Mallet

When mortising or heavy paring has to be done, it is not advisable to use a hammer, as the tool handles are too readily damaged by this means. For such purposes the mallet should be taken. Like hammers, these tools are made in a variety of shapes, guided by the kind of work and the taste of the workman. They may be made of various hard woods, the chief item of importance being to select a piece of wood of tough nature and not ready to split.

Wing Compass

The chief difference between this one and the simple compass is that the former is provided with a radial wing fixed into one leg and passing through a small slot in the other, where it can be pinched by a thumb screw to set the compass at any required radius. Besides being used for describing circles, or parts of circles, on the work under treatment, one common use this tool is put to is that of laying off equal distances either in a straight line or along the circumference of a circle. By this means a much more exact result is arrived at, than by the employment of the rule and pencil.

Brad Awls

Brad awls are used for making holes suitable for small nails and screws. They are made of steel and vary in diameter from the size of a small needle up to 1/4 in. They are sharpened equally at opposite sides and brought to a sharp flat point. On the other end there is a tang on which is driven a handle. The cutting edge should be inserted into the wood across the grain to prevent splitting. The tool ought to be held as nearly as possible in the direction in which the hole is begun, as any attempt to alter it after the hole has been nearly bored might result in the breaking of the awl. Equal care should be taken in extracting it from the wood, for the same reason.

Screw Driver

Another name for this tool is the turn-screw. It is used for turning or driving screw nails, as its names suggest, and is made of suitable sizes to fit different screws. The bar which acts on the screw is made of steel and thinned on the point to fit the groove in the head of the screw. Like the chisel, the other end is formed into a tang, upon which is fixed a handle somewhat broader and flatter than the chisel handle.

Pincers

The pincers are used to pull out service nails, or those which have gone wrong in driving. Although quite suitable for bench work, they are discarded by joiners in roof work, floor work, and general lining, in favour of the claw-hammer, which can perform the double function of both driving and drawing nails.

Spokeshave

For finishing many small curves the planes are quite unsuited, and have to give place to the spokeshave, which is constructed for the purpose. Boxwood and beech are the usual materials of which its stock is made, but metal is also used. The iron has two tangs at right angles to the cutting edge, by means of which it is held firmly in the stock, the position of the iron regulating the thickness of the shaving, as in the bench planes. Both hands are needed to work the spokeshave, and the guiding surface being so small, makes dexterity in its use rather difficult to acquire.