When I say “chisel,” the image that pops into most woodworkers’ minds is a beveledged chisel like any of those shown in the top photo. It’s ironic that these chisels have been marketed so long as bevel-edged that most people don’t realize that these are actually firmer chisels. What’s really odd is that many woodworkers think that firmer chisels are a completely different type of chisel. A bevel-edged chisel is just a standard firmer chisel where the edges have been beveled up toward the top of the blade. As I mentioned earlier, the advantage to beveling the edges is that this produces a chisel m o r e adept at fitting into tight places, such as when removing the waste or trimming between dovetails (middle photo). This same slim profile allows a beveledged chisel to trim sliding dovetails (bottom photo) and other hard-to-reach places. The downside to beveling the edges is that it removes metal that would normally stiffen the chisel. This makes bevel-edged chisels more suitable for delicate work. I have occasionally taken a mallet to mine, but if I’ve got a lot of wood to remove, I generally use a square-edged firmer chisel or a mortise chisel. Bevel-edged chisels can be purchased individually or in sets, in widths ranging from 1/8″ up to 2″. The most common set consists of six chisels: 1/8″, 1/4″, 3/8″, 1/2, 3/4″, and 1″.
