Woodworking, carpentry, and furniture making are professions or hobbies that require finesse and the right tools. This is where wood chisels come in as they allow you to shape wooden materials based on the needs of your specific tasks.
So, to help you produce the results you are looking for, our team of experts in the architecture, engineering, arts, and construction industry has specifically chosen five wood chisels to review. These items were fully tested, vetted, and validated to offer a reliable, efficient, and tested performance.
Once you are ready and have found the best choice, be sure to click the buttons below to see their best deals on Amazon! With that, here are five of the best options that we rounded up especially for you.
Best Wood Chisels Comparison & Rating
1. EZARC Wood Chisel Tool Set
Available in a beautiful and smooth wooden case, this chisel set is worth getting. The ergonomic design of the chisels makes this perfect to hold both gloved and ungloved. The handle can withstand taps from mallets and hammers of any kind. You can use these chisels for both large-scale jobs and projects that require more finesse. The hardness of the chisels also guarantees that there will be no give and the edges will cut through wood easily.
2. Basecent Cr-V Professional Wood Chisels
Whether you are a professional or a hobbyist, these chisels are going to serve you well. They are fantastic tools for woodworking and carpentry. Made of extremely tough metal, you can use these chisels for most types of wood. The handles can withstand quite the pounding with a hammer, as well. You can use this for both large carpentry, furniture making, or woodworking jobs, as well as more detailed projects.
3. Buck Brothers 1201030 3-Piece Professional Wood Chisel Set
This is an absolutely fantastic set of wood chisels for any wood hobbyist to have. Every single one comes out of the box sharp and ready for use. The handles are a joy to hold since they don’t hurt the hands. You get a nice, good grip for each chisel, as well. The butt end can withstand the tapping from large hammers so you can chisel with ease, too.
4. METAKOO 4PCS Wood Chisels
This is a good wood chisel set to get if you want to use them right away. They come sharp and can cut through wood easily. They even come with covers to protect users from getting injured. Holding the chisels is quite comfortable and provides a good grip, as well. Each one is designed to withstand a lot of stress and impact between the hammer and the wood.
5. GREBSTK Professional Wood Chisel Tool Set
This wood chisel set is one of the most versatile you can ask for. With the tools it provides, you can do both large-scale woodworking or delicate carvings. The tips are easy to sharpen and the materials are highly resistant to corrosion. You could grip the handles with a hammer fist or with the tips of your fingers. This allows you plenty of control and precision when you are chiseling and adding details to wood.
Best Wood Chisels - Buyer's Guide
Wood chisels come in many different sizes, with the most common ranging from 1/4 inch to 1 inch. However, they can also go as thin as 1/16 inch, which is more specialized for highly-detailed woodworking. You need to consider what sizes will suit the job you have in mind. If you only want chisels to have on hand if you need them, though, 1/4 inch to 1 inch will serve you well.
Wood chisels are never razor-sharp but they should not be blunt either. They will need to have enough of an edge to bite into the wood and carve enough of it to fulfill your purpose. In many cases, this means ensuring that the micro bevel is apparent and that it isn’t rounded or blunted.
Most wood chisels are made of stainless steel, but they can also be composed of carbon steel or even spring steel. Whatever the case may be, it’s important that they are stiff and non-pliant in order to provide enough resistance to remove strips of wood. The stiffer the chisel, the less resistance the wood will have from being carved away.
You will be hammering the butt of the wood chisels while digging the edge into wood, which could either be soft or extremely tough. This is why you’ll want chisels that will be able to withstand the impacts and stress that you will be subjecting them to. A lot of this comes down to the materials, but the design, thickness, and shape of the chisels will matter, too.
Wood chisels need to have certain ergonomic features to make them useful. To start with, they should be comfortable to hold and tap with the hammer with precision and control. The metal part should also have enough of a tang to be secured properly in the handle. The ferrule must be secured properly and the handle itself must be shaped to provide a secure grip
Best Wood Chisels - FAQs
Different jobs can require different-sized wood chisels to do them properly. While it is perfectly doable to finish a project with just one type of chisel, the results would not be as good or as clean. This is especially true with jobs that require you to add fine details to the wood such as ornate carvings. There is also less room for mistakes when you have the right chisel for the job.
Woodworking, furniture making, and carpentry are often the areas where chisels are often used. In woodworking, you are creating delicate works of art using various types of wood by carving excess materials off. In carpentry, you will need to shave off pieces of wood so that you can fit them into each other and create a structure. The same goes for furniture making but on smaller scales like tables and chairs.
Yes, but the differences mainly have to do with the size and thickness of the edge and chisels. The thinner the chisel, the finer the details you will be able to carve. In many cases, however, you can achieve the same effect with marginally large chisels like the 1/4-inch variety as the much thinner 1/8 or 1/16-inch types. You just need to have enough skills.
Wood chisels are often paired with hammers of varying sizes in accordance with the size of the chisels themselves. The hammers will provide the force necessary for the chisels to dig into the wood and carve out strips of the material. The force is generated through a series of gentle taps, though, which involves skill and immense control.