Woodturning chisels are specialized tools used on a lathe to shape wood. They have a wooden or plastic handle and a sharp metal shank made of carbon or high-speed steel. Unlike standard chisels, they are shorter and used to stabilize the tool against the rotating workpiece. Woodturning chisels come in different shapes and sizes for flexibility and creativity.
A woodturning chisel is a specialized tool used by carpenters to cut wood that is rapidly turned on a lathe. Like all chisels, it has a wooden or plastic handle that grips a metal bar, or shank, which is held very sharp at the point; unlike other chisels, however, the handle is about half the overall length of the tool, which is usually at least 12 cm (30.48 in) long. The shank of a modern woodturning chisel is made of carbon steel or high-speed steel and is usually rectangular rather than cylindrical in shape. There are three different tools used in woodturning: chisels, gouges, and scrapers. Even in woodworking circles, however, they are all commonly referred to as woodturning chisels.
Standard woodworking chisels are traditionally used to carve or slice pieces of wood from a fixed piece. Sometimes the force is applied by the carpenter’s muscle, carefully placing the sharp forward edge of the chisel on the surface of the wood and driving it into the wood, cutting the grain. In other cases, a hammer provides the force. Chisels are sometimes used to carve decorative patterns into wood and other times to cut excess wood from a piece, such as a tenon or mortise, to help fine-tune a joint. In most traditional forms of woodworking, however, chisels are not the primary tool employed, but only one of many.
Once a piece is mounted on a lathe, however, all cutting and shaping is done through the use of woodturning chisels. The techniques employed, however, are very different from those used with standard wood chisels. Instead of clamping the workpiece to hold it in place, it is mounted on a lathe that spins it at high speed. The woodturning chisel is held against a tool holder and pressed against the rotating workpiece. However, more force is used to stabilize the woodturning chisel when it contacts the workpiece than when actually pressing its cutting edge into the workpiece.
Using the lathe to turn the part on an axis creates a cylindrical object. In addition to the full-size lathes used for turning things like chair and table legs, banisters, and bowls, mini lathes are made for the production of items like wooden pen holders. Wood turners can sometimes express their creativity by working freestyle, especially when making bowls or lamp bases. In most cases, however, they generally have to use jigs to turn the wood, often measuring the depth of their cuts with calipers and other precise tools. This is important when doing such manufacturing work as balusters for a staircase.
There are literally hundreds of different types of woodturning chisels. The main differences between them are the type of steel they are made from and the size and shape of their cutting edges. With the introduction of high speed steel in the late 20th century, wood turners had the advantage of much stronger tools that allowed for higher speeds on the lathe, allowing for finer and faster work. The different shapes and sizes of woodturning chisel cutting edges allow woodturners a greater range of flexibility and creativity.
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