How to Use a Wood Chisel

Updated: Jun. 02, 2023

Tips for sharpening and using a chisel, one of the carpenter's basic tools.

Family Handyman

A sharp wood chisel can cut mortises, shave rough surfaces, chop out corners and scrape off glue. We'll demonstrate these techniques and show you how to sharpen your chisel. The wood chisel is an indispensable member of your tool set. We'll show you how to get the most out of it.

By the DIY experts of The Family Handyman Magazine

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Wood chisel basics

You may not need one often, but when it comes time to carve out a recess for a hinge or strike plate, nothing beats a razor-sharp chisel. We’ll show you basic chiseling techniques and sharpening tips so you’ll be ready for any chiseling task with a woodworking chisel set.

Start with a new sharp 3/4-in. chisel for all-purpose use. (Keep your old dull chisel handy for jobs like cutting nails or scraping caulk.) Buy one with an impact-resistant plastic handle. You can pound on these with a hammer without damaging them. Good-quality chisels don’t cost much, and if you have a little extra cash, buy three—1/2-in., 3/4-in. and 1-in.—for a good starter set.

Even new chisels need sharpening. Polish the machine marks from the first 1 in. of the back of the chisel and hone a bevel on the face. (See “Sharpening Basics” below.) Put your chisels in a sock or a special canvas roll between uses to protect the cutting edge.

Technique 1: Mortise cuts

Photo 1: Mortise cut

Face the bevel down. Push or tap the back of the chisel to remove thin slices. Control the depth by raising and lowering the handle.

Start recesses or mortises by outlining the area with a sharp utility knife or by making a series of shallow chisel cuts perpendicular to the surface. Skip this step and you risk chipping wood outside the mortise. Then remove thin slices by tapping the chisel with a hammer, bevel side down as in Photo 1, to carve out the wood inside the perimeter.

Oops!

Chiseling with the grain can sometimes have disastrous results. If the grain runs deeper into the wood, it’ll direct the chisel too deep. Stop and chisel from the opposite direction if you feel this happening.

Technique 2: Paring cut

Photo 2: Shave the wood

Pare thin slices of wood to flatten the bottom of an open recess. Keep the back of the chisel flat on the wood. For easier slicing, pivot the chisel as you cut to move the blade in an arc.

If the recess is open on one side, like a hinge mortise, flatten the bottom by paring off thin slices with the back, unbeveled side of the chisel held flat to the wood (Photo 2).

In general, when you’re shaving into a piece of wood, face the bevel down (Photo 1). When you’re flattening a cut and have access from the side, face the bevel up and hold the back of the chisel tight to the surface (Photos 2 and 5)

Technique 3: Chopping cut

Photo 3: Remove chunks of wood

Chop out large Amounts of wood by slicing off small amounts with each cut. Strike the chisel with a hammer and chop down about 1/2 in. Then chisel from the end to remove the piece before continuing. Your chisel must be sharp for this cut.

Caution: Wear safety glasses.

Set the chisel alongside one cut edge and strike it sharply with a hammer to remove wood from notches. This isn’t fine work; the cut will be hidden by another board.

Technique 4: Chop and pare

Photo 4: Chisel a dado

Cut a groove, or dado, by first sawing along both edges to the desired depth. Then break out the wood in the middle with your chisel. Space the chisel cuts about 1/2 in. apart.

Photo 5: Fine-tune the dado

Smooth and flatten the bottom of the dado. Keep the back of the chisel flat to the bottom of the groove. Work from both ends into the center to avoid splintering the edge.

Chisel out dadoes and other more precise joints a little at a time with a series of shallow cuts rather than driving the chisel too deep (Photo 4). Use a hammer or mallet for rough work or press with the heel of your hand for lighter cutting chores or finer cuts.

Technique 5: Scraping

Photo 6: Scrape a glue joint

Scrape glue joints or other imperfections from wood projects by holding the blade at a right angle to the wood with the back of the chisel facing you. To remove thin shavings, support the blade with your fingers and press down while you draw the chisel toward you.

Scraping requires a perfectly flat, sharp edge. The chisel tip should scrape cleanly without leaving scratch marks in the wood.

Woodworking Chisel Set Sharpening Basics

Old chisels with nicked or rounded tips will need to be reshaped. Use a belt sander or grinder to remove nicks and shape the chisel to a 25-degree angle. If you’re using a grinder, dip the chisel in water every two or three seconds to prevent the tip from overheating and turning blue. If this happens, the chisel won’t hold an edge for long.

Next, polish the back of the chisel by rubbing it back and forth over progressively finer wet/dry sandpaper, pressing the back perfectly flat to the paper. For all sharpening, a good progression of paper is 120, 220, 400 and 600 grit.

Finally, set the honing guide to hold the chisel at a 30-degree angle to create a “secondary bevel” and run through the grits, starting at 220. Lightly glue the wet/dry sandpaper with spray adhesive to a piece of 1/4-in. glass with smoothed edges. Roll the chisel back and forth over the sandpaper until a burr forms on the back of the blade. Turn the chisel over and stroke it flat on the sandpaper to remove the burr. Then move to a finer-grit paper and repeat the process.

Required Tools for this Project

Have the necessary tools for this DIY project lined up before you start—you’ll save time and frustration.

Hammer
Wood chisel

You’ll also need a honing guide.

Required Materials for this Project

Avoid last-minute shopping trips by having all your materials ready ahead of time. Here’s a list.

Wet/dry sandpaper

Originally Published: August 27, 2019