Your favorite brand of hand carving tools?

[Mike Glaze]

I'm going to buy a carving tool set with a mallet. I may just buy a few pieces of carving tools and not buy a complete set. What are some of your favorite brands of carving tools? I want something that is very high quality, really works well and will last for years. Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

Mike

[Mike Wenzloff]

Hi Mike,

I suspect this thread might be relocated to the hand tools forum, so if you don't find it here, look there.

I have some new Pfeils, and like them. I also have some old Addis and Buck. They are even better, but composing ones you want/need are difficult or at least takes time. That's why I mentioned the Pfeil brand, which is available at Woodcraft.

The ones below are some I've had since the late 1960s. These are Marples and ones from that perios come up as small sets often on the internet. These are good tools and can be purchased usually for a reasonable price.

http://www.wenzloffandsons.com/temp/marples.jpg

The Marples also came with a different handle, but the tools are the same.

Take care, Mike

[tod evans]

my vote for new tools goes to two cherries. i`ve used pfiel and taylor and they don`t hold an edge like two cherries......02 tod

[lou sansone]

havent tried 2 cherries, but I like the pfeil a lot. maybe I should try the 2 cherries .

lou

[Charlie Kocourek]

Pfeil!!!!!!!!!!

[Steve Schoene]

Be aware that Pfeil are also available online through several Canadian purveyors. Prices are dramaticly lower than those offered by Woodcraft.

[Carl Eyman]

I've had same experience as Steve. I think the Canadian source I used was "Feathermation" near Toronto. I have several brands and don't notice much difference.

[Chuck Hayes]

I think woodcraft just lowered there prices on the pfeil by 25 - 35% from the 2005 prices, they be more competitive now. I will be making the trip for a few to compare the the Stubia that I use now.

Chuck

[Frank Pellow]

I am just a beginning carver and I find that the following 7 carving tools handle everything that I have so far attempted.

The set of 5 tools labelled A at http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&cat=1,130,43332,43334,44106&p=44106

The gouge labelled F at the same link as above.

Item B at: http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&cat=1,130,43332,43393,31090&p=31090

I realize that there are better knives and chisels out there, but the quality and utility of these is good enough for me. Maybe, if I ever become a better and miore avid carver, I will "graduate" to something else.

[Chuck Hayes]

Another idea that may be of interest is to look at Chris Pye's web site. There is a lot of information there and his books are fantastic. Here is the link http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/

He recomends a "beginers set" made up of individual gouges and has opinions on the different brands.

Chuck

[Mike Henderson]

I've tried a number of brands of carving tools and find the Pfeil to be the best. The place with the lowest price (that I've found) is KMS tools in Canada. They were friendly and reliable in my dealings with them.

In addition to the quality of the steel, I like the flats on the handles and the fact that each tool handle is stamped with the size. However, I marked the handles of all my other tools with the size with a black marker.

I had trouble with the Henry Taylor carving tools - I found the steel to fracture easily both when using the tools and when sharpening them (chipping of the edge). However, as time went by and the tools were worn down, I found them less likely to fracture. Perhaps the Henry Taylor tools I bought were tempered too hard on the end and once they wore down to softer metal they were alright.

The Ashley Iles tools are fine tools but have round handles. Narrow gouges with round handles tend to roll off the bench easier than those with flats on the handles.

Mike

[Mike Henderson]

Also, rather than buy a mallet, I would recommend that you make your own. That way, you can tailor it to your hand and get the weight that you like. It seems that people like different shapes, also.

Attached is a picture of the mallet that I settled on, after three or four earlier mallets. I tried different handle sizes and like this size. Also, I started with heavier mallets and went lighter with each one I made. This one is about 10 ounces but I only weighted it just now. When I would make a new mallet, I would make it lighter than the previous one by feeling it. I'd then give my older mallet to a woodworking friend who was starting in carving.

This mallet is maple and ebony. If I were to do it again, I'd use ebony for all the striking part of the mallet. With enough use, maple starts to come apart -but nothing lasts forever and mallets are easy to make.

Mike

[Mike Glaze]

Hi Mike,

I suspect this thread might be relocated to the hand tools forum, so if you don't find it here, look there.

