Chisel

A chisel in wood carving is a tool with a flat, straight cutting edge (like a wedge) used to cut and shave wood fibers. In contrast to a gouge’s curved edge, a carving chisel’s blade edge is straight across. This means chisels excel at making straight cuts, defining crisp lines, or flattening surfaces in your carving. Wood carving chisels can be used by hand or gently tapped with a mallet to slice off thin wood shavings. Essentially, when you need to create a flat plane, sharp corner, or stop-cut in a carving, a chisel is the proper tool. (In fact, the difference between a chisel and a gouge is the flat edge versus a curved edge – chisels for straight cuts, gouges for hollows and curves.)

For beginners, the chisel is one of the fundamental tools to master. With a basic flat chisel, a newbie can trim and straighten the edges of a project or clean up rough surfaces that remain after using knives or gouges. For example, if you carve a simple house or geometric pattern, a chisel helps make the sides and lines nice and even. Chisels also teach you control – you learn to guide the tool with your hands and apply just the right amount of pressure, a skill that carries over to all wood carving. They’re useful in many carving styles (from whittling to relief carving) for tasks like outlining a pattern or leveling the background of a relief. Because they remove wood in a controlled, flat manner, chisels give beginners confidence that they can shape wood without things getting too uneven. In short, a good chisel makes it easier for a new carver to achieve clean, straight cuts and add precision to their work.

BeaverCraft manufactures a variety of beginner-friendly chisels and chisel sets. Our carving chisels are honed sharp and ready to use right out of the box, so a novice doesn’t need to struggle with initial sharpening. Each chisel is made from quality carbon steel and has a comfortable wooden handle (often oak or ash) that’s ergonomically shaped for long carving sessions. BeaverCraft offers different sizes of flat chisels and even specialized profiles (like skew or V-profile chisels), but a simple straight-edge chisel is usually included in their starter kits. These tools are handcrafted for both beginners and experienced carvers, meaning you’ll get a reliable, versatile chisel that can handle basic cuts as you practice and still be useful as your skills grow. With BeaverCraft chisels, a beginner can focus on learning technique, knowing their tool will perform consistently for making those crisp lines and smooth surfaces in wood.