All Blue Spruce Optima chisels blend form and function into a tool that's a joy to use and a delight to admire. Our new mortise chisels are no exception. They share many features with the rest of the Optima family…cryogenically treated A-2 steel blades that have been lapped perfectly flat and polished to a mirror finish. The bevels are expertly ground and carefully hand-sharpened. But while most Optima chisels focus on finesse, the mortise chisels are all about power and strength.  

In other mortise chisels, the wooden handle acts as a shock absorber between your mallet and the blade.  In Optima Mortise Chisels the striking cap has a direct connection to the cutting edge through a central steel core. All the energy of your strike is delivered to the cut. The blades are taller than they are wide (except the 1/2", which is square) and we carefully grind the sides of the blades parallel to each other. This profile guides your cut in the right direction...straight.