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Quite often I get asked questions about basic hand tools, I suppose by power tool users who are interested in trying them out. One person in particular asked about the basic differences between chisels and gouges so I decided to write up this little comparison and add it to the web site.
For you hand tool purists out there, this is not supposed to be the definitive guide to chisels and gouges. Rather, it is an introduction to the basic forms and uses of both tools to assist the beginner in purchasing the right tool for the job.
To begin with, both chisels and gouges are edge tools used for shaping wood. Both tools consist of a shaped, metal blade that is attached to a wooden handle, usually by one of two methods. Some use a metal tang which is inserted into a hole drilled into the handle. The tang, the portion inserted into the handle, is just the back end of the blade, which has been worked almost to a point. The tapered tang can be firmly wedged into a regular hole so the blade won’t fall out. Chisels and gouges fastened to the handle with a tang are more delicate tools and include paring chisels and carving gouges.
The second method of fastening blade to handle is with a socket. A socket is formed in back end of the blade by forging a flared section with a depression, or socket, in the middle. Again, the flared section on the handle end of the blade is tapered and accepts a tapered section at the front of the handle. A socket will take much more abuse than a tang so you see it used on the kinds of chisels you make mortises with or use to chop timber framing joints.
Knowing the basics of the tools and how the handles are attached, we can look at the basic difference between a chisel and a gouge. Chisels are flat and gouges are curved. That’s it. Chisels take one of the forms you can see from the chart below. The chart is based on the way these tools are usually made but you have to realize that there are exceptions. Especially in centuries past, it was not uncommon for craftsmen to make some of their own tools so antiques can be found that break all the rules. I also find it quite interesting that, although socket chisels are supposed to take more abuse, a sizeable percentage of mortise chisels are made with tangs. Mortise chisels, depending upon the size, can be subject to a great deal of force when hand cutting a joint.
| Chisel Type |
Handle Attachment |
Use |
| bench/bevel edge |
socket or tang |
widely used chisel for chopping, shaping, mortising |
| butt |
socket or tang |
shorter version of the regular, bevel edge chisel with much the same use - many carpenters carry them for mortising door locks as they are stocky and smaller than a regular chisel |
| mortise |
socket or tang |
thick, rugged chisel for chopping mortises |
| paring |
tang, usually |
long and slender - used for paring down mortises that have been chopped or drilled, or other delicate work |
| firmer |
socket |
heavy duty chisels you would find in a timber framer's pouch - also useful for large scale carvings |
| skew |
tang, usually |
the edge of the blade is perpendicular to the edge of the tool in all other types of chisels but for skew chisels the edge of the blade is angled to the perpendicular, hence skewed - often used by carvers and turners |
The most common chisel sold and bought is the bevel edged bench chisel. It is interesting to note that antique bench chisels made before the 20th Century usually have a simple, rectangular cross-section with no beveling at all. The beginner will probably gravitate to these versatile tools, adding a wider variety of different chisel styles as the projects undertaken increase in complexity.
Gouges are available in varying degrees of curvature. In the carving tool world, curvature is known as sweep but I have also heard it explained as the amount of smile that the tool has. Nevertheless, every gouge manufacturer has a different system of classifying the degree of curvature so it is virtually impossible to be definitive about it here. Click here for the diagrams and descriptions of the catalog of Stubai gouges.
Gouges can generally be grouped into two categories: firmer and paring. Paring gouges are more delicate and include carving gouges. Firmer gouges are beefier and are made to be beaten with a mallet. They are usually used for large scale sculpture and shaping architectural details.
Chisel edges are either outcannel or incannel. The bevel on most gouges is ground on the outside, convex surface and this is called an outcannel gouge. Outcannel gouges are designed to gouge out the wood leaving concave, flute-like depressions. By comparison, incannel gouges are ground so that the bevel is on the inside, concave side of the blade. Incannel gouges are used for rounding over raised portions of the work, or at least that is how I was taught to use them.
As I said before, this wasn’t meant to be a definitive treatise on the subject. Many times woodworkers who are starting out see catalogs, or books and magazines, that list a certain type of chisel or gouge but they don’t give any hints as to how it compares to others. I’ve been there, and it can be very confusing when standing in the store - money in hand. I hope that this comparison will help out the person that requested it, and maybe a few others who are unsure as well.
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