[Woodcarver] RE: Woodcarver Digest, Vol 408, Issue 1

[Ivan Whillock]

Carol asks, "Should I buy a carpenter's {chisel} (for sign carving)?  Will
it be the same?  Thanks for any advice."
With some exceptions, a carpenter's chisel has a bevel on one side and  a
carver's chisel has a bevel on both sides.  Thus, a carver's chisel would be
the best choice for the fine cuts of sign lettering.  Also, with a carver's
chisel a perpendicular cut can be made with the chisel held straight up and
down.
With single-bevel carpenter's chisel the tool must be tilted in order to
make a perpendicular cut.  Too, a carpenter's chisel usually has a blunter
bevel and thicker body, designed for the rougher handling a tool gets in a
standard wood shop. It is therefore more likely to tear the wood on delicate
cuts--tolerable when setting in a hinge, but bad for carving .  A carver's
chisel normally has a longer bevel and a thinner body, designed for finer
cutting, and is less likely to split the wood on plunge cuts.  Though both
tools are chisels and designed to cut wood, they are designed differently
for different types of use.