The Best Wood Chisels For Your Woodworking Project: Top 8 Reviews

If you’re not a woodworking enthusiast, and you’re just looking for something to get the job done, this is the wood chisel for you. Take a look at the Morakniv Carpentry Chisel with Carbon Steel Blade.

You’ll often feel confused and not sure what exact wood chisel to use in a given situation. That’s why this one is optimal at any time.

The 3.1 mm carbon steel blade works with all types of wood with impressive outcomes and straightforward use.

The handle is made out of TPE rubber that allows you to work efficiently with this ergonomic beast. Furthermore, it’s shock-resistant and stable, thus making your job a lot easier.

The design itself is quite simple and minimalistic. The chisel is not that large, so it’s excellent in terms of transportation and compactness, plus, it’s easy on the eyes.

The best of all - it goes for a low price, and it has a lifetime warranty included.

However, it’s not made for professional use, which can be seen in the fact that it does not work with a fire starter.

Still, your everyday woodworking projects will change once you get the grip of this fantastic product.

Putting your trust in a company whose motto is, “We build high-quality tools of incredible value.” should be more than enough for you to consider getting the WORKPRO 3-piece Wood Chisel Set.

Even though it has only three different wood chisels, you can rely upon the sheer quality that they’ll bring you for your woodworking projects. They have chrome-vanadium steel blades whose main feature is durability and longevity.

These chisels also work with mallets or hammers since they have steel butts made for joint shaping.

Since they have to withstand the pressure of constant force caused by the hammer, that is more than enough to convince you of their quality.

It features an ergonomic design that suits all hands perfectly, thus releasing the stress from your hands, while also offering shock-absorption capabilities.

It also features bevel edges that are ideal with all types of wood, ranging from soft, hard, to laminated wood. In all these cases, chisels will do a tremendous job without damaging your workpieces.

However, you could be in a situation where a couple more hits with a hammer will do the trick since some customers have noted that durability is the main focus of this product over sharpness.

Still, it’ll get the job done!

Next up is another quality product that undoubtedly deserves to be on the best wood chisels list, the Narex 4 pc Set 6mm Wood Chisels.

This four-piece set is made from a small manufacturer in the Czech Republic, but it’s sold in the US and has turned out to be quite a box of tools.

The core of the blades consists of a chrome-manganese alloy, or commonly known as Hadfield steel. It consists of roughly 13% manganese, and it’s used for high-impact situations where resistance to abrasion is required.

It also features bevel edges that are perfect for shaping all types of wood, and considering the strength these chisels possess; they’ll work like a charm.

The handles are ergonomic, feel useful in hands, and contain lacquered beech wood as a primary material. Using these chisels will feel like scraping the toppings of a cake.

The strength of the blades is suitable for works with mallets and hammers, which is undoubtedly a bonus.

Also, they are in the mid-price range, so even if you don’t like them, you won’t be investing a lot of money.

Overall, you won’t regret it if you were to opt-out for this set of wood chisels.

Professional woodworkers and carpenters require heavy artillery for their projects, and this is the one to get. We give you the REXBETI 6pc Premium Wood Chisel Set.

This set features six wood chisels, one sharpening stone, one honing guide, and two carpenter pencils, thus creating a ten-piece set with everything you need to start a woodworking project.

The blades are heat-treated and created with a chrome-vanadium alloy, a material commonly used with wood chisels for its longevity and durability.

The handles are rubberized and created specifically to relieve the stress off of you and your hands. They also feature heavy-duty butts for work with hammers and mallets.

The premium side of this product can also be seen from its deluxe toolbox. It has a neat design, and it’s compact enough to store all the pieces we’ve mentioned.

With its dedicated slots and a sturdy interior, your tools will be well protected and taken care of.

However, this best-seller is still less durable than some other products that we’ve covered in the article.

These chisels will last, but if they’re in rough contact for a long time, they will wear off. Still, it’s a smart purchase that you should undoubtedly try.

1. Gouge

2. Butt

Believe it or not there is actually a chisel called butt. This one works if you want to shape some joints.

You will know that it is the butt chisel when you two beveled sides with a straight edge.

3. Corner

This looks like a punch and it would help in cleaning some holes that are square in shape.

It is also perfect for cleaning out some mortises and edges that have angles measuring 90 degrees.

You will know that this is a corner chisel when you see its edge have an L shape.

4. Flooring

If you are looking for a tool that would address the repair of your floors, then this is the perfect chisel for it. Hence, its name.

This is a special chisel that works specifically for repairing and removing flooring materials.

You can cut and lift those said materials using this without having to worry about spending so much of your effort.

5. Carving

This particular chisel is for designing wood that requires so much details. If you are particular and meticulous about those details, then the corner chisel is the right tool for you.

