A hollow chisel is a woodworking tool used for cutting square holes or rectangular mortises. It consists of a square chisel with a rotating drill bit in the center and can be used in a dedicated mortising machine or drill press. The tool is available in various sizes and can be used to cut single holes or overlapping patterns. Care must be taken when handling due to its sharp cutting edge.
A hollow chisel is a woodworking tool for cutting single square holes in wood or, when used in an overlapping pattern, rectangular mortises. The tool consists of a hollow square chisel with a rotating point in the center. The tool is used in a dedicated mortising machine or in a standard drill press with a special adapter. The downward force on the tool causes the chisel to cut a square shape as the rotating drill bit removes all material from the inside of the four sides of the cut through an opening in the body of the chisel. Hollow chisels are available in a large selection of single sizes or in sets.
Drilling round holes in wood is a fairly simple task. Square holes, on the other hand, require special tools and techniques to make. Square openings or slots in wood are commonly known as mortises and are used extensively in fitting door hinges and locks and in the construction of mortise and tenon joints. These mortises can be cut with a conventional hand chisel or a specialized tool known as a hollow chisel. The hollow chisel is basically a combination power tool bit used in a mortising machine or, when combined with an adapter, in a regular drill press.
The hollow chisel consists of a steel tube of square cross section which has a ground scalloped cutting edge at its working end which represents the component of the chisel. In the center of the hollow chisel is positioned a flat-edged rotating drill bit with the cutting edge set back slightly from that of the chisel. During cutting operations, the square chisel body is locked in a static position while the drill bit rotates inside it. The downward force on the tool causes the sharp chisel to cut a square hole as the drill bit removes all internal material from the cut. This waste material is carried up the drill shaft by its flutes and is ejected from the tool through an opening cut into one side of the chisel body.
This tool can be used to cut a single square hole or used in an overlapping pattern to cut longer or wider slots. The hollow chisel is made of hardened tool steel that holds a sharp edge well. It is available in a wide selection of sizes both as a single item and as a set consisting of several consecutive or common sizes. The cutting edge of a hollow chisel is extremely sharp and care must be taken when handling or storing it to avoid accidental contact with the cutting edge.
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