Tip Tuesday

Today we are going to talk about some tools in our tool belts such as a Chisel and Slick. Timber framers still use these tools to help create mortise and tenon pockets, just like it was done originally. A chisel is a tool with a cutting blade on its end, for carving or cutting hard material by hand. It can be struck with a mallet, or by mechanical power. The handle and blade of some types of chisels are made of metal or of wood with a sharp edge on them.
Chisels are used by forcing the blade into a material to cut it. The driving force may be applied by pushing by hand, using a mallet, or hammer. There are several types of chisels for many different uses. At Timeless Barn Company we use several different types of chisels like Mortise, Paring, Carving, Flooring, Framing, and Slick.
A Slick is a large chisel with a long heavy wide blade and a long, frequently slender, socketed handle. Unlike other chisels, a Slick is always pushed but never struck. The large blade helps with creating a mortice pocket in a timber frame.