REALLY cheap carving tools...

[phoenix02]

Hello all,

My name is Michael, I'm 23, turning 24 this month, and I am addicted to woodworking. I do mostly flat work, cabinetry, furniture, etc, but I also love lathe work. I've never really done any carving, but I've always wanted to try.

I was just over at Harbor Freight today to pick up some razor blades and gloves when I found a set of carving tools. I normally don't waste my money of tools from HF, but I thought maybe these would give me an opportunity to try out carving on the cheap. I can't find them on the website, so I'm guessing they're discontinued. The original price on them was $29.99, but I just picked up a set for $14- they're item #94934, 12 piece Carving Chisel Set. Cute wooden storage box, cheesy pastic/ rubber handled tools.

Do you think these tools are worth trying out? I'm thinking they'd let me get my feet wet on a project or two, let me get $14 worth of work out of them, and then go by the wayside as I slowly acquire worthwhile tools. Whatcha think?

I know that with them being chinese peanut butter steel, keeping an edge won't be easy, so don't worry- I know what I'm in for as far as that is concerned. I'm just wondering if anyone else has ever used these, and if they're so down right horrible that they're not even worth the $14, or if they're okay to cut my teeth with.

Thanks,
Michael

[Jim-Iowa]

Michael:I have not bought any carving tools at HF.. But have bought a couple cheap Chinese sets and belive I could pound out better gouges from old clotheshangers myself.
Now Woodcraft sells a Japanese set for around $40 called Power Grip, I bought mine at the Woodsmith Store in Des Moinesand paid $39.95 for them.
They have pretty good steel and hold an edge well.
I would feel comfortable reccomending them.

There are some tools from HF I would not be uncomfortable reccomending but the Chizels and Carving tools are Lever Rite's in my opinion. LEVER RIGHT WHERE YOU FOUND THEM.

[BeckyLil]

When I got my wild hair to try carving a couple of months ago, I picked up a cheap set of knives (about $7 for 5) at the local craft store.

You do get what you pay for and they were pretty dreadful. OTOH, they let me play a little bit to see if I had real interest and wanted to invest a little more in a few knives that actually worked.

Mine were just hand knives, not chisels. (I am under the impression that chisels want mallets and are for bigger stuff.) I don't know if cheapo chisels will hold up but I don't regret the $7 I spent on my garbage tools. It only took about a week or so before I was at the Woodcraft store looking for better tools but I got to have a try before facing the thought of $20 per blade.

Just don't judge the quality of your carving without remembering the quality of your tools. I got a lot better real fast when I got just a couple of good knives. If you don't mind knowing the money spent is essentially money thrown away for a try, go for it, IMO. Whatever it takes to get you started.

[Mitchell]

Originally Posted by phoenix02

Do you think these tools are worth trying out? I'm thinking they'd let me get my feet wet on a project or two, let me get $14 worth of work out of them, and then go by the wayside as I slowly acquire worthwhile tools. Whatcha think?

I know that with them being chinese peanut butter steel, keeping an edge won't be easy, so don't worry- I know what I'm in for as far as that is concerned.

Thanks,
Michael

My first response would be "NO".

But if you want to throw away $14 (and you seem eager to) - then go ahead. I actually do it all the time myself - still doesn't make it the right thing to do. You will not get any DIRECT benefit from these tools. Just learning.

You would be MUCH better off buying better quality tools.

[phoenix02]

Here's what they are. General consensus seems that they're not even worth spittin' on, huh? I can tell you though, that like most of the tools I've ever seen coming out of china... wow. The quality of the grinds is really, well... yeah. You know what I mean. Needless to say, IF I keep them, It'll take a month of sundays on the grinder and stones to make them useable... I really don't understand people that buy this kind of stuff thinking that some how they're going to pay a fraction of the cost and get a product the quality of Two Cherries or something like that...

[Iowa Carver]

If you got $50.00 to spare order this set. Rick sends them razor sharp and they hold an edge well. And you get a glove and thumbguard and a strop as well. Can't beat it and he will resharpen them for free, you just pay the shipping.
Beginner's Carving Set at Little Shavers

Corey

[phoenix02]

I have a reply pending moderator approval of the photos I uploaded, so if that comes out after this one, there's a continuity difference. Just wanted to let ya know about that.

Anway, I just pulled out the skew and spent a little time with it on a Norton stone and a piece of maple. I have made ten discoveries-

1-These tools really suck for control.
2-These tools seem to keep an edge relatively well, considering what they are- I plunged the tip of the skew into the soft maple about 1/4" and pried off a chunk of wood; it came out still as sharp as it went in. Really surprised me that the edge didn't roll.
3-These tools really suck for fit and finish
4-I don't know if I'll enjoy carving nearly as much as I enjoy other woodworking.
5-These tools suck at.. well... these tools suck.
6-Every time I use a piece of pacific rim equipment, I'm reminded again why I have a shop full of old American tools that I've restored, instead of new stuff.
7-Wow. These tools... well, for 7-10, just repeat #5.

So, thank you for the input gents; these are going back tomorrow. I think I'll hold off and stay with my lathe turning and flat work for now, until I find a nice knife cheap or something. I liked whittling when I was in grade school back in Tennessee, so maybe that would be an opportune way for me to ease into a little carving. I'm actually pretty thin on work right now- I do low voltage installation, computer support and networking, and carpentry freelance. With the market what it is right now, I'm starting to look at trying to find a job working for someone else... so, anything over $14 right now is really a no-go. That $50 set looks pretty nifty though- I think I'll look into it again when I have the cash. I'm always up to try anything to give myself a new skill set. In my experience, even when I try something and find out I don't like it, something that I learned there translates over to making me better at what I do in something else. I love learning.

Thanks everyone!
-Michael

[arbarnhart]

The cheap sets generally don't come with very good edges and often need reshaping of the bevel as well as sharpening and honing. They usually won't keep an edge as well and will need sharpening more often. While they are sharp, they are not much different than any other tool. But it may require some time and expertise to get them that way and more frequent honing to keep them that way. I have a cheap set of chisels, but I also have an LV rolling honing guide that makes short work of shaping, sharpening and honing. I still want to replace them.

[markken5889]

Hi Michael,

Save your money and invest it in some quality tools. I'd recommend Pfeil, through Woodcraft or if you're really in the mood to splurge, try Cape Forge. Good luck!

Mark

[arbarnhart]

Second the Pfiel - I only have one Pfiel gouge right now (and two Pfiel knives) and it has kept me from getting the cheap tool sets like the HF gouges. It goes a long way before it needs honing - a lot further than my cheap chisels. I am resisting the quick fix of a bunch of cheap tools. I would rather "make do" with a few good tools than a bunch of not so good ones. If you have a big #3 sweep, a smaller one around #7, a couple of flat chisels (one small and one large) and maybe a V you can manage to do just about any common mallet work. A wider selection would make some things easier, but there are people doing amazing stuff with less.

EDIT - Question for you - are you intending to do mallet work or did you just pick up that set because it was a good deal?

Another EDIT - Just an FYI - there are a few of those sets on eBay right now fetching low 20s + S/H that seems to be high, so as long as you don't destroy them, you can probably mess around with them some and still get your money back plus a little extra.