Hello,

Opinion? You want opinion? Well as long as you ask I'm willing to oblige in this case but first the facts which are that in woodworking there are three core categories of chisel, mortice, firmer and bench or these beveled ones you bring up. The mortice chisels seem self explanatory, firmer chisels maybe less so, are the same as bench chisels without the beveled sides so are stouter and can withstand more force in use but because of the extra bulk can be unhandy when cutting some jointery say dovetails for example. Firmer chisels are actually pretty obsolete because a lot of their function has been replaced by people using a router in place of chopping wood out with a chisel. But in timber work still dominant because the extra mass needed where it counts when used by the traditionalist.

But bench chisels are primarily just that, to be used at the bench which doesn't seem to be where much timber framing takes place though it fits into something I have seen as a trend/confusion in Anglo-American timber framing where more and more tools are being adopted from furniture making and cabinetry, shoulder planes, rabbit planes, block planes - bench chisels. To me it indicates a certain mind shift or alteration of the consciousness of the timber framer responding to various undefined - in my mind at least - social and cultural influences. Probably customer demand or glossy magazine editors.

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff