1 THE "OTHER" WORKING TOOLS -- THE CHISEL, THE SKIRRET , AND THE PENCIL

[Bloke]

By Jorge Sanchez
SHORT TALK BULLETIN, Vol. 84 , No. 3, March, 2006.

Thought this might be of interest

Although the 24-inch Gauge and the Common Gavel may be familiar to U. S. Craft Masons, the Chisel is
not. Emulation ritual explains that the Chisel "points out to us the advantages of education, by which
means alone we are rendered fit members of regularly organized Society." This equation of the chisel
with education is especially interesting, since we often think of education as a cumulative endeavor,
through which we amass certain knowledge, skills, and qualifications. The Chisel, of course, is a tool of
great sharpness that cleaves unnecessary rock from the usable stone. The idea that education might
pare away the unnecessary while leaving us with only what is vital is a profound and almost paradoxical
idea that merits contemplation. Oddly, the chisel seems to be a tool of paradoxes: small, yet powerful;
emblematic of education by elimination, and not accumulation.

Full Article is below
https://www.kansasmason.org/cms/images/Short-Talk-Bulletin-The-Other-Working-Tools.pdf

 

[Winter]

Thank you for sharing this STB. I remember when this came out the same year we founded an Emulation Lodge in Wisconsin that uses all 9 working tools. I had always wondered previously why the working tools were not a series of triads like so much else in Freemasonry. It seemed so incongruous.

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[Bloke]

Thank you for sharing this STB. I remember when this came out the same year we founded an Emulation Lodge in Wisconsin that uses all 9 working tools. I had always wondered previously why the working tools were not a series of triads like so much else in Freemasonry. It seemed so incongruous.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

Nice tools !
Not really sure which is the pencil and chisel.

As an interesting aside, the article mentions we don't have the trowel. True in that is not a working tool of one of the three degrees, but it gets mentioned in the Installation to spread the cement of Brotherly Love..

 

[Winter]

Nice tools !
Not really sure which is the pencil and chisel.

As an interesting aside, the article mentions we don't have the trowel. True in that is not a working tool of one of the three degrees, but it gets mentioned in the Installation to spread the cement of Brotherly Love..

 

[Bloke]

View attachment 6851

Thanks... still not really seeing that as a chisel..
I was hunting for a good pick for you and found this http://royalalfred1028.org/?page_id=43

Nice !

 

[Winter]

Thanks... still not really seeing that as a chisel..
I was hunting for a good pick for you and found this http://royalalfred1028.org/?page_id=43

Nice !

I agree, it doesn't look like what we think of as a chisel today but I think it does look closer to some of the ancient chisels that have been found, particularly Roman.

 

[Keith C]

Nice tools !
Not really sure which is the pencil and chisel.

As an interesting aside, the article mentions we don't have the trowel. True in that is not a working tool of one of the three degrees, but it gets mentioned in the Installation to spread the cement of Brotherly Love..

Here in PA in the "Ancient" Ritual the Trowel IS the Working Tool of a Master Mason