Pfeil Chisel

[ken hatch]

While at Woodcraft this morning buying hinges for the peanut's toy box one of my friends that works there showed a new stock item, a Pfeil bevel edge chisel. He stated he was thinking about buying a set and asked if I knew anything about them. Of course I knew nothing but the chisel felt good in hand and had IIRC K-5 something steel hardened to 60 RC, most important low Chrome (all information from my friend doing his homework). On a whim and to help a friend I picked up a 19mm to take home and give a run. Once home I sharpened it on a brown and a white Spyderco stones. It went quickly, the back was slightly hollow and the bevel was ground 25 degrees primary with 30 degree secondary. The white Spyderco gave a nice burr that came off with a single 'pull' both stones gave a good polish even before stropping. After stropping the edge felt and looked sharp. I do not normally 'test' for sharpness but as this was a test I did. The chisel did a good job of paring both Pine and Oak end grain with ease and leaving a smooth surface with no noticeable dulling of the chisel.

Bottom line: It is a very nice chisel for around $40 USD. If I needed a set of bevel edge chisels (like another hole in my head) the Pfeils would be in the running.

ken

[Mel Fulks]

Thanks for review, Ken. I remember George Wilson likes that steel too.

[Shawn Pixley]

I like the Pfeil chisels. I can get them sharp. I use mine for paring and PM V11 for chopping.

[Robert Engel]

If their chisels match up to their carving gouges, they will be excellent.

$40 is an excellent price.

[Kees Heiden]

Yes, I have a couple of Pfeil carving gouges. First class! Pfeill is highly regarded overhere in Europe. No reason why they would loose any of their excellence with a trip over the ocean.

[Bob Glenn]

I have quite a few of their carving gouges. Expensive but nice.

[george wilson]

Yes,I have been using Pfiel carving tools since about 1965. They are excellent.

I have many antique Addis and other chisels,some 18th. C.. Antique tools can be pretty variable in quality. I have a set of Addis that were left so HARD,they would not take a good edge. I had to heat them to a dark brown color before they were O.K. to sharpen,and hold an edge.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I purchased a nice set based on the recommendation of the owner of a local Woodcraft store. My interest was that they would be sharp out of the box and at the time I had no idea how to sharpen. They were very sharp out of the box and they worked well..... but I was learning to sharpen on some cheap (quality and price) chisels. Made some nasty mistakes leaving some horrible marks..... and then I inherited a bunch of chisels of mixed quality (a few great ones, at least garbage chisel......) so I gifted the Pfeil set to a long time friend and chose to keep the mixed set that had been in my family for a very long time.

So, from what I saw, I was very happy with them. I prefer the handles on what looks to be some old stanleys. My good friend now lives about a 16 hour drive with no stopping so i rarely see him, but he is still using those chisels.

[Frank Martin]

What do you think about Two Cherries carving tools and chisels? Are they in the same league as Pfeil or not?

[ken hatch]

I had a chance to use the Pfiel chisel chopping and paring the hinge mortises for the peanut's toy box yesterday. As expected from the way it felt in hand at the store it is a chisel I could learn to love. The balance is good, the handle is transparent in use for both chopping and paring, and it takes a great cutting edge. I expect a few more sizes will follow me home.

ken

[Robert LaPlaca]

What do you think about Two Cherries carving tools and chisels? Are they in the same league as Pfeil or not?

Frank, I just recently purchased some additional Two Cherries carving tools, I had previously purchased a few 10+ years ago. The carving tools are nicely made, the steel takes a wonderful edge, but Two Cherries has gone way crazy with the polishing the steel, currently it seems like they feel the need to polish the cutting edge now. I had one #1 rounded over so bad it took hours to make it a useable tool. The older Two Cherries tools when new, just had the cutting edge established and unrefined, left for the user to properly sharpen, much preferred tonew tools. Thank goodness they have given up on the thick coating of lacquer they used to slather the steel with..

[Russ Ellis]

I had a chance to use the Pfiel chisel chopping and paring the hinge mortises for the peanut's toy box yesterday. As expected from the way it felt in hand at the store it is a chisel I could learn to love. The balance is good, the handle is transparent in use for both chopping and paring, and it takes a great cutting edge. I expect a few more sizes will follow me home.

ken

How does the handle look after a few whacks from a mallet? My thought is the bench chisels are better suited to paring because of the bevel angle and elm handles. Although I am more interested in the Pfeil butt chisels.

[Russ Ellis]

Frank, I just recently purchased some additional Two Cherries carving tools, I had previously purchased a few 10+ years ago. The carving tools are nicely made, the steel takes a wonderful edge, but Two Cherries has gone way crazy with the polishing the steel, currently it seems like they feel the need to polish the cutting edge now. I had one #1 rounded over so bad it took hours to make it a useable tool. The older Two Cherries tools when new, just had the cutting edge established and unrefined, left for the user to properly sharpen, much preferred to new tools. Thank goodness they have given up on the thick coating of lacquer they used to slather the steel with..

Interesting. There are unpolished Two Cherries chisels available in the United States. Unfortunately the set that I saw took a bath in lacquer; both the handles and the blades.

[Frank Martin]

Great to hear Two Cherries have similarly great steel. I am not that worried about initial sharpness as I will need to sharpen/hone them anyway.

[bridger berdel]

So how are you liking the spyderco stones?

[ken hatch]

So how are you liking the spyderco stones?

