Any of the quality tools are all going to be close and any differences, minor. It might be worthwhile buying one of each in a similar size and shape from the 3 or 4 brands that may be in the running and use them to see which best meets the needs. A #3 gouge, chisel and a skew, all about 1/2′ wide are close enough to compare and are useful for most carving.
You want a carving gouge that will not only get very sharp, but hold the edge as long as possible. Another consideration is the shape and comfort of the handle. For example, the Swiss Made Pfeil wood carving gouges have flat faces on the handle, which aid in gripping, and help prevent the gouge rolling off your workbench. If you are into wood carving Two cherries is the tools that needs no introduction. The firm “Kirschen” , the leading German manufacturer of wood carving tools, exclusively hand-forges its tools of high-carbon specialty tool steel.
Lacquer finished, contoured handles fit the hand nicely and feature a top ferrule to withstand heavy mallet blows. Blades are made of Swiss alloy tool steel and heat treated using the latest technology to produce excellent edge-holding characteristics. Cutting edges are finely ground and polished for easy resharpening.
Pefeil Swiss Made Carving Knife
Most of Pfeil’s other tools are also difficult to find, making them harder to recommend over alternatives. If you can find them, however, you can expect the same great quality across its entire catalog. As mentioned above, what you really need are a wide gouge to remove large waste areas, a medium-sized veiner, and a smaller V cutter. These three tools can cover nearly any task, saving you more than $50 over the set above. If you can spend a bit more it may be worth getting the full set of 12 tools, which costs well over $300.
There are good choices and what I think are some less ideal choices. Contrary to all the hype out there, there just isn’t a magic bullet steel. The other factors that affect steel performance as much as hardness include heat resistance , wear resistance and toughness. An increase in one of the factors includes loss of performance in another.
Carving Knives
And a Chisel Handle – The shape determines how easy it is hold. You’ll find round, octagonal and shouldered handles so you want to try make a cut with these different types so you know what your personal preference is. Bevels are angles on the face of the chisel that help to draw the tool into or out of a piece of wood. Pfeil Swiss Made Wood Chisel Gouge Carving #5 this is a very nice set of chisels and of excellent quality. In our class “Bowl Carving & Spoon Carving with Mike Cundall“), Mike recommends that his students purchase a #7 sweep long bent gouge, between 25mm and 35mm…likethis one,this one, orthis one.
I compiled all of these into a master list of sweeps and sizes of gouges built around Chris Pye’s “basic” relief carving set. Using the same attention to detail and high-quality materials, the Swiss company makes chip carving knives, spoon knives, draw shaves, hatchets, mallets, and more. While they’re certainly more expensive than other lino cutting tools, Pfeil palm carving tools provide incredible control for delicate edges. The rounded handles are also comfortable enough for extended use, even when digging out large waste areas. A veiner has a similar handle to the gouge, and it has a similar shape to a gouge. The difference is that the veiner has longer sides, and if you stab it into a piece of wood, it produces a U-shape.
They do sharpen very easily, though, so it may not matter much. I don’t think you’d be dissappointed in either brand. On a different note, both handles, are very comfortable in my hand. I like their shape and feel better than my https://viladodacaocap.com.vn/a-guide-to-the-basic-essential-wood-carving-tools/ Nishiki Dovetail Chisels. I see more people complaining about the handles on Two Cherries chisels than just about any other brand. This is an art that requires practice, like doing surgery, which I have some experience with.
I have seen comments about handles not being to the user’s liking, sizes being metric/English when the other was wanted, polished/unpolished, etc. Handles can be changed to fit but I haven’t seen anyone say that they did this. More has been said about changing the cutting edges, backs and side edges, which has more of an effect on quality of the cut than making them comfortable and probably takes a lot more time. But, I think that I have identified another factor. Carving in softer woods, such as basswood, versus hardwoods like cherry or maple.