Slate is a hard material to work with and I am often asked what I use to break it up with. In truth, there is no single tool that is best, although, if hard pushed I’d go for a hammer as that can do most jobs!

Instead there are a number of different tools I use, depending on what kind of slate I’m working with and how I’m trying to cut it. So today I thought I’d share a few of these tools with you. I’m only going to cover hand tools, as I’ve previously written a post about using an electric tile saw to cut slate.

Pictured below are my favourite tools for working with slate. Let me give you some more details about them, working from left to right.

Hammer

While this particular hammer might not be my favourite, it's the most useful one I have for working with slate. There is nothing particularly special about it. It came from a hardware store in the US when we were buying basic tools for the home. But like my other tools, I have become familiar with it - the weight and feel of it is comfortable and it does the job - namely breaking up slate! I use this in combination with my blade to split slate, or on its own to break up roof slates. To see it in action check out this video.

Plane/spokeshave blade.

This is my favourite tool for splitting slate.  You can also use a chisel, which does the same job, but using the plane blade means I can support the slate and hold the blade at the same time. To see this in action check out this video

Tweezers.

I love my tweezers - they help me work cleanly and neatly, particularly when working with smaller pieces. My favourite tweezers are the ones with the bent nose that have a bit of a grip on the inside.  I have several pairs because I am always putting them down and losing them. They always turn up, but I usually have two pairs on my desk because there’s nothing more annoying than losing them in the middle of working! And just for fun, here’s a bit of tweezer action for you.

Wheeled nippers

I have several types of wheeled nippers but my everyday pair are Leponitts. While technically they are intended for cutting glass, I find them really useful for slate, which sometimes just needs that pinpoint of pressure to encourage it to split/break. You can see me splitting slate rods in this video.

Using these nippers with slate will dull the blades, but luckily the blades can be rotated with the help of an allen key.   I’ve also removed the pin that restricts how far they open, as sometimes I need them to open a bit further. To counteract the additional stress this places on my hand, I've put an old hairband round the handles to provide a bit of resistance. I’ve also tied on the spring with a bit of thread so it doesn’t get lost should I open my nippers too wide, causing it to fall off!

Palette Knife

Everyone needs a good palette knife for mixing and spreading adhesive. The one in the photograph is my favourite. Perhaps you can tell that from the well-used look it has (ie the handle is covered in dried adhesive!) And although this is a double ended knife, I usually only use the thin end!

Sidebiter nippers

I’m including these in the list because sometimes these work better than wheeled nippers. It really depends on the slate and the type of cut you are trying to make. I always give my students a pair of these and pair of wheeled nippers and tell them if one doesn’t work, try the other. Both apply different types of pressure. You can see these in action, breaking up slate rods, and shaping a piece of slate.

So there you have it, a few of my favourite tools for working with slate. They are not the only tools that can be used with slate, but these are the ones I always come back to. I’ve used them for several years now and their familiarity means I can comfortably use them to get the job done!

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