Moil Points, Chisels and Spades: Choosing the Working End
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Crews spend a lot of time choosing between tool classes and almost none choosing steel. That is backwards. The tool delivers energy; the steel decides what that energy does to the material, and a dull or wrong-shaped steel wastes most of it.
The shapes and what they are for
Moil point
A tapered point. Concentrates the blow into a small area to penetrate and crack material from the inside. This is the default for breaking concrete and rock.
Use for: general breaking, starting a break in the middle of a slab, hard reinforced concrete, rock.
Do not use for: cutting a clean line, or asphalt - a moil point just punches holes in asphalt.
Chisel / flat
A flat blade. Spreads the blow along a line rather than a point.
Use for: cutting lines, trimming edges, removing surface layers, working along rebar without cutting it, removing tile and coatings.
Do not use for: initial penetration of thick concrete - start with a moil point and switch.
Asphalt cutter
A wide blade sized for asphalt. Cuts a slot rather than fracturing.
Use for: asphalt cutting and removal, utility cuts in pavement.
Clay spade
A broad spade for soil, clay and compacted fill - not concrete. Using a clay spade on concrete damages it quickly.
Use for: trenching, digging in hard soil, undercutting. Pairs with our KT-CD clay diggers.
Tamper butt
A flat plate for compaction rather than removal. See the KT-6T tamper.
Working the job
A practical sequence that saves a surprising amount of time on slab removal:
- Start at an edge or a joint, not in the middle of a field. Free edges let material move, and material that can move breaks.
- Moil point to penetrate and establish the break.
- Work in from the break in manageable pieces rather than chasing the whole slab at once.
- Switch to a chisel for trimming edges and cleaning up around rebar.
The most common mistake is attacking the middle of an unbroken slab. Everything there is confined and none of it can move.
Shank size has to match
Steel is not universal. The shank must match the tool's chuck - the correct size, the correct shape, and the correct collar. Wrong steel will not retain properly, which is a safety problem before it is a performance problem.
Standardize shank size across your tools where you can. One steel inventory that fits everything is worth real money, especially on a rental fleet.
Sharpening and retirement
Steel is consumable and dull steel is expensive.
- Sharpen on a schedule. A sharp moil point penetrates; a dull one hammers. The difference in productivity is large.
- Do not overheat when sharpening. Excess heat draws the temper and the steel will mushroom or crack in service.
- Retire mushroomed shanks. A mushroomed shank damages the chuck and can shatter.
- Retire bent steel. It puts the blow off-axis and accelerates bushing and chuck wear.
- Watch for cracks at the collar and along the shaft.
Keep spares in rotation
The point of a spare set is that work does not stop when a steel goes dull. On a job of any size, having a second sharp set on the truck pays for itself the first time it is used.
We stock steel and accessories alongside our tools. If you are not sure what shank your hammer takes, send a photo and a measurement.