6. Skew

If you need a good finish or a good trim for your project, then this one would work best for it. You will easily notice it having a 60-degree angle that is used to cut or shape the wooden material.

7. Slick

When using this chisel, you will need to be careful not striking it with a hammer or a mallet. This one is pretty huge and you will need some manual skills in order to use it.

8. Dovetail

9. Mortise

You will notice this chisel for having that thick blade, not to mention very rigid, which is ideal for creating mortises.

10. Paring

This is handy if you want to clean something out of a really tight space. Its long blade will help you deal with that situation.

11. Bevel Edge

This is for acute angles that could be so hard to penetrate sometimes by just using any chisel because of their beveled edges.

12. Framing

It looks like a butt chisel, only it is longer and it has a more flexible blade for shaping wooden edges. You will still to use a hammer or a mallet when using this.

1. Build

Naturally, the first thing that pops from the back of the mind is the build quality of a chisel.

As you know, the design is pretty straightforward - each wood chisel consists of a handle and a blade. Therefore, you have to know which are good and worth looking at and which ones you should discard.

From our experience, the best chisel blades are made from steel alloys, usually chrome-steel alloys, carbon steel, or stainless steel.

Each of these alloys is known for its strength and increased lifespan, not to mention the overall durability when it comes to working with materials other than wood.

Also, chrome and stainless steel offer a protective layer to the blade and protect it from corroding and wear that comes with time.

As far as handles go, there are two things that you should be reminded of - ergonomics and build.

The best handles are made to fit each hand like a glove, bearing in mind the material of the handle.

The best chisels often have rubberized grips or PP (polypropylene) bonds that prevent them from deforming over time.

Also, you should always avoid plastic handles or wooden handles since they’ll most likely create blisters on your palms or joints.

2. Full Package

By saying full package, we refer to the chisel case and the number of wood chisels you’ll receive in the pack.

Naturally, each project requires a different type of chisel due to the dimensions of the material, which is why you should look for the best ratio of quality and the number of pieces you’ll get in the package.

Also, a good case is required as steel is generally prone to wearing out in time, and it’s not a good idea to leave your wood chisels lying around, exposed to dust and moisture.

Even though wooden crates look extremely well, we’d recommend a metallic or plastic crate as they are able to offer better overall protection.

3. Warranty

A good warranty is something that we all look for when buying new products, regardless of whether they’re electric power tools, kitchen appliances, or simple wood chisels.

However, we thought you should know what qualifies as a good warranty when it comes to wood chisels.

Some premium manufacturers, such as Stanley or VonHaus, will usually offer their customers 1-2 year warranties or even lifetime deals with their wood chisel crates. 

However, this only goes for the top-notch products that cost a bit more.

On the other hand, some mid-range products will usually land you a 1-year deal, which is still solid considering that wood chisels rarely break or get rusty.

Are Japanese chisels worth it?

It is a long-heated debate - Japanese or American blades/ Eastern or Western chisels?

Honestly, it almost always depends on the type of work you need them for and the material you’re carving.

Japanese chisels are known for their solid carbon steel in combination with soft-wrought iron.Moreover, the design of Japanese chisels enables them to cut and curve on the pull, while Western tools work the other way around.

Essentially, it boils down to the culture and your preferences.

What size chisel is best?

Working on any type of woodworking project will generally require two or more different wood chisels.

This is because of the fact that the standard sizes - ½ and ¼ inches - are generally either too small or too large.

Therefore, you’ll generally need something in between for the main carving, and you’ll use some of these two for polishing and doing the final touches.

What can I use instead of a chisel?

If you have a friend that’s been into woodworking for years, he’ll probably tell you that you can always use the combination of a screwdriver and a hammer.

Screwdrivers are usually made of steel alloys, such as chisels, and they can take a beating from the hammer, which is what you’ll need for carving.

The work won’t be as nice as with chisels, but you’ll be able to take huge chunks of wood using a screwdriver.

How to sharpen wood chisels?

There are usually two methods - using a sharpening power tool, such as a Tormek device, or manually sharpening with a grinding stone.

Naturally, using a combination grinding stone requires a lot of effort, but it will get the job done.

However, sharpening tools are devices that you’ll always find a good use for, not just for chisels.

You can sharpen power blades, kitchen appliances and even create bevels on some types of materials.

Why wood chisels are better than plastics?

There are also two kinds of chisels, which are wood and plastic. Some prefer plastic handles but personally, I’d rather choose the ones made of wood. Why?

Because it gives you the right grip when working with it. If you are going to buy the plastic ones, make sure that they are of top quality and the plastics are quite heavy.

They are good options if you are on a tight budget because they usually are more affordable than the wood ones.