Scratch awl

A scratch awl is a woodworking layout and point-making tool.

It is used to scribe a line to be followed by a hand saw or chisel when making woodworking joints and other operations.

[1] The scratch awl is basically a steel spike with its tip sharpened to a fine point.

The tip of the spike is drawn across the timber, leaving a shallow groove.

It may also be used to mark a point by pressing the tip into the timber.