How to Use a Brick Chisel
Construction materials never arrive from the supplier in the perfect dimensions for the job. You have to cut wood to fit, build special forms and if you are laying brick, cut the brick to make the design work. If you are only expecting to have to cut a few bricks you can use a brick chisel or block chisel, as it is sometimes called. A brick chisel is a hand tool that will allow you to cut brick neatly and cleanly with just a whack of a hammer. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Set your brick on a flat, solid surface--the ground, a concrete slab or block.
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Measure where your cut should to be with the ruler on the side of your speed square and make a small mark with your carpenter's pencil. A carpenter's pencil is a flat wide pencil that is soft enough to mark many different kinds of material.
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Flip the speed square so one of the protruding edges at the bottom catches the edge of the brick and holds the speed square against it. Slide the straight long edge of your speed square until it is lined up on the mark you made for your cut. Draw a line on the brick with your pencil and remove the speed square.
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Hold the handle of your block chisel in your non-dominant hand--if you're right handed, hold it with your left. Hold the chisel by grabbing it with your whole hand so you are forming a fist over the handle.
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Place the flat edge of the chisel on the line where you need the cut and hold the chisel perpendicular to the brick--straight up and down. Hit the end of the chisel with your hammer using sharp, strong strikes. Your brick will split in a straight line beneath the chisel.
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Tips & Warnings
When you go to line the chisel on your cut mark, hold the chisel at a 45 degree angle and line up the edge with your line, then rock the chisel into an upright position. Doing this will ensure that you are getting the edge directly where you need the cut because you will be able to see the alignment better than by just putting the chisel down on it in the upright position.
Make sure you are wearing appropriate safety gear when cutting brick. It is highly recommended that you wear a full face shield as brick chips tend to fly in the direction of the blow received and can cause deep cuts to your face.
