I wanted to avoid it but it seems like I’ll have to do some of the carving on my timberframe myself. My wife is gonna give me a cheesy set of knives as a present but since I’m a severe toolaholic I’d like to replace them with some really nice ones..
what do you suggest? You know the drill,
they have to look and feel impressive, be razor sharp and stay that way forever, sharpen so easy and sharp that you can carve your intials in a human hair.
Oh and a modest price would be nice to (although that isn’t the most important part)
Replies
Frenchy,
I have a few of the Pfeil knives sold by Woodcraft. Since these are the only brand I have, I can't judge the others. I find them to be excellent. I use the 05Z15 as a marking knife, and I wonder how worked without it. They will fall short of one of your requirements, they don't stay sharp forever, but on the upside they are easy to sharpen, as you desired.
Rob Millard
Edited 12/21/2003 2:08:37 PM ET by RMillard
80% of my knives are from woodcragt. Those 80% get used 99% of the time. I would recommend them highly
I have bought some real nice knives. I have some from North Bay Forge (which Woodcraft sells) that are real nice. But the best knives are ones that I make myself and the second best are those that I purchase from local carvers who make some to sell. If you contact your local carving clubs they can likely direct you to some of these craftsmen. The swedish and finnish knives (laminated steel blades with plain wooden handles) seem to have exceptional edges but are too large for many uses. Their relatively low price makes them a useful purchase though for those places where they will work well. I am not sure what exactly you are intending to do but when I think of timber-framing, I think more along the lines of gouges and mallets and even perhaps a bit of work with the adze, carving axe, and drawknife.
Well,
I'd like to carve the date the frame was started and maybe in some discrete location my name and such,
I'd also like to do a little embellishment from time to time, perhaps carving some ivy leaves and such on a few of the posts? I'm building this place for the long haul, thinking over 500 years and it would be nicce if those who do any future work to this place understand who did it in the first place..
For that kind of work you will find that a parting tool is very useful. That's a vee-shaped chisel that will, of course, cut a vee shaped groove ... very useful for lettering. I use them often to do refinements even when most of the lettering was done with a knife. The 30 degree angle types seem most versatile. Two or three gouges would also be nice ... a shallow sweep and one that has a medium sweep. If there is still money available one with a deep narrow sweep would be good too (called a veiner). There are some sets of palm type carving tools that can be pretty reasonably priced. Those will do the job too. If you can afford it or are serous enough about the carving thing, full size carving tools are more versatile and efficient, but they cost a lot more.
Clay,
any recommendation for brands? I have a carver friend who's offered to teach me some of the basics but his knife collection is a combination of old hand me downs and home made knives that he makes from surgical instruments.
I give him a piece of butternut and some basswood and in a week he made neat chess set.. He's currantly carving a grandfather clock with a forest theme.
Swiss Made, Ashley Isles, these are good! Henry Taylor .. very nice steel but the grinds are poor and need reworking before use. Sorby ... good but not quite as nice as the first two. Flex-cut works well but these tools don't have the longevity of others because their useful lengths are short < this for their gouges. Flex-cut knives are sharp but I dislike their awkward handles ... they get in my way. Pfeil is good stuff I think they just make palm sets (in carving tools) but they also make some adzes and hatchets that are top notch and their files cannot be beaten. Also pick up a few serrated steak knives from the goodwill stores. Their saw-like action can be very useful. I especially like one that I have which is a Farberware with sort of a blunt tip. While you are there get a few spoons and grind their tips to create scraping gouges ... you will love them.
Pfeil and Swiss Made are the same. The Woodcraft catalogue I just checked calls them out as "Pfeil Swiss Made". Pfeil (arrow) is the company, and Swiss Made is sort of a brand name, I would guess.
They are excellent tools, and as I wrote earlier, Americans can save about 40% over Woodcraft prices by ordering out of Canada, making them a very good value.
Michael R.
I didn't realize that. Thanks. I realize now that I misstated my reference to their files in my previous post too. I was thinking of Pferd files (which are German and SUPERB). Grobet (Swiss) also makes extremely fine files. But I am not aware of any Pfeil files ... I had simply confused their name with the similar Pferd name in my slightly fuzzy memory files. Sorry.
Edited 12/27/2003 12:53:21 PM ET by Clay
frenchy,
I have done very little carving but I have watched a fella named Scott hand forge, grind, heat treat and sharpen his tools. The handles are functional but not beautiful. The steel and the edges are truly world class! Brand: Diobsud Forge. I've seen them at "Rockler" and "Woodcraft". I don't have any financial interest but I have seen the knowledge and energy that goes into the tools. Incredible!
Enjoy!
Mack
I'm real happy with the Pfeil gouges I have. Especially when I can save 40% by ordering them out of Canada. (Do a search..........)
Michael R
Look at japanwoodworker.com
the japanise make nice chisels and stay sharp.
I have started a small collection and like the way they feel in my hands.
I have also bought pfeil. enjoy those as well.
some of the japanise chisels can go for $100 or more
But look at the white and blue steel cheisels they go for $20-70.
Hand made very nice.
Oh and be nice to your wife. just leave out catalogs with pages marked on tools you want. She'll get the hint
Edited 12/23/2003 8:04:20 AM ET by 3fingers
Hi Frenchy,
I have a number of carving knives but my favorites nearly all seem to be Helvie. There is a selection of different shaped handles to go with the various blades so you should find something comfortable. Many of the less expensive carving knives seem to have poorly finished handles or leave something to be desired in their construction. Helvie's have very nicely finished blades (all need some sharpening initially however) and the handles show unmistakable signs of pride of craftsmanship. I have also had good luck with Gene Webb knives.
http://www.woodcarvers.com/webbknives.htm
Be safe,
Ken
Thank you,
where do you find Helvie's knives? and do Gene Webb knives come sharp or need work first?
Do certain shape handles seem to work better with certain blades? For example does a V gouge seem to feel and work better with a small palm type handle while a straight blade seem to be better with a longer handle?
(PS I'm asking since I don't know not because I think one should work better with any particular handle style)
Hi Frenchy,
Helvie knives can be purchased from Smokey Mt. Woodcarvers at http://www.woodcarvers.com/helvie.htm . I've never run across a carving knife that was sharpened to my taste when it was new so I'd say they all all need work - honing is particularly important with carving knives - the shinier the blade the better it will cut and the safer it will be. As for the handles, take a look at the web site and you'll see the range. Personally I like the curved ones as they seem to fit my hands best but it's an individual preference. These are knives though ... gouges are a different thing. I don't generally use palm tools but prefer the larger Pfeil ones. Their handles are straight multisided which work fine for me. It depends on what you are planning to carve as to what gouges you might need. The same thing applies to what style blade you need in your knife. As a general rule, the more detail you are aiming for the thinner the knife blade. I would suggest getting more than one style blade though - you'll find you need more than one knife to complete a carving. I tend to err on the side of the thinner blades because I carve caricatures and realistic animals that need the detail (ala Tom Wolfe and Desiree Hajny). Chip carving is altogether different and is easier with completely different shaped knives. For that style Wayne Barton knives would be the ideal choice.
Don't forget a good supply of bandaids. I find that carving gloves and thumb guards tend to make me lazy about considering each cut before I make it so I don't use them but they are a good idea at least for beginners to avoid injuries and even sutures while you are learning knife control.
Be safe,Ken
Of the Swiss brands I've only used Pfiel and like them a lot. Nora Hall sells Stubai at what seems to be a good price, though; look HERE
Green Gables: A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township
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