Chisel Point

A four-inch splinter of dry cedar lay wedged beside the stone bench leg. The grain was straight with zero rot, but the tip was blunt and jagged. A reliable wedge needs a proper bevel. I pressed the flat of the timber against the coarse quartzite flagstone, locked both hands across the shaft, and dragged it forward with steady downward weight. Five heavy passes ground the rough fibers away into a clean chisel edge. Blew the pale cedar sawdust off the stone. Tested the tip under direct thumb pressure—no flex, no splintering. Slid the finished wooden pry-shim into my belt.