‘Of chisels of several sorts’

In a nod to Christopher Schwarz’s talks this weekend at Colonial Williamsburg’s Working Wood in the 18th Century Conference, below is an excerpt from “The Art of Joinery,” the first book Lost Art Press published – itself an excerpt from Joseph Moxon’s “Mechanick Exersises,” which was the first English-language book that discussed woodworking, with modern commentary from Chris on every one of Moxon’s sections on tools and techniques.

When we published Moxon’s “Mechanick Exercises” in full, we took the excerpted version out of print – but if you want Chris’ commentary, you can still get it: “The Art of Joinery” is yours to download, free simply by clicking here (and we don’t ask for your email, first-born or phone number).

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S. 10. Of chisels of several sorts.
And first of formers [firmers].

Formers [firmers] marked C 1. C 3. are of several sizes. They are called formers because they are used before the paring chisel, even as the fore plane is used before the smoothing plane. The stuff you are to work upon being first scribed {as I shall show in its proper place}, you must set the edge of the former a little without [away from] the scribed stroke with its bevel outwards, that it may break and shoulder off the chips from your work as the edge cuts it. And you must bear the helve [handle] of the former a little inwards over the stuff, [so] that the former do[es] not first cut straight down, but a little outwards [instead]. For, should you venture to cut straight down at the first, you might with a negligent or unlucky knock with the mallet, drive the edge of the former under the work and so cut, before you are aware, more off the underside than the upper side of your work, and so {perchance} spoil it. Therefore, you may make several cuttings to cut it straight down by little and little until your work is made ready for the paring chisel. When it [the former chisel] is used, the helve [handle] of it is knocked upon with a mallet to drive the edge into the stuff.

Analysis
This section introduces an error in numbering. This is “Section 10,” and so is the section above.

Firmer chisels are now uncommon, but they were the standard for many years. They were rectangular in cross-section and lacked the bevels on the two long edges that are on modern garden-variety chisels.

The term that Moxon uses for them, “formers,” suggests the tools were used for forming or roughing out joinery or shapes. And then the formers were followed by the paring chisel to clean things up.
Moxon also describes a fact of chiseling that bedevils every woodworker – that they don’t travel down in a straight line that follows the face (some call it the back) of the tool. Instead, they tend to undercut your joints, which is frustrating. The solution in the 17th century is the same as today: Take smaller bites. Tip the handle back a little toward the face of the chisel so the tool won’t undercut your work.

S. 11. Of the paring chisel.

The paring chisel marked C 2. must have a very fine and smooth edge. Its office is to follow the former and to pare off and smoothen the irregularities [that] the former made.

It is not knocked upon with the mallet, but the blade is clasped upon the outside of the hindermost joints of the fore and little fingers, by the clutched inside of the middle and third fingers of the right hand. And so its edge being set upon the scribed line and the top of the helve [handle] placed against the hollow of the inside of the right shoulder. With [the workman] pressing the shoulder hard upon the handle, the edge cuts and pares away the irregularities.

This way of handling may seem a preposterous posture to manage an iron tool in, and yet the reason of the original contriver of this posture is to be approved.

For should workmen hold the blade of the paring chisel in their whole hand, they must either hold their hand pretty near the helve [handle], where they cannot well manage the tool, or they must hold it pretty near the edge, where the outside of the fingers will hide the scribed line they are to pare in[to]. But this posture all workmen are at first taught; and [their] practice doth so inure them to it, that if they would, they could not well leave it.

Analysis
The paring chisel is used to clean up the junk left behind by the former, and the way that Moxon describes it in use seems a bit unusual: The blade is woven between the fingers and pressed with the shoulder into the work. This grip gets your hand near the bevel (which increases control) but also allows you to see the scribe line you are working to (a good thing). If you try this, I think you’ll be hooked. It is an effective way to drive a paring chisel, assuming the height of your bench allows it. A bench that is too high or too low makes this motion awkward.

S. 12. Of the skew former.

The skew former marked C 4. is seldom used by joiners but for cleansing acute angles with its acute angle on its edge, where the angles of other chisels will not so well come.

Analysis
This skew chisel is great for cleaning out all sorts of dovetail sockets. Though it is a “former” chisel, it is generally not struck with a mallet today, but it is driven by hand.

S. 13. Of the mortise chisel.
The mortise chisel marked C 5. is a narrow chisel, but hath its blade much thicker and consequently stronger {that it may endure the heavier blows with the mallet} than other chisels have, so that in grinding it to an edge, it is ground to a very broad bevel as you may see in the figure. Its office is to cut deep, square holes, called mortises, in a piece of wood. Joiners use them in several breadths according[ly] as the breadths of their mortises may require.

Analysis
The mortise chisel of the 17th century is a bit different than modern forms, but it is used the same way. The biggest difference is in the blade. The old form swells in thickness at the tip (this saves steel) and modern chisels don’t. They are thick along their entire length.

S. 14. Of the gouge.

The gouge marked C 6. is a chisel having a round edge for the cutting [of] such wood as is to be rounded or hollowed.

These several sorts of chisels joiners have in several sizes [so] that they may be accommodated to do several sizes of work.

Analysis
This is presumably a firmer gouge, not a carving tool. These remove material in a localized area, such as removing waste from a very large tenon or breadboard end on a tabletop. You can follow this tool with finer tools if the work requires it.