What brand of wood chisels/gouges?

[JDHasty]

I have been using a set of Millers Falls that my mother bought for me over 50 years ago and they have been sharpened so many times they are about used up. Buy once, cry once is how I roll and would like to know what others have found to be hard to beat. There is nothing worse than buying a second rate tool other than paying top dollar for something that wasn't what it was sold as.

Once I started working with laminated stocks cutting tools need to be sharpened much more often. I am wondering if perhaps there are chisels and gouges out there that have a different angle on the cutting edge specifically for laminated wood as well. Perhaps having set for working on walnut and birch stocks and a second small set that is for use only on laminated wood would be the way to go.

I can easily use up Sure Form rasp blades in a hurry on the damnable things, but like burrs and cutters for a Foredom they are made to be used up.

[ray h]

It would be hard to beat the Pfeil carving tools sold by Woodcraft Supply. My set is probably 40 years old. Used mine on both laminate and plain wood stocks. Just keep the edge touched up. Most people wait too long before sharping.

[Oso Polaris]

You may be looking at two (2) different types of chisels:
1) Bench Chisels - used for making/refining wood joints and other similar building tasks
2) Carving Chisels - as name implies there are any number of combinations of blade widths, tool shapes (curved, bent, skew, etc), and blade thickness.

A good bench chisel has tall square shoulders to help keep blade tracking straight as it is hammered into the wood. There are a number of quality makers out there...you just have to decide if you want to handcut dovetails or need something a little less specialized. One of the best ($$$) is Lie-Nielsen, who also makes some of the best handplanes.
https://www.lie-nielsen.com/nodes/4080/chisels

Overall, the widely accepted best brand of carving chisels (enormous selection, widely available, fair price) are by Pfeil (Swiss-made). This is what you'll see used and recommended by experienced carvers. They are simple and straightforward... simple handle and forge blackened blade.. No fancy wood or high polished show pieces. They are made to do work.
https://www.woodcraft.com/categories...eil+Swiss+made

I stand behind my product recommendation with 2 trips to ER for stitches from not giving enough cautionary respect to my Pfeil chisels. I now wear a carving glove on my left hand.... it can't be trusted to stay out of the way.

[JDHasty]

Thank you for the response.

The first thing I do when working with my cutting tools is take out my sharpening stones (and oil and a roll of paper towels) and place them right next to what I am working on.

This is what the set I have looked like at one time. Could you suggest Pfeil tools that would be similar. It has been a good selection. When I did a search it appears they were very popular at one time. They certainly served me well.



The warnings are not lost on me. When I was in Boy Scouts one of the other scouts sunk a wood carving gouge to the bone in his thigh and damn near bled out.

[Oso Polaris]

JD - I think that Woodcraft offers a comparable set of Pfeil chisels. Per their description the set includes: 8mm straight chisel, 12mm No. 5 gouge, 10mm No. 7 gouge, 10mm No. 9 gouge, 3mm No. 11 veiner and 6mm No. 12 V-parting tool.

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/p...702d31fb000995

I believe this is same set on Amazon ($10 more than Woodcraft...but shipping is Free so its a wash)
https://www.amazon.com/product-revie...ews-filter-bar

[JDHasty]

Thanks so much for your help. That is what I will get on back order with Woodcraft