Pfeil steel

[Mike Baker 2]

I really like their feel for regular bench work. I don't have small hands, though... I am an extra-large glove wearer.... I don't feel like they are a large or clumsy/bulky handle.. YMMV.. It wouldn't be too hard to make a new handle if you thought they were too big though..

Granted - I am doing mostly guitar duty stuff which is mostly like paring - not dovetailing boxes where I would be mostly chopping with a mallet.....

That would be one of the main uses for these chisels, instrument work. But I would be using them for dovetail work as well.
David, if I buy I might do a review of some type.

[John C Cox]

Website lists some sizes in stock now....

They look interesting to me, but reading the description, "... Tempered ... to HRC58-63", is troubling. That doesn't seem to be very tightly controlled. (Plus, I don't really understand what 100 CR-V steel is, or is like.)

I think I want someone to cough up the cash and do a thorough review before I jump. Get you to volunteer?

David - I did a mini review of them. Posted it on here a couple weeks ago... Unfortunately the thread got completely derailed by alloy and sharpening discussions (that never happens here, though... )....

Steel wise - the best I can come up with is that this "100CrV" is a proprietary high carbon, low alloy steel that's somehere along the lines of W2. It benefits from an overnight in your deep freezer (which makes sense if you look at the TTT diagram for W1 and W2 steels...). It sharpens very quickly and easily on anything you already use.. It has a beautiful, dry feel on the stones... It doesn't form a nasty/tenacious wire edge. It's very easy to refresh on a strop. The backs and bevels are very well prepped and hardly require any work. Mine did improve cutting performance with a good round of aggressive prep, though. Dimensionally - they didn't need it..

I bought 4 of these chisels - none were "Too hard" or "Too soft". I don't like soft chisels...

[David Bassett]

David - I did a mini review of them. ...

Thanks, I found it with search:

<Woodcraft Wood River socket chisels review>

You're right, it got lost in the noise.

I'm enjoying all the various threads because I'd like to intelligently upgrade my chisels. (Currently I keep going back to some low-end LV(?) butt chisels because they're good enough for now and the Narex bench chisels I bought as an upgrade are so clunky they haven't been used... yet at least.) You make the Woodriver chisels sound good enough I'll probably end up buying one to try eventually. But no rush just yet and in holding off I may avoid flushing more cash in another failed experiment.

[John C Cox]

Well - It would probably be a bit of a drive - but you are welcome to come on over and give them a spin... Conveniently located out in the woods near Mytle Beach, SC...

[David Bassett]

Well - It would probably be a bit of a drive - but you are welcome to come on over and give them a spin... Conveniently located out in the woods near Mytle Beach, SC...

Thanks, but I think I could buy a couple chisels for gas money that'd take.

ETA: I was curious and looked up the distance. If my wife would lend me her Prius, just gas money would buy me several small sets to compare and play with.

[Mike Baker 2]

Thanks, I found it with search:



You're right, it got lost in the noise.

I'm enjoying all the various threads because I'd like to intelligently upgrade my chisels. (Currently I keep going back to some low-end LV(?) butt chisels because they're good enough for now and the Narex bench chisels I bought as an upgrade are so clunky they haven't been used... yet at least.) You make the Woodriver chisels sound good enough I'll probably end up buying one to try eventually. But no rush just yet and in holding off I may avoid flushing more cash in another failed experiment.

This is my issue. I have enough chisels that will "do the job"; I'm looking for a set for finer work. i don't want just another set of bench chisels, but I don't have the cash to go crazy. The WR look like a good compromise.

[Larry Frank]

Sometimes, I find these threads distressing. There is so much guessing about the steel and heat treatment. As a metalllurgist, I would not even begin to guess about these things without knowing the chemistry. The Mn and S combine to form MnS and precipitate as the steel is solidifying. I do not think there is any encapsulation going on.

There are some good comment concerning the usability of the chisels.

[John C Cox]

Sometimes, I find these threads distressing. There is so much guessing about the steel and heat treatment. As a metalllurgist, I would not even begin to guess about these things without knowing the chemistry. The Mn and S combine to form MnS and precipitate as the steel is solidifying. I do not think there is any encapsulation going on.

. What would be left to talk about if we only had to stick to verifiable facts and stuff we knew about? Wood? Woodworking? That's crazy talk.. I mean where are we going to find any of that?

[John C Cox]

Thanks, but I think I could buy a couple chisels for gas money that'd take.

ETA: I was curious and looked up the distance. If my wife would lend me her Prius, just gas money would buy me several small sets to compare and play with.

Seriously - $40 would get you here and back with $15 left over in a Prius.

[David Bassett]

Seriously - $40 would get you here and back with $15 left over in a Prius.

1- $40 would also cover a chisel to play with, and...

2- at 5600 miles round-trip and $3.00 per gallon, that's 672 MPG. Our Prius doesn't come close to that, certainly not with me driving.

They say it's the thought that counts and I appreciate the thought, but I'm gonna' have to pass on the drive. (Still enjoying the discussion, I guess I should let it get back on topic though.)