The Chisel in Freemasonry

All Freemasons are familiar with the Chisel from the time they become an Entered Apprentice, as it is with this tool, together with the mallet, that they symbolically learned to work on the Rough Stone. In most continental European Masonic Rites, after being received, the new Entered Apprentice has to ritually strike the Rough Stone three times with the Mallet and Chisel, thus completing his first work as an Entered Apprentice. On receiving Fellowcraft degree, the Freemason will find the Chisel among the tools of this degree and must symbolically refine its use. Thereafter, the Chisel is no longer mentioned in Masonic rituals, except in the Mark Masonry degree (an Anglo-Saxon "Side Degree"). Where does the use of the Chisel in Freemasonry come from, has it always been part of Masonic symbolism, and what is its symbolic signification ?

The origins of the Masonic Chisel 

The chisel is of course an operative tool used by many different trades in wood, stone and metal. It is one of the tools of the stonemason, who is one of the aspects of the Freemason (in fact, the symbolic Freemason is at once the stonemason, the sculptor, the mason who builds the walls and the architect who designs and directs the construction of the building). Nevertheless, the Chisel does not appear in the old English and Scottish Masonic catechisms of the very late 17th and early 18th centuries. It is mentioned for the first time in 1724 in "The Whole Institution of Masonry". It then appears in "The Whole Institution of Free-Masons Opened" in 1725 and in the "Graham" manuscript in 1726. It therefore seems that the Chisel did not belong to Masonic symbolism until the emergence of the Grand Lodge of Moderns in 1717 (or more likely 1721).

Why did the chisel appear so late in Masonic ritual usage ? Probably because the old operative practices were much more complex and used many more tools. Stonemasons used a whole range of tools, such as sledgehammers, quarrier’s picks, cutting hammers, mallets and chisels... All these tools were used at different stages of the work, from roughing to finishing the stone. The further Freemasonry moved away from operative uses, the more it simplified the tools, or rather schematised them symbolically. Since the aim was no longer to train stonemasons, the only tools left to represent work on stone were the Mallet and the Chisel. Masonic rituals thus state that the Entered Apprentice cuts rough stone using the Mallet and Chisel, which is nonsense from a technical point of view, but makes perfect sense from a symbolic point of view.

This process of symbolic simplification probably explains the origin of the Perfect Ashlar topped by an axe-shaped tool that appears on many Lodge Tracing Boards. Many interpretations have been given to this symbol, but it is highly probable that it is merely a reminiscence of a time when Freemasonry still included a cutting hammer in its symbols.

The Symbolism of the Chisel

There is some wisdom in the selection by Freemasonry of the Mallet and the Chisel as the only tools used to describe work on the Stone. The combination of these two tools forms a very interesting symbolic structure, which is full of finesse and subtleties. If the Sledgehammer or the Quarrier’s Pick had been chosen, we would have had a tool that functions solely on the basis of force and is usually handled with two hands. The symbolism of working on the Rough Stone (which is nothing other than the Freemason himself who needs to free himself from the cloak of materialism and ignorance that encloses him) calls for more subtlety and finesse.

Freemasonry is fond of triangles and includes them throughout its rituals. The choice of the Mallet and the Chisel introduces a supplementary triangulation: the Freemason is not just symbolically striking the Rough Stone with force. The strike of the Mallet, which symbolises force, is not directly applied to the Stone, which it could damage, but is mediated by the Chisel, which then becomes a symbol of discernment, refinement, precision and even, one might say, gentleness. The brutal force of the Mallet is thus transformed by the finesse of the Chisel, to be finally applied to the Stone, in a triangulating movement.

The Mallet, held in the right hand, has therefore been understood as an emblem of strength, will power and determination. It is active (Yang, as Chinese tradition would say), whereas the Chisel, held in the left hand, is passive (Yin) and symbolises intellectual and spiritual receptiveness, discernment and finesse of mind. Only the application of these two kinds of force, one active, "male" and brutal, the other passive, "feminine" and subtle, can enable the Freemason to work towards the moral and spiritual perfection proposed by the Masonic method.

But taken separately, both the Mallet and the Chisel would be completely ineffective for cutting rough stone. Lacking finesse, the Mallet would damage the stone and perhaps even cause it to shatter. But lacking strength, the Chisel could only scratch the surface of the stone, without being able to change its shape or reach deeper into the material. The Freemason is therefore called upon to adopt a complete inner attitude, one which combines strength and determination with finesse and subtlety. Freemasons work on themselves with a perspective of self-improvement, with respect for themselves of course, but without any self-indulgence. What would be the point of breaking himself by using too much brutal and voluntaristic force ? But what would be the point of scratching at the surface without ever penetrating deeper into himself ? The Mallet and the Chisel that have accompanied him as an Entered Apprentice and a Fellowcraft should remain forever for the Freemason a key to his inner life, whatever degree or dignity he may have reached in Freemasonry.