Bridger,

You know me, no mater the stone of the day I always go back to Arkansas Oil stones but I've been playing with the Spyderco's for awhile now. So far I haven't found a down side. They seem to stay as flat and maybe needing dressing less than oil stones, they cut O-1 and PM-v11 a little faster and leave a better polish. The scratch pattern isn't much different than natural stones so I guess the answer is I like at least for awhile until I go back to the oil :).

ken

[george wilson]

I WILL SAY that whoever designed those UGLY,HORRIBLE handles for Pfiel chisels ought to be tossed out on his head!! I LOVE Pfiel tools,and their carving tools have nice handles,except for the years that they rubbed what looked like DIRTY MOTOR OIL on them!!

Thank Heavens they seem to have stopped that practice!!.

I DO like the steel they use,and the accuracy with which their chisels and carving tools are ground. I noticed that Addis(Is THAT the right name? Senior moment!!) apparently feeling out done,started polishing their carving tools also,even though there was nothing wrong with leaving the tempering colors and black undersides on them. I just like the finish on the Pfiels better. Pfiel carving tools do come with a sharp edge,BUT,it is an edge finished off by hitting it on a buffer,which I get rid of with a proper honing. Their new line of chisels are left with a very accurate,precision ground finish,and very square edges,not rounded off like the Hirsch and Two Cherries. AND without that thick coating of tough,very difficult to remove LACQUER. If you just use those lacquered chisels with the lacquer on them,the lacquer starts wearing off,leaving a mottled surface of bright(where the lacquer still is),and DULL surface,where the lacquer has worn off. MOST unattractive. My 1965 set of Marples chisels have a thin coat of lacquer,but,at least they aren't buffed.

Buffing is a skill that few understand how to do properly. If a workman is handed a chisel fresh from the grinder,and told to buff it smooth,it's a WONDER that they do it as well as they do. It takes a LOT of buffing to remove those ground surfaces! The grinding marks are quite deep,it seems,when you're trying to remove them. The chisels ought to be ACCURATELY finished with 600 Wet or Dry paper before buffing,to avoid the blunted edges and sluffed over surfaces. But,that would add too much work to making the chisels. So,it would just be best to leave them ground accurately and in a workman like way,which the workers are perfectly capable of doing.

I have very many antique carving tools,and as far as I am concerned,the Pfiels are as good as the best antiques. If I knew that,but had no Pfiel carving tools,I'd HASTEN to buy all I could afford before they somehow stop making them. These days factories close so quickly,and without any warning,it would be a wise thing to do.

[ken hatch]

I WILL SAY that whoever designed those UGLY,HORRIBLE handles for Pfiel chisels ought to be tossed out on his head!! I LOVE Pfiel tools,and their carving tools have nice handles,except for the years that they rubbed what looked like DIRTY MOTOR OIL on them!!

Thank Heavens they seem to have stopped that practice!!.

I DO like the steel they use,and the accuracy with which their chisels and carving tools are ground. I noticed that Addis(Is THAT the right name? Senior moment!!) apparently feeling out done,started polishing their carving tools also,even though there was nothing wrong with leaving the tempering colors and black undersides on them. I just like the finish on the Pfiels better. Pfiel carving tools do come with a sharp edge,BUT,it is an edge finished off by hitting it on a buffer,which I get rid of with a proper honing.

I have very many antique carving tools,and as far as I am concerned,the Pfiels are as good as the best antiques. If I knew that,but had no Pfiel carving tools,I'd HASTEN to buy all I could afford before they somehow stop making them. These days factories close so quickly,and without any warning,it would be a wise thing to do.

George,

Are you talking about the Carpenter Chisels or the Bench Chisels? They have different handles. I find the Carpenter Chisel handle perfect for my hand....The bench chisel I wouldn't even try because from looking I can tell it wouldn't work. Even though I need more chisel like another hole in my head I ordered a full set of the Carpenter chisels....Like you I worry about missing something good and these chisels are very good at any price. At the current price they are a bargain.

ken

[Kees Heiden]

Just one little nitpickety small thing. Lots of Americans write Pfiel, but the name is Pfeil, German for arrow.

So, the e comes first, then the i.

[Jim Koepke]

Just one little nitpickety small thing. Lots of Americans write Pfiel, but the name is Pfeil, German for arrow.

So, the e comes first, then the i.

Not sure if this is still how it is done, but in American schools they used to teach, "i before e except after c." As Americans become more acquainted with the rest of the world we learn there are a lot more exceptions to the rule.

jtk

[John Schtrumpf]

Or when sounded as ā , as in neighbor and weigh. So Pfeil is pronounced [fāl] .

Edit to add: I have the older Pfeil bench chisels, butt chisels and some carving gouges, and I like them.

[Christopher Charles]

If i recall my high school german correctly, ei is a hard 'i', thus pronounced 'file'. But that's all I know...

[David Eisenhauer]

Wandering far afield, gentlemen.

[Kees Heiden]

When you pronounce it like a file with a p in front, like pfile, and you add a German accent, then you are damned close.

And the name of the tool is intrinsic to its being, so this is not a drifting thread. 😄

[george wilson]

Plenty of English words that contradict that old adage "i before e except after c." But,the old teaching is what sticks in our heads.

[bridger berdel]

Plenty of English words that contradict that old adage "i before e except after c." But,the old teaching is what sticks in our heads.

English is a weird language.

[Christopher Charles]

I've been told that I'm out standing in my field (sic).

[george wilson]

I stood in bed once till noon. Then I got tired and laid down.