Chopping Down the First Wall

Clamp your board in the vise and create a step down using a sharp chisel. Then simply flick out the waste material with your fingers. This helps align the chisel and also makes way for the chisel to travel when chopping. Take your wood out of the vise and lay it flat on the bench top. Place the flat side of a wide (1”) chisel right on the knifewall and begin to chop across the board with a chisel hammer.

Note: Do not chop too hard at this point, as you don’t want to move the knifewall with too much compression. Instead, listen for the changing sound, as the chisel will only travel so far with the waste wood in the way. Try to overlap the cuts as this also eases alignment.

Alternatively, you can cut the wall by sawing down to the gauge line using a tenon saw.