How Chisels Work - Part 1

You just wanted to show off those Niskiki's, didnja?

This level of explicit description of technique is important as the ways we learn craft are changing. As a professional book conservator, who does woodworking as a hobby, I know there are many time/ culture variations in bookbinding tools and tool use that influence how the final product appears. I'm wondering if there are similar documented differences in technique in woodworking tools? For example, it seems you demonstrating a 19th century English based technique using a 20th century Japanese chisel? Does it matter? How does the tool change and influence technique and vice-versa?

Looking forward to part two. Jeff Peachey

I don't want to speak for Joel, but a lot of the details of the craft as it used to be practiced have been lost to us, since the relatively few old books on the subject don't often get that specific, and the master-apprentice chain has been broken. I'm sure there were regional differences, and they probably depended a lot on which shops each cabinet maker trained in.

Just one more thought on the blog post, though. As Joel says, a chisel set in the baseline and struck with a mallet will tend to cut down past the line, as shown in the picture. That's because the chisel is trying to push the same amount of wood away in two opposite directions. This was a revelation to me, and my dovetailing got neater once I adjusted my work accordingly. I now take out the waste between pins with a coping saw, but chisel out the waste between tails, a hybrid between methods 1 and 3.

I tend to use something very close to method three, except that I don't flip the chisel over. Instead, I simply use the chisel bevel down to take off slices of waste. I suspect that the best option between this and method four depends primarily on the nature of the wood you are using. Straight-grained splintery woods are probably best suited to this method, while curly splintery woods only work with method four (or better yet, cut the waste with a saw.) Hard woods that don't split are more debatable, though I suspect method four would tend to be a bit faster.

Tor

When I learned to hand cut dovetails my instructor taught a knife/chisel technique similar to 3 and 4. Basically you use a knife to cut the scribe line about 1/8 to 1/4" deep and then use a chisel to make a back cut to the knife line resulting in a chip being removed in front of the scribe line to allow the chisel room to move. At that point you can turn the piece over and repeat on the opposite side. You can then drive the chisel down into the notch and repeat from both sides until they meet in the middle or use a coping saw to remove the majority of the waste and pare what is left off with the chisel. And yes, there are different techniques for different time periods driven more by the design and tool technology/availability than by shop.

This post does an excellent job in elevating one's understanding of chiseling and woodcraft beyond simple know how and instruction. To enter in the higher levels of understanding where you not only know how, but also why, is to become one level closer to artistic mastery. Nice post.