An awl is a simple pointed hand tool designed to pierce holes in materials like wood, leather, fabric, and even bone. It looks like an ice pick: a sharp metal spike or blade set into a handle. Unlike a drill, which removes material to create a hole, an awl displaces material by pushing it aside. This fundamental difference makes it one of the oldest and most versatile tools ever created, with versions dating back to the Stone Age.
How an Awl Works
The core principle is straightforward. You press or twist the pointed tip into a material, and the awl pushes fibers or particles outward rather than cutting them away. This displacement method actually creates a stronger hole. A biomechanical study comparing 3mm awl-made holes to 3mm drill-made holes found that screws placed in awl-created holes had significantly greater pullout strength (810.8 newtons of force versus 765.6 for drilled holes). Because the material is compressed around the hole rather than removed, the surrounding structure stays denser and grips fasteners more tightly.
This is why awls remain relevant even in an age of power tools. For starting screw holes, marking precise locations, or punching through leather, an awl often does the job better than a drill, not just more simply.
Common Types of Awls
Scratch Awl (Marking Awl)
The scratch awl has a simple round point and is primarily a layout tool. Woodworkers use it to scribe lines on wood surfaces, mark locations for cuts, and score reference points for joints. Think of it as a very precise pencil that leaves a physical groove in the material instead of a graphite line. That groove gives saw blades and chisels a channel to follow, improving accuracy.
Brad Awl (Piercing Awl)
A brad awl has a flat, chisel-like tip instead of a round point. You position the flat edge across the wood grain and push it in, which severs the fibers cleanly rather than splitting them apart. This makes it ideal for creating starter holes for screws and nails, especially in hardwoods where driving a fastener without a pilot hole could cause splitting. Some brad awls have a square blade profile, and woodworkers who use these find they can bore into wood faster because the corners of the blade shear fibers with each twist.
Stitching Awl
A stitching awl is built for sewing thick materials by hand. It typically comes with a needle attached to the tip, and some models have a spool of waxed thread built into the handle. You punch through the material and pull thread through in one motion, making it the go-to tool for repairing shoes, saddles, canvas bags, and upholstery. If you’ve ever seen someone repair a leather belt or a tent seam in the field, they were likely using a stitching awl.
Diamond Awl
The diamond awl is a leatherworking specialty tool with a four-sided, diamond-shaped tip. Instead of punching a round hole, it creates a small slit. Stitches passed through these slits lie flat against the leather surface rather than bunching up, which produces cleaner, tighter seams with less bulk. Leather artisans consider the diamond awl essential for high-quality hand-stitched goods like wallets, bags, and watch straps.
Bookbinding Awl
Bookbinders use awls with fine, straight points to pierce signature holes through folded paper and book board. These often have bulb-shaped handles that fill the palm, distributing force evenly when punching through multiple layers. Some bookbinding awls feature hooked needles with a small barb at the tip, useful for piercing stretchy materials like cloth covers and leather bindings.
What Awls Are Used For
In woodworking, awls serve two main roles: marking and hole-starting. A scratch awl scribes layout lines and marks precise locations for joints. A brad awl creates pilot indentations so screws, nails, and drill bits start exactly where you want them instead of wandering across the surface. Even experienced woodworkers with full shops of power tools keep an awl on the bench because nothing else does these small tasks as quickly.
In leathercraft, awls are central to the stitching process. Leather is too thick and tough for a regular sewing needle to penetrate on its own, so every stitch hole needs to be pre-punched or created during sewing. Diamond awls create the angled slits that keep stitch lines straight and uniform, while stitching awls combine hole-making and thread-pulling into one step.
Awls also show up in shoemaking, sail repair, upholstery, and even metalwork with thin copper sheets. Their simplicity makes them adaptable to nearly any material soft enough to be pierced by a pointed steel tip.
How Awls Differ From Similar Tools
People sometimes confuse awls with ice picks, nail sets, or center punches. An ice pick is designed to chip and break ice, not to create clean holes. A nail set is a blunt-tipped tool meant to drive nail heads below a wood surface. A center punch creates a dimple in metal to guide a drill bit but isn’t designed for repeated piercing through soft materials.
The key distinction between an awl and a drill bit is worth repeating: a drill removes material, while an awl moves it aside. This means awl holes are self-reinforcing. The compressed material around the hole creates a tighter fit for whatever you thread or drive through it. For small pilot holes and leather stitching, this is an advantage. For larger holes or hard materials, a drill is the better choice.
Keeping an Awl Sharp
A dull awl is frustrating and dangerous because you end up applying excessive force, which increases the chance of slipping. Sharpening is simple: hold the awl at roughly 20 to 30 degrees against a fine-grit whetstone or diamond sharpening plate, and rotate it evenly to maintain a symmetrical point. For diamond awls, you need to sharpen each of the four faces individually to keep the edges crisp.
Between sharpenings, keep the blade clean and dry. A light coat of oil on the metal prevents rust, and storing the awl with a cork or cap over the tip protects both the point and your fingers. Wooden handles benefit from occasional oiling as well, since a greasy or cracked handle compromises your grip. The tool is only as safe as your control over it, and control starts with a handle you can hold firmly.
A Tool With Deep Roots
Awls are among the earliest tools humans ever made. Archaeological evidence from the Mesolithic site of Star Carr in England shows that flint awls were used for working hide, bone, wood, and even shale. Researchers believe some of these awls were used to make clothing with decorative beads attached, meaning the tool played a role not just in survival but in early craft and self-expression. Thousands of years later, the basic concept hasn’t changed: a sharp point, a comfortable handle, and the human hand doing precise work.