I have some new Pfeils, and like them. I also have some old Addis and Buck. They are even better, but composing ones you want/need are difficult or at least takes time. That's why I mentioned the Pfeil brand, which is available at Woodcraft.

The ones below are some I've had since the late 1960s. These are Marples and ones from that perios come up as small sets often on the internet. These are good tools and can be purchased usually for a reasonable price.

http://www.wenzloffandsons.com/temp/marples.jpg

The Marples also came with a different handle, but the tools are the same.

Take care, Mike

Mike

Thanks for telling me about the older tool brands. So far I have only bought three books on carving: Wood Carving by William Wheeler and Charles H. Hayward. Relief Carving by David Bennett and Roger Schroeder. Architectural Carving by Mike Burton.

What I'd like to do at first is draw some fancy cursive lettering on a sign and follow the lines with a carving tool to cut it out. Any particular size of carving tool perfect for this?

Thanks

Mike

[Mike Glaze]

I've tried a number of brands of carving tools and find the Pfeil to be the best. The place with the lowest price (that I've found) is KMS tools in Canada. They were friendly and reliable in my dealings with them.

In addition to the quality of the steel, I like the flats on the handles and the fact that each tool handle is stamped with the size. However, I marked the handles of all my other tools with the size with a black marker.

I had trouble with the Henry Taylor carving tools - I found the steel to fracture easily both when using the tools and when sharpening them (chipping of the edge). However, as time went by and the tools were worn down, I found them less likely to fracture. Perhaps the Henry Taylor tools I bought were tempered too hard on the end and once they wore down to softer metal they were alright.

The Ashley Iles tools are fine tools but have round handles. Narrow gouges with round handles tend to roll off the bench easier than those with flats on the handles.

Mike

Mike

Mike Burton talks about tool hardness in his 'Architectural Carving' book. He mentioned Grandpa's straight razor being made of high quality steel that was made as hard as possible. He said steel of that nature is easy to form a keen edge on and hold an edge well, but if you drop it this type of steel can easily be nicked or broken in two because it is so brittle.

He said tool makers try to strike a happy medium between leaving the tool hard enough to take and hold a keen edge while soft enough to prevent nicks and breakage.

Mike

[Mike Glaze]

Thanks to all the people who responded to my question about carving tool brands they prefer. The books I have on carving simply do not mention any brand names at all.

Pfiel, Two Cherries, Addis, Buck, and Taylor brands. I can now narrow it down to buying a few high quality carving tools or a set.

What are your favorite ways to sharpen these carving tools and I might as well ask what brands of sharpening products should I look at?

Thanks again

Mike

[Kevin Brown]

If you want to buy new, I'll through another name in the mix, Auriou, I really like these alot.

You can get them from The Best Things or Chris Pye has a source (in England) on his website

[Harry Goodwin]

I have all sorts of carving tools. I for sure am not a great carver or woodworker. I have some handmade tools and some made personally for me by tool makers and others off the shelf. I Have a lot of tools made everywhere and craftmanship and quality are not only not USA exclusives or sometimes even available.
I seem to see a trend in the posts to buy from anyone outside the USA. This is how we lost American manufacturing by supporting companies outside the USA and the trend continues so we can hardly buy good American stuff and are unwilling to pay someone a wage to produce it. Now we are supporting companies in the sales business outside the USA. I appreciate being able to travel to a Woodcraft store or other wood working supply and putting the tool in my hands, asking dumb questions with great answers and wisdom about selection. I'd hate to have to travel to Canada or anywhere else outside the USA to see a product. I have several tools thst cost a fortune that turned out less than expected.
Harry

[Mike Henderson]

The best way I found to sharpen carving tools is to use a disk on a lathe (see the attached picture). This is apparently a common technique because it was taught to us in carving class, and someone in the woodworking club I belong to made a presentation on this technique at a club meeting one time.

I wrote up a document on making and using this disk and will send it to you if you e-mail me.

Mike

[Jimmy Newman]

I recently bought a pair of Stubai gouges from Rockler (there's one about a half mile from my house, and a Woodcraft about 10 miles away - which is both great and terrible :)), and they seem to me to be of extraordinary quality. Both came absolutely razor sharp with perfectly mirror-polished bevels, have blades that are hard without being brittle, and they have very comfortable octagonal beech handles. I like 'em a lot.