Lower-class Incas used stone-tipped tools for woodworking. Stone was plentiful in the mountains and cheap to use. Furthermore, the stone bits could be fashioned by most people with a modicum of time. The stone head was secured on the end of a wood stick. Adzes, saws, hammers and chisels could all be made with stone tips. Stone tools were used by farmers, construction workers and small boat makers.
Metal-tipped woodworking tools were the sole province of the upper-class Incas. Though the Inca civilization lasted until the 16th century, it never advanced beyond the Bronze age. Incas had strong metal-working guilds that protected the secret to working with bronze. The scarcity of bronze on the market made bronze tools very expensive. Metal-tipped tools were constructed much the same as the stone tools.
The ax was the most basic woodworking tool of the Incas. The ax was made by placing a bladed head on the end of a wooden stick. The adze is basically an ax with a blade that is perpendicular to the shaft. The adze is used for the rough, initial shaping of the wood. Chisels were used to carve into the work to make decorative designs. Hammers were made by simply placing a stone weight on the end of a wooden stick.
Though the Incas are mainly remembered for masonry, carpentry was also an integral part of Inca society. Stones were moved through the use of wooden rollers and wooden cranes. Many of the stone-tipped wood working tools were also employed as stone-working tools. Working on the stone blunted the edges faster, but the stone heads could be replaced easier. Furthermore, the stone temples were constructed through the use of vast scaffolding, all of which had to be made with woodworking tools.