Many hand tools are available for cutting both hard and soft stone as well as for various masonry projects. While the tools are basically used in the same way for any of these applications, hard and soft stone have some unique qualities that make specific tools better suited to certain jobs. For this reason, you can choose from a variety of metal compositions and tip finishes when selecting the right stone cutting hand tools.

Masonry Tools
 
Hand tools are used in masonry restoration work.Any good set of masonry stone cutting tools will include a verity of hammers, chisels and specialty tools. A mason's hammer is designed to apply the force needed to drive these chisels and specialty tools to cut and shape stone. The specialty tools include mason's chippers, hand tracers, rocko chisels, hand points, mallet head tooth chisels and chisel whizards. Each of these tools has a specific application that aids in the creation of stone walls, fireplaces and other stone masonry construction projects. In the right hands, these tools can split boulders and shape stone in a variety of ways.

Hard Stone Tools
  
Hard stones, such as granite, require special tools.Carbide-tipped tools are best suited for hard stone applications and they last longer with less maintenance than their steel-bladed counterparts. Granite and other hard stones are different from marble and soft stone because they are brittle and chip easily. However, they can also be roughed out much closer to the finished product and have a variety of finishing techniques that can be applied. In addition to the carbide-tipped tools, it is recommended to use a larger, type-D, pneumatic hammer when working with hard stone. This larger hammer will provide more force behind the tools and can save time when roughing out projects.

Soft Stone Tools
 
Soft stones, such as marble, can be worked with sharp-tipped tools.Steel-blade tools are best suited for soft stone and infrequent, light-duty use. Because the soft stone is not brittle, the blades and teeth of chisels and other tools can be kept relatively sharp without much risk of breaking the stone. Carbide tools and steel tools can be used on marble and other soft stone applications. However, steel tools are more easily sharpened in order to gouge softer stone works. Additionally, a smaller, type-B, pneumatic hammer can be used with soft stone to give the sculptor more precise handling when applying various finishing techniques. Also, this means that the tools used to work soft stone may also be lighter, which will reduce the likelihood of "bruising" the stone. In softer stone, bruising occurs when a tool has applied excessive pressure to the work, which results in a discoloring of the surface.