German Wood Tools

Chisels

• A favorite hand tool for woodworking, chisels come in a range of sizes and shapes. A German-made chisel set might include a 6 mm, 10 mm, 12 mm, 16 mm, 20 mm and 26 mm chisel; all German tools have measurements in metric. For example, Wilhelm Schmitt and Company of Remscheid, Germany, offers a six-piece set with the listed sizes for $149 as of September 2010. Crown butt chisels tend to have a compact design, ideal for finer detail work. Gouges are similar to chisels, with their blades curved into half moon-shaped tips, which makes them ideal for removing wood in small pieces. Both chisels and gouges are used with bare hands or pounded with mallets.

Planes

• Necessary to smooth or gradually strip down a wooden surface, planes use a sharp edge to pare back thin shavings. The body of the plane is either metal or wooden. Some planes feature corrugated bottoms to produce less friction on the wood. Bench planes work for general smoothing projects, block planes suit small spaces and jointer planes work well for smoothing around joints. The plane's performance is modulated by the angle of its cutting blade, which you may adjust. German bench planes average between $74.50 and $250.

Saws

• Some hand tool saw types include tenon saws, dovetail saws, fret or bow saws and veneer saws. The tenon saw has a rectangular cutting element with a handle situated at one end, spaced slightly away from the cutting part. The saw draws its rigidity and strength from a reinforced strip at the top of the cutting element; the bottom edge is toothed and makes fairly heavy-duty cuts. Dovetail saws are similar but smaller. The fret or bow saw is designed for intricate work. It's composed of wooden bars, a steel tension element to maintain its shape and a thin cutting edge. Coping saws are highly adaptable tools able to adjust to any angle. The coping saw has a handle that extends in a straight line continuing direclty outward from the thin cutting edge. The cutting edge is held in place by a rigid framing piece that extends in a wide arc from the handle to the blade's far edge. German hand saws cost between $16.50 and $139.