J_SAMa":2g4ztxxd said:
^Want to get started in carving but don't know what gouges to buy... Catalogs are simply too overwhelming with their huge ranges of sweeps and widths.
Say I want to begin with simple things such as spoons and patterns on box lids, what gouges/carving tools should I buy first? I.e. what sweep No. and what width. I'm probably buying Two Cherries as I'm impressed with their chisels.
Whats confusing though is that most, if not all brands of carving tools (Two Cherries, Henry Taylor, Ashley Iles, Stubai, Pfeil...) seem to cost about the same. Does that mean they are of the same quality? Don't know about Henry Taylor or Stubai but the other three make chisels that seem to be on par with each other. :roll:
Sam
Hi Sam
First of all, do not buy the one Jacob has linked to. It's a specialist sweep and you'll probably never use it on the projects you mention. I have several and very rarely are they out of the box. His logic however makes sense in as much as you don't need to spend much to try it out but get a straight or fish tailed if that's the way you want to go.
There are differences in quality and although I have no personal experiences of Two Cherries or Stubai, I have the other makes and all are decent. My personal preference is Pfeil but you'll make up your own mind over time.
Both Jacob and Marcros are spot on about sharpening though I would qualify that by saying that IMO angles don't matter much as it all depends on the materials you are carving and they would be altered to suit, eg different for oak as opposed to basswood. It's honing and polishing the edge that matters, something that's done constantly and very quickly by stropping whilst you're carving to keep it razor sharp and the polished bevel leaves a nice finish on the timber as well as effortless carving. It isn't a difficult skill to master, apart from V gouges, and you'll get plenty of practice. :wink:
In my case I own a fair number of carving chisels, far too many in fact as very few are in regular action whilst the rest just sit there to be admired. I't surprising how few you need to produce decent work, (chip carving is a slightly different matter). I have 5 or 6 which cover most of my needs my favourite workhorse being a Pfeil 1/2" no 5 fishtail. I also use a 3/8 no 1 and a v gouge quite a lot. Other carvers swear by having the precice sweep for each cut - each to his own method! Fishtails won't have as long a working life but allow you to get into corners more easily. Remeber that you can also reverse a gouge to make a covex rather than concave cut so dual purpose.
I started with a set of 6 palm sized chisels which were acorn brand by Henry Taylor and they are still used at times. They were a present but not expensive and good enough to show I wanted to carry on. I bought a few new as needed and also some old good quality second hand. What I did find immediately was that my first problem was holding the wood to be worked on and that a B&D workmate has serious limitations so more to consider. You can't carve unless you can hold the stuff and it helps to use a chisel sometimes with your other hand.
For stropping there are numerous solutions (just don't post a sharpening thread whatever you do or you'll start a war :wink: ) do a search or look on the web.
To summarise:
Don't buy a large set of anything or you'll waste your money, unless you can find a s/h collection at a good price. Buy good quality as they'll last a very long time and more importantly, you'll enjoy using them. Buy only as you find a need them and you won't be wasting your money (unless you like collecting like me :lol: ).
Not too difficult to choose. Look at what you want to carve, maybe draw it and you'll see how tight the angles and curves / radius are and choose accordingly
and... most importantly of all, carving is a very individual activity and everyone will offer conflicting advice based on personal preference, none of it wrong but not necessarily right for you as you'll find your own way. If you can find a club local to you then approach them as it will help enormously and as said just have a go even if it's with whatever you have already, just try it on wood that doesn't matter.
Hope that helps even if it's a bit of an essay
Bob
ps Flexicut are worth considering as well. I tried one of a mates chisels and it cut beautifully.
