About Firmer Chisels

There are three major types of chisels that you need for your woodworking bench. The paring chisel, the butt chisel and the firmer chisel are important to complete all the tasks necessary. The firmer chisel is the midlength of the three, and it can withstand the additional strike with a hammer.

Identification

See if the manufacturing companies create several types of chisels. According to the Hirsch Company, this manufacturer in Germany makes several brand names of chisels. The Hirsch firmer chisel and Two Cherries are two of these, and they're the same except for the name stamped on them.

Features

Notice that most firmer chisels have either a leather pad on the end or a steel band around the end of the handle. These absorb the shock of a mallet strike and prevent the wood handle from splitting. There's usually a band around the wood where the tang enters the handle--again, to keep the wood from splitting.

Considerations

Not all firmer chisels are straight, but some are slightly tapered and narrow at the tip. Most of the time, you can't see the difference, but if you use dial calipers to measure it, the difference shows. The tapering adds a problem only if you sharpen the chisel with a jig that uses one side as a reference for the 90-degree angle.

Benefits

Use the firmer chisel when you want to cut out sections that need a straight line. If you're doing finish work on a large flat area, you wouldn't use a firmer chisel because the corner of the chisel tends to leave gouges. You can use the firmer chisel for mortising and on harder woods.

Size

Purchase several different sizes. The firmer chisel comes in average sizes that range from 1/16 inch to 2 inches. Since they are utilitarian chisels that fill in for many jobs, you'll find that a set of different sizes is handy. Most woodworking people use those in the range of 1/4 inch to 3/4 inch, but carpenters tend to use a larger range of the chisels, including some that are quite thick so they can cut the mortises on lumber.

Effects

See what type of steel the blade contains. Some metals like German high-carbon steel hold the edge better, particularly if it contains vanadium and chromium alloys. Find the best firmer chisel for maintaining a sharp blade. This keeps your cut strong, saves you time and prevents excessive sharpening.