This page is about choosing, not explaining. What each type of chisel is and how its geometry works is covered in the chisel guide; the mortise chisel and how to size it for a joint in the mortise chisel guide. Here the question is which chisels suit the work you do.
Note— How this guide was made
It compares types of chisel and their published specifications. No chisel was tested for it, no product is ranked, and no price or rating appears. Where makers’ figures differ, each is given.
Start from the work
Three questions decide most of the choice. Will the chisels be struck or only pushed? What widths do your joints need? And how much work are you willing to do on a new chisel before it cuts? The table maps common work to a type of chisel and the widths to look at.
| Work | Chisel type | Widths to look at | Struck? |
|---|---|---|---|
| General joinery: dovetails, housings, trimming tenons | Bevel-edge bench chisel | A spread from about 1/4 to 1 in | Yes, with a mallet |
| Cleaning up machine-cut mortises and grooves | Bevel-edge bench chisel, often metric | Just under the width of the router bit or mortise | Lightly |
| Hand-cut mortises | Mortise chisel | The width of the mortise — usually one or two sizes | Yes, hard |
| Heavy chopping and framing | Firmer or registered firmer | Wider blades; Sorby’s registered firmers run from 1/4 to 2 in | Yes, hard |
| Fine trimming of long surfaces and housings | Paring chisel | Wider blades suit long surfaces | No — pushed by hand |
Types are described in the chisel guide. A mortise chisel is chosen from the joint; see the worked example in the mortise chisel guide.
Which sizes first
Most people start with bench chisels, and the question is which widths. Published advice agrees on a small spread rather than a full set, but not on the exact sizes:
Two published starting sets
- Joshua Farnsworth, Wood and Shop
- At least four bench chisels: 1/4, 1/2 (or 5/8), 3/4, and 1 (or 1-1/4) in, adding 1/8 and 1-1/2 in later.
- Marc Spagnuolo, The Wood Whisperer
- 6, 9, 12 and 18 mm, for someone who cuts joints by machine and refines them by hand. Metric widths are slightly under their imperial neighbours — 12 mm is about 0.472 in — which gives clearance in a 1/2 in machine-cut mortise or groove.
Both put a narrow chisel of about 1/4 in or 6 mm first, for small joints and tight corners, and a wider one of 3/4 in or 18 mm and up for paring larger surfaces. The practical test is your work: list the joints you cut most and the widths of their narrowest parts, and fill the gaps from there. If most of your joints come from machines, match the chisels to the bits and cutters you already own.
A set or single chisels
- A set gives matching handles and a spread of widths at once. It may include sizes you rarely use, or miss one you need.
- Single chisels let you buy the widths your work calls for, and add others later. Farnsworth points out that a matched set is not needed for good work; chisels can be assembled one at a time.
- Check what a set contains before comparing sets: the number of chisels matters less than whether its widths match your joints. Veritas, for example, sells its bench chisels singly or in sets from a range of seven widths.
Steel and hardness
Makers quote a steel and a Rockwell hardness. The figures are useful for comparing, but a higher number is a trade-off, not simply better: hardness helps an edge last, while every steel also has to be sharpened on the stones you own. Makers’ edge-life claims describe their own tests and are not independent comparisons.
| Maker and chisel | Steel | Hardness (maker’s figure) | Maker’s notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lie-Nielsen bevel-edge | A2 or O1 tool steel | Rockwell 60–62 | Cryogenically treated and double tempered |
| Veritas PM-V11 bench | PM-V11 powder-metallurgy alloy | Rc61–63 | Claims at least twice the edge life of A2, and easier sharpening than A2 on common abrasives |
| Narex Premium bench | Chrome-manganese | Rc 59 | Fine-grained and tempered so as not to be brittle |
The claims are the makers’ own. How to sharpen any of these steels is in the sharpening guide.
Handles
A chisel that will be struck needs a handle that survives the mallet. Two constructions are common, and the chisel guide shows how each is made.
- Socket handles fit into a cone on the blade. Farnsworth describes them as more durable than tang handles under repeated mallet blows, and Lie-Nielsen’s socket handles come off with a tap for replacement.
- Tang handles take a spike on the blade, and a ferrule keeps the wood from splitting. Veritas fits a ferrule and a domed end to resist chipping from glancing blows.
