The Basic Hand Tools For Stone
Tool Steel Chisels
1 ] Wood Carving Gouges and flat Chisels see Drg No 1 are ideal for soft to moderate stones. The old second hand chisels tend to be of an exceptional quality and a vast range of sizes and shapes can be found, [although the spoon shaped chisels are too week to use]. All Wood Chisels for stone are ground on one side only see Drg No 1, which affects the way they handle.
2] All tool steel chisels see Drg No 2a are made of the same steel as above but in more robust and specific shapes for stone carving. The quality of chisels on the whole is low though, again if you can find the old chisels they are of good quality
Flat 'All tool steel' chisels will normally be ground on both sides see Drg No 2b. But all gouges will be ground on the outside only due to the difficulty of grinding. Sharpen as below wood chisels section
Claw chisels are usefull for some plucky types of stone (where the stone splits under the chiselling surface) they also give a pleasing texture
Tungsten Tipped chisels
The same basic shape as the all tool steel chisels see Drg No2, these are the best all round chisels available. The Tungsten tip see Drg No 3 makes them hard wearing and ideal for soft through to hard stones but they are slightly brittle and it is not advised to hit them too hard with a club hammer. Sharpen with a bench grinding, green grit wheel, do not quench the chisels, they will shatter. To get a better edge sharpen with diamond pads red/yellow
Deciding on the sharpening angle is dependant on the hardness of the material and how much material you want to remove at once. generally the steeper the angle ie chunky the longer the chisel will last but it will not cut easily. The finer the chisel the better it will cut but the more prone it will become to breakage, trial and error is required.
Hammers
A Club hammer 21b or 41b is normally used with the point / punch and the Pitcher, for roughing out purposes, these are not normally finishing tools .
A metal Dummy up to 21b can be used with all types of chisel, its round shape is a positive advantage and it is easy to use
Mallets
Wood (end grain) or Plastic to be used in conjunction with mallet headed chisels only, 5~7" inch's in diameter
Other useful tools / equipment
- Callipers
- Dividers
- Sinking squares
- Scribers
- Tungsten tipped masonry drill bits
- 5" and 9" Angle grinders and spinners to cut stone and shape stone with diamond / carbo blades/ spiracut discs
- Files Rifflers and Drags
- Carborundum Abrasive/polishing stones (used best in conjunction with water)
- Stone glues Akemi
- Protective clothing
- Barrier creams (Stone is Alkaline)
- Goggles
- Dust Masks especially for Sand/grit stones
- Ear defenders
- Totectors
- Overalls
Stone Tool suppliers UK
Harbro - 01388 605363 (they have tool vans that cover the whole of the UK)
Avery Knight & Bowlers - 01225 425894
CMS - 01274 605777 (they have tool vans that cover the whole of the UK)
Kelso - 01573 226517 - tools made to measure
Ebor - 01706 869691
Lopez - 020 85 449980
Diamond tools DK - 01580 891662
Italy
www.Tabvlarasa.com Tools
Zecchi - www.Azienda.com/Zecchi - 003 90 55 211470
