Being wood worker and an avid tool fanatic has its good and bad points. The countless hours of research in the aisles of such stores as Lowe’s, Sears, and Home Depot can be exhausting. The scorn of my wife and hearing for at least the hundredth time: “What do you need that for?” or “Don’t you have enough tools?”. OK, maybe the research isn’t so bad, and there is nothing better than the joy of buying a new useful tool. A tool that you can tell all of your friends about for the first time, and they will listen to all your rumblings. One that has dual purposes and works like a charm. Well friends, this is one of the moments when all that “research” paid off. This review is to tell you about the Nicholson Woodchucks by Cooper Tools.

What is a Woodchuck?
No, this Woodchuck does not live in a hole, and cause farmers all kinds of headaches. This Woodchuck is part Chisel, and part Rasp. The design is quite simple. Nicholson decided to use the wasted space on the blade of a chisel. They rounded the one side, and added teeth to it for the rasping feature. The set of three Woodchucks (WCSET3N) which I bought, has blade widths of 1/2”, 3/4”, and 1”. They are all about 8” long, and weigh between 19 to 26 ounces. The handle is made of impact-resistant acetate, and there is a steel strike plate in the top to help protect from breakage when hit with a hammer. The blade is made of forged steel, and comes to a very sharp point at the end. There are even teeth on the edge of the blade for tight spaces.

How much Wood can a Woodchuck chuck?
We all knew that title was coming, and I didn’t want to disappoint anyone. This is a money and time saving tool. For the price of a good set of chisels, you can own a tool that can not only be used for the purpose, but to smooth the edges of those chisel cuts. The three different sizes in the set make it easy to find the right size for the job that you are doing. I do a lot of scroll work in my woodwork shop, and I use these tools almost every time. The chisel is so sharp that it can cut you, if you rub your finger along the edge. It cuts through wood like butter. Nicholson included plastic caps for this sharp end. The flat rasp is great for outside curves, and straight edges. The half-round rasp works perfectly for inside curves and the edge rasp are is good for tight corners and hard to reach areas. I have owned these chisels for about 6 months, and the edges, and teeth are as sharp as when the tools were new. The design and quality of the Woodchuck is second to none.

Who is Nicholson?
No, he’s not the guy from the movies. Nicholson is a hand tool company that is owned by Cooper Tools. Their main market seems to be files, rasps, and chisels. If you walk in to Lowe’s or Sears you will see their files on the shelf. The Nicholson website is full of very useful information on these tools. The catalog is in PDF format and does take a bit to download, but is well worth the wait if you have an interest on this subject. And while you are there you can also check out the newest information on such brands as Crescent, Lufkin, and Plumb, because Cooper Tools also owns these fine companies.

As I said before sometimes all of the research pays off. I contacted Pogomom about adding this product for me, because I felt that people should know more about the Woodchuck. She worked hard to find the right place to put this tool, and I’m very grateful. I think that we both learned more about these tools by the research that we did just to get this review here for all of you. I’m just as pleased with this tool as I am to be able to share it with all of you. Next time someone mentions the word Woodchuck, ask them if they mean the tool or the animal?

Model WC12N: 1/2” Woodchuck
Model WC34N: 3/4” Woodchuck
Model WC1N: 1” Woodchuck



Thanks for reading!!!
Steelfan


Note:I originally did this review under Nicholson Woodchucks product title. I now see that Epinions has added these wonderful product under Cooper Tools. My main reason for moving this review is that under this title, the product has a better description and also a link on the page to Sears. These fine multi-use Chisels/Rasps are easy to find in any Sears store. I have also seen them at Lowes being sold as a set or individually.

Recommended: Yes