- Material matters less than fit. Makers use hard maple, torrefied maple and hornbeam; check that the handle is tight and sound, because OSHA lists splintered handles on struck tools as a hazard.
The back and the work before first use
A chisel’s flat back is its reference face, and makers finish it to different standards. Lie-Nielsen grinds its backs flat and finishes them at 400 grit. Veritas laps its backs flat, so that only the bevel needs honing before use. Narex’s Premium bench chisels, as described by Highland Woodworking, work better once the backs are flattened and the long edges eased. None of these is wrong; they are different amounts of work before the chisel cuts well. Flattening and honing are covered in the sharpening guide.
What matters less than it seems
- The number of chisels in a set. Widths that match your work matter more.
- A point of hardness either way. A sharp, well-set-up chisel of any of the steels above cuts; the difference shows in how often it needs honing.
- Exact imperial or metric widths, except where a chisel must match a mortise or a machine-cut groove.
- Cosmetic finish. Handle wood and blade polish do not change how the edge cuts. A flat back and a sound handle do.
Common buying mistakes
- Buying a large set before knowing which widths you use.
- Buying paring chisels for work that needs a mallet.
- Buying bench chisels for heavy mortising, where a mortise chisel is built for the levering.
- Comparing hardness figures without considering how you will sharpen the steel.
- Not budgeting time or stones for flattening the backs.
Checklist
Before you buy chisels
- The type matches the work: bench, mortise, firmer or paring.
- The widths match the joints you cut most.
- A set, if you buy one, contains the widths you need.
- The handle will take a mallet, if the chisel will be struck.
- You know the maker’s steel and hardness, and can sharpen that steel.
- You know how much back preparation the chisel needs.
- The handle is tight and the blade is straight.
However they are chosen, new chisels need honing before use. The sharpening guide is the next step.
Sources
This guide is specification-based: it compares types of chisel and published specifications, and no chisel was tested for it. Steel, hardness and edge-life figures are the makers’ own claims for particular chisels; size recommendations are the named authors’ own.
- 1.
Bevel Edge Chisels. Lie-Nielsen Toolworks.
Used for: A2 or O1 steel hardened to Rockwell 60–62; widths from 1/8 to 1-1/2 in; hard maple handles; a 30° bevel with about 35° secondary advised.
- 2.
1/2" Bevel Edge Socket Chisel. Lie-Nielsen Toolworks.
Used for: Backs ground flat and finished at 400 grit; socket handles; not striking with a metal hammer.
- 3.
Veritas PM-V11 Bench Chisels. Veritas Tools Inc..
Used for: PM-V11 at Rc61–63; the maker’s claim of at least twice the edge life of A2; lapped flat backs; seven widths from 1/8 to 1 in, sold singly or in sets; torrefied maple tang handles with a ferrule and a domed end.
- 4.
Narex Premium Bench Chisels. Narex, as listed by Highland Woodworking.
Used for: Chrome-manganese steel at Rc 59; eleven metric widths from 6 to 50 mm; hornbeam handles; working better once the backs are flattened and the long edges eased.
- 5.
Registered Firmer Chisel (284). Robert Sorby.
Used for: Heavy firmers for chopping and levering out waste, in widths from 1/4 to 2 in.
- 6.
Marc Spagnuolo. Chisel Sizes for the Hybrid Woodworker. The Wood Whisperer.
Used for: A starting set of 6, 9, 12 and 18 mm, and metric widths slightly under their imperial equivalents to clean up machine-cut mortises and grooves.
- 7.
Joshua Farnsworth. Woodworking Hand Tool Buying Guide: Chisels. Wood and Shop.
Used for: A starting set of at least four bench chisels (1/4, 1/2 or 5/8, 3/4, and 1 or 1-1/4 in); assembling chisels individually rather than as a matched set; socket handles resisting splitting under a mallet.
- 8.
Hand and Power Tools (OSHA 3080). Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2002.
Used for: Splintered handles and mushroomed heads on struck tools as hazards.
About this buying guide
Written by BenchRoot Editorial. How BenchRoot sources, checks and corrects its pages is set out in the Editorial Policy. If something here is wrong or unclear, the contact page explains how to tell us.