one important thing: technical rule performing grinding and sharpening work: all movements should be performed in one direction only.

In Russian-language articles, authors almost never focus on sharpening the bevel of the cutting edge. In practice, many people actually do without this option and use straight edge chisels. What do you think about this? What's the best way to sharpen a chisel? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments to this article.

Carpenter's and joiner's tools are as necessary in a home craftsman's arsenal as a hammer, pliers or a screwdriver. But in addition to having this tool, it is advisable to skillfully use a chisel or chisel. It is correct to say: “As you sharpen the instrument, so will you play.”

What is a chisel and what is a chisel

A wood chisel is a carpentry tool designed for gouging out deep grooves and sockets.

The tool has the form of an elongated metal bar fixed in the handle. The end of the chisel handle is looped with a crimping element that protects the handle from splitting.

A chisel is a hand-held woodworking tool in the form of a sharpened steel plate with a handle. A wood chisel is designed for cutting chamfers, making small recesses and processing small curved surfaces and grooves. Structurally, a chisel consists of a sharpened blade and a handle, usually wooden, less often metal.

The chisel differs from a chisel in the sharpening angle of the cutting element, as well as in the absence of a double-sided chamfer along the entire length of the blade, relative to the sharpening side. Another difference between a carpenter's chisel and a chisel is the larger diameter of the metal rod, so it is impossible to confuse a chisel with a chisel.

Classification of chisels

Chisels are classified according to the method of advancement in the material cavity, the shape of the handle and size. However, the main classification parameter is the shape of the tool: longitudinal or transverse. That's why further application chisels depends precisely on this shape.

Method of advancement and principle of operation of chisels

The method of advancing the chisel in the material can be achieved by briefly hitting the handle with a special tool: a hammer or mallet. This type of chisel is used when working with hard wood that requires significant physical effort.

Externally, chisels of this type have a long handle and a cutting part. When working, the chisel is held with one hand, and rhythmic blows are made on the handle with the other. To strengthen the structure of the handle, reinforcement is made - a loop. When working, it is better to give preference to a polyurethane or rubber hammer. Another type of chisel has a long handle but a shorter cutting part. This chisel is designed to work with both hands and advance the tool.

This type of chisel works best with soft wood. The head of the handle has a rounded and smooth shape, fitting comfortably in the hand. You can use a rubber hammer in case of dense wood for better progress in the material. There are also chisels, the advancement of which in the material is carried out exclusively by hand.

This type of chisel is much thinner and shorter than other types. Advancement in the material will depend on the sharpening angle of the cutting part and the size of the object being processed. Professional woodcarvers and wood inlayists prefer to work with this type of chisel.

Cutting element shape

The transverse shape of the cutting element, and this means the end profile of the blade, is divided into the following types:
Transverse shape
straight
flat
radius
stapled
corner

Chisels with a straight blade have a strict shape without bends.
Chisels with a flat transverse profile are distinguished by the thickness and width of the blade, as well as the straight or curved shape of the cut.
Radius chisels are the most common type. A radius chisel is a cutting tool with a part of a circle in its profile.

When choosing a radius chisel, you can perform a simple test: a chisel placed on the end should ideally outline a circle around itself. Agree that such a universal chisel will allow you to carry out carpentry work quickly and accurately.

Bracket or box chisels are a tool whose cutting part is equipped with sides of different heights.
Angle chisels have a profile in the form of the Latin letter V. The main parameters of this type of cutters are the height of the side of the corner and the angle, reaching 90 degrees.

Longitudinal shape
cranberries
curved.
Cranberry chisels have a sharp longitudinal bend in the cut, which begins to bend closer to the end of the chisel blade.
Curved chisels have a full longitudinal bend of the blade. In this case, the canvas has a bend not in a separate part, as for example in cranberries, but in the entire canvas.
Working with a chisel and chisel will be comfortable if the tool is well and correctly sharpened. How to sharpen a chisel correctly?

How to sharpen a chisel

Any home handyman knows that the working condition of a manual cutting tool characterizes good sharpening. It is not difficult to guess about the quality of sharpening of a chisel by examining the cutting edge of the tool. The appearance of chipped and curved areas on the blade already indicates that it is time to look for a block, emery or abrasive wheel for sharpening.

Sharpening work is performed using whetstones, as well as abrasive sharpening machines industrial production. Carborundums, fine-grained sandstones and well-known abrasives are used to make sharpening stones.
Before starting sharpening work, the block must be moistened with machine oil. Processing the chisel blade on a block is done by applying the entire plane of the pointed part.

Pressing the tool blade against the block with your hands, forward movements are made in the direction of the chisel. The work of sharpening on an emery or abrasive wheel is done in a similar way, only in this case the movement is carried out by the wheel itself. If, after sharpening the chisel blade, burrs are formed that bend in the opposite direction, then the chisel is turned over and the entire plane is pressed against the abrasive tool. These techniques are repeated until the appearance of burrs is eliminated.

The final finishing of the blade is done with polishing paste. For sharpening semicircular, curved or corner chisels, the principle and sharpening techniques are identical. When sharpening a tool, you must carefully monitor the current state of the working surface, avoiding distortions and roundings. Therefore, the condition of the abrasive or emery wheel plays an important role in the sharpening process.

This video will help you on how to sharpen a chisel with your own hands.

It is impossible to imagine a modern carpenter without a set of chisels. And, although this woodworking tool is of German origin, our compatriots made a huge contribution to improving the standard sizes of chisels for wood carving.

Why do you need a chisel?

This tool can do a lot. IN in experienced hands Using a chisel you can:

• choose an unnecessary amount of wood, and in hard-to-reach places;
• align the edges wooden furniture;
• obtain roundings with any radii;
• create a whole composition from a shapeless piece of wood (here, however, you will need a certain set of chisels).

There is a common belief that chisels are exclusively woodworking tools, but this is not true. Certainly sharpened chisels can work on soft metal (aluminum and even mild steel), leather and plastic.

The functions of a chisel are similar to the work performed with a chisel, the difference is only in the volume of wood removed: with a chisel they are smaller, since the cutting edge itself is narrower than that of a chisel. The angle of the cutting edge is also different.

Chisels are used in the manufacture of wooden objects (carpentry chisels), for artistic wood carving (artistic cutting chisels), for processing wood on lathe(machine chisels).

Such a wide variety of carpentry operations is given to the wood carving chisel by the shape of the working part of the tool. She may be:

1. Straight - to obtain smooth edges along the entire length of the workpiece.
2. Oblique - for making narrow grooves and obtaining corner edges.
3. Semicircular and round - for shaping radius curves or spherical fragments. Sometimes such chisels are called chisels.
4. Angular, which is used to design blind holes of non-circular cross-section.
5. Curved, designed for working with undercuts and spherical surfaces (such chisels are called cranberries).

The opposite, attachment part of the chisel - the shank - is a forged conical rod that is driven into a wooden handle, after which it is fixed in it using a special ring - it is necessary so that when struck, the tool blade does not come out of the handle.

Chisel blade for carving good quality made from tool steels type 8ХФ or 13Х. The peculiarity of the metal is the presence of a fairly high percentage of carbon (at least 0.7...0.8%), as well as the obligatory presence of chromium, and sometimes tungsten. The hardness of the chisel should not be lower than HRC 59...60: otherwise, you are looking at an ordinary Chinese fake made of 45X type structural steel, which will have to be sharpened every time.

For ease of work, it is worth purchasing a set of chisels. Sets from brands Sandwik, Narex, Bahco (among the domestic ones, chisels from Enkor are listed, but under one condition - if they are made in Russia and not in China).

Technique for working with a chisel

In addition to a chisel, for wood carving you need a mallet - wooden hammer, with blows on the back of the handle, shaping occurs. You can use chisels on soft wood without a mallet.

Basic operations of thread shaping, which are performed using chisels:

1. Trimming edges. It is carried out only along the fibers, and consists of forcefully moving a straight chisel with the unsharpened part of the blade upward.
2. Side cutting and groove cutting. Here, oblique, angular or semicircular chisels are used - the type of blade is determined by the configuration of the edge. Blade sharpening is predominantly one-sided, and the quality of processing depends on the angle of sharpening: a flatter blade processes wood better, although the removal of chips in this case is less.
3. Cutting fibers in the transverse direction. It is done with a chisel of any type, but with a freshly sharpened blade, otherwise tearouts of the material and the formation of burrs are possible. The most labor-intensive technology, since the effort required is the greatest, and the waste removal per pass is the least.

1. Carving near knots. Curly chisels are used here, mostly round and semicircular. A tool of this type ensures a more gradual penetration of the blade into the workpiece, which reduces the possibility of defects during operation. The same chisels are also used for cutting grooves.
2. Cleaning the semi-finished product from wood residues. If such work is to be performed in deep, semi-closed cavities, then cranberry should be used. The curved working part of such a chisel provides access to the most difficult parts of the surface being processed.
3. Removing material on the machine. When carving, this technology is used less frequently, mainly for pre-processing. For hard wood (oak, pear, walnut), the spindle speed is reduced, and the chisel used should have a flatter blade.

It should be noted that for the success of the operation, not only the type of chisel is important, but also the width of its working blade. When carving wood, it is recommended to use a narrower tool, which provides increased precision.

Choosing chisels for carving

We have already talked about the metal of the blade. The steel grade is indicated electrographically on the chisel itself. For imported products, the labeling must contain symbols elements – W, ​​Cr, Cr+W, W+Cr+V. Some manufacturers will indicate the product and the grade of steel itself, for example, 62SiMnCr4, 80CrV2 or 86CrMoV7. Labels like “hardened steel” should not be taken seriously.

The technology for obtaining the shank is important. It must be forged, with corresponding metal flow lines. Forging gives the steel a fine-grained structure and contributes to a more uniform distribution of hardness along the length of the chisel. Otherwise, at the transition point from the blade to the shank, a zone of stress concentration is formed, which, given the impact nature of the load applied, will eventually manifest itself in the form of surface cracks. In addition, in forged shanks, the metal fibers are not cut, which gives the nozzle part increased elasticity. Instructions about forging on foreign-made chisels are provided in the form of an explanatory inscription “drop forged”. If such an inscription is missing, the shank was most likely milled, and its durability will be significantly less.

The quality of heat treatment of a chisel for wood carving can be easily determined by the nature of the burrs formed when sharpening the tool on grindstone. If the burrs are easily removed because they stick to the surface only due to magnetization forces, then the chisel is hardened correctly.

The next choice is the blade length. It should not be less than 130...150 mm, but it is also undesirable to purchase chisels with an increased length - their longitudinal resistance is reduced, and a long tool is not always practical for delicate woodwork.

Wood is more suitable for the handle material: it is “warmer” and better withstands shock loads, absorbing the bulk of vibrations. On the other hand, plastic is durable, so the final choice will be determined by the complexity and frequency of the operations performed.