Wood chisel

A wood chisel has a cutting edge at the front of its blade. It cuts, pares and removes timber, including when preparing joints. It may be guided by hand or driven with a wooden mallet for heavier cuts. Documented uses include mortising, dovetailing and cutting slots.

Blade and handle

Many chisels have a tang entering the handle and a shoulder that helps prevent the blade from being driven too far into it. Others have a socket surrounding the end of the handle. Older wooden handles may have reinforcing metal rings. These construction details aid identification but are not a precise dating system.

Examining an older example

Record blade width, handle attachment, maker's marks and the condition of the edge and handle. Describe a replacement handle as such. Related Norwegian terms, including huggjern and tappjern, should be considered alongside the form and intended work, rather than automatically treated as entirely separate object types. A wood chisel should not be identified as a metalworking tool merely because it has a metal blade.

Sources: Audun Dybdahl, Store norske leksikon: stemjern; Store norske leksikon: huggjern; Kirschen: Stechbeitel.