What Is an Awl Tool and What Is It Used For? | One Sharp Point, Many Jobs

An awl is a small hand tool with a sharp pointed spike, used to scribe lines, pierce small holes, and start pilot holes in wood, leather, and paper.

A scratched line on a board or a clean hole punched through a leather strap starts with the same unglamorous little spike: the awl. It is one of the oldest tools on any workbench — a handle, a hardened point, and a job list that keeps growing once you own one. This guide covers what an awl does, which materials it handles, the main types, and how to use one without poking yourself.

What Does an Awl Actually Do?

An awl performs three core tasks: marking a surface with a scribed line, piercing a small hole in a soft material, and opening a pilot hole so a screw or nail starts where you want it. Its value is precision — a pencil line is wide and easily smudged, but an awl’s scratch mark is thin, exact, and stays put.

Popular Woodworking describes the awl as a layout tool first, which is how most woodworkers meet it: marking a cut line by pressing the point into wood along a straightedge, then following that groove with a saw or chisel. In leatherwork and bookbinding, the same point does something different — it makes the holes themselves, spacing stitches evenly before any thread goes through.

What Materials Can You Use an Awl On?

An awl works on wood, leather, thin copper sheet, paper, book covers, and dense fabric. The tool is gentle enough for marking a paper fold and firm enough to pierce a leather belt, which is why the same shape shows up in workshops, craft rooms, and bookbinding benches alike.

Material matters for how hard you push. On soft woods and paper, light finger pressure marks the surface. On leather and dense fabric, you press steadily while keeping the work on a cutting mat. Thin copper sheet is a common stop too — the awl scribes a layout line the metal can then be bent or cut along. Merriam-Webster keeps the definition simple: a pointed tool for making small holes. Knowing which material you’re facing tells you how much force the job needs.

How Many Types of Awl Are There?

Awls come in two broad families: solid-point awls, which pierce and mark, and sewing awls, which carry thread through the hole they make. The solid-point version is the one most people picture — a bare metal spike fixed in a handle, used for scribing and pilot holes.

A sewing awl adds one feature: an eye near the tip, like a needle, so thread feeds through the hole as you push. That design is standard in leather stitching and repairs on heavy fabric. There are also scratch awls built specifically for layout work, with a fine point meant for marking rather than boring.

• Scratch awl: fine point for scribing layout lines on wood and metal.
• Sewing awl: eye near the tip to draw thread through leather and fabric.
• Bradawl: slightly tapered point for starting screw holes in wood.
• Stitching awl: short, sturdy spike built for repeated leather work.

How Do You Use an Awl Safely?

Point the awl away from your body and keep your fingers clear of the tip, because the point that marks so cleanly will pierce skin just as easily. Auburn School District’s shop safety guide is blunt about it: a scratch awl is for marking and piercing, and it is not a pry bar or a screwdriver.

The pressure you apply travels toward whatever is underneath. Set the work on a stable surface and push in a controlled motion rather than a jab. When a hole is stubborn, work the point with small rotations instead of forcing it. If you are removing a splinter, clean the awl tip first — a dirty point pushes debris into the skin. A simple rule covers most of it: control the point, control the force, and never aim it where your hand already is.

Which Awl Should You Reach For?

Match the awl to the job and you will rarely need more than one or two in a drawer. Marking and scribing call for a fine-point scratch awl. Starting screws calls for a bradawl. Stitching leather or heavy fabric calls for a sewing or stitching awl with an eye for thread. If you would rather buy once and cover all of it, a quick look at tested awl multi-tool picks shows which handles survive real use instead of just looking sharp in the product photo.

From there, the routine is simple: choose the point, secure the material, aim away from your hands, and let the awl do the work. That one habit turns a tiny tool into one you reach for every time a line needs to be exact.