des Pocketbook_, pp. 335, 349, 357.
Tate, p. 21.

[Footnote *: For general bibliography see p. 4.]

CHAPTER IV.

WOOD HAND TOOLS.

The hand tools in common use in woodworking shops may, for
convenience, be divided into the following classes: 1, Cutting;
2, Boring; 3, Chopping; 4, Scraping; 5, Pounding; 6, Holding; 7,
Measuring and Marking; 8, Sharpening; 9, Cleaning.

1. CUTTING TOOLS.

The most primitive as well as the simplest of all tools for the
dividing of wood into parts, is the wedge. The wedge does not even
cut the wood, but only crushes enough of it with its edge to allow its
main body to split the wood apart. As soon as the split has begun,
the edge of the wedge serves no further purpose, but the sides bear
against the split surfaces of the wood. The split runs ahead of the
wedge as it is driven along until the piece is divided.

It was by means of the wedge that primitive people obtained slabs
of wood, and the great change from primitive to civilized methods
in manipulating wood consists in the substitution of cutting for
splitting, of edge tools for the wedge. The wedge follows the grain
of the wood, but the edge tool can follow a line determined by the
worker. The edge is a refinement and improvement upon the wedge and
enables the worker to be somewhat independent of the natural grain of
the wood.

In general, it may be said that the function of all cutting tools
is to separate one portion of material from another along a definite
path. All such tools act, first, by the keen edge dividing the
material into two parts; second, by the wedge or the blade forcing
these two portions apart. If a true continuous cut is to be made, both
of these actions must occur together. The edge must be sharp enough
to enter between the small particles of material, cutting without
bruising them, and the blade of the tool must constantly force apart
the two portions in order that the cutting action of the edge may
continue.

The action of an ax in splitting wood is not a true cut, for only
the second process is taking place, Fig. 59. The split which opens in
front of the cutting edge anticipates its cutting and therefore the
surfaces of the opening are rough and torn.

[Illustration: Fig. 59. Wedge Action.]

[Illustration: Fig. 60. Edge Action.]

When a knife or chisel is pressed into a piece of wood at right angles
to the grain, and at some distance from the end of the wood, as in
Fig. 60, a