Wood chisels for joinery, carpentry and carving, led by the Narex range from the Czech Republic alongside Koyama Oire Japanese chisels, a Jorgensen HSS set and the MilesCraft corner chisel. Narex is the mainstay here because it offers properly ground, hardened chrome-manganese steel at a working price, and we stock the lines singly so you can build a set in the sizes you use.
Choosing wood chisels
- Bevel edge chisels: the general-purpose joinery chisel. Narex Wood Line Profi is the entry point, Wood Line Plus adds a longer blade and better handle, and the Richter line is cryogenically treated for edge life. Sizes run from 6 mm to 32 mm.
- Mortice chisels: thick, stiff blades (Narex Richter) for chopping mortices with a mallet.
- Paring, skew and dovetail chisels: long paring chisels for cleaning tenon cheeks, skew chisels for corners, and dovetail chisels ground to reach into tight pins.
- Butt and firmer chisels: short butt chisels for hinge recesses and site work; firmer chisels for heavier cuts.
- Japanese chisels: Koyama Oire chisels with laminated blades and hooped handles, sold singly and as a 6-piece set.
Wood chisel set or singles?
A wood chisel set from Narex (4 or 6 pieces in a wooden box) is the quickest way to equip a bench. If you already own the common sizes, buy singles to fill gaps: a 6 mm for small dovetails, a 25 mm or 32 mm for paring wide tenons. Whatever you buy, flatten the back and hone the bevel before first use; chisels arrive ground, not honed.
Keep them sharp with sharpening stones, drive them with a mallet, or see the full Narex range.
In stock in Cape Town with nationwide delivery, free on orders over R2000. Call 021 674 2119 for advice on sizes.
