stubai knives

[Mail Walker]

looking for anyones opinion on stubai's roughing and detail knives. like? dislike?

[Donna_T]

Hello Mail Walker and welcome to our favorite carving spot!

I've said this before, if I had a choice, I'd like to trade out about half of my shaped carving tools for Stubai ones--knives are a different matter. I love all my assortment of knives which, with the exception of my Helvie, are all custom-made.

Generally, I like Stubai because they have such a wide variety of shapes and sizes. They have a good selection of palm tools, intermediate (European) sized, and full sized. As a female carver who does not use a mallet, I like the versatility of the intermediate sized tools because they fit well in my hand and yet are still long enough to reach into deep spots of a carving. The palm tools are great and I find the handles comfortable to use, also.

They have such a great variety of shapes---dozens of depth and width variations for gouges and v-tools. As a rule, the steel is just the right hardness and they hold a sharp edge for a long time. I've only had one in 20+ years that wouldn't hold an edge and I suspect I ruined it while learning to use a power sharpener.

Don't get me wrong, I've got other brands: Taylor, Ramelson, Harmen, Pheil, Dastra, Flexcut, etc. And I use them and like them. But Stubai is my favorite. It's just my humble opinion--but it's based on my experience. I'm equally sure there are other brands that may be just as good. And like Rick says, they generally come sharp and ready to use. That's not always the case with other brands.

Donna T

[Mail Walker]

OK so lets say I go with Stubai palm tools and I want to carve santas and caricatures from 6" to 10" or so, and I want to start with 4 or 5 tools untill I get a handle on what I need most. What 4 to 5 tools (sweeps & sizes) do you think I should try first?

[rick-in-seattle]

My quick and dirty answer (then I need to get to work).

Five tools:
#3,5,7,9,11 sweeps, between 1/4 and 1/2 in wide; with a "long bend" if possible.

The smallest sweep numbers (3-7) should be the widest, the large numbers (9-11) the smallest width.

[Mail Walker]

Why the long bend? None straight?

[rick-in-seattle]

A long-bent tool is more versitile than a straight tool.
If you are limiting yourself to 4-5 tools, you want all the versitality you can get.

[Donna_T]

MW:

What Rick said...ditto.
I love bent tools. They really are great for getting in and around nooks and crannies and let you dig down for contours--without stressing your carving tool and hand. You can "choke up" on the tool, meaning hold it farther down on the shaft rather than by the handle, and have more control.

I have one fairly large nearly flat gouge that I use extensively when roughing out a carving. With it being "NEARLY" flat, I can also turn it over and use it for rounding off a carving, instead of just moving wood.

I then have a veiner that is somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 to use for detailing faces, bodies, etc. Those are two of my favorites. Then, like Rick said, then an assortment of the other tools round out the choices.

When I started, I had a knife, one v-tool, and one veiner--I think the v and veiner were about 1/8". Then, one by one, I expanded my collection.

Donna T

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I haven't "bent" any yet lol, guess I better head to ebay............geez!Bouncing S

[Mottles]

Originally Posted by rick-in-seattle

My quick and dirty answer (then I need to get to work).

Five tools:
#3,5,7,9,11 sweeps, between 1/4 and 1/2 in wide; with a "long bend" if possible.

The smallest sweep numbers (3-7) should be the widest, the large numbers (9-11) the smallest width.

Hi Rick, what size v-tool to get started with? Can the sizes you recommended be used with a mallot?
Thanks,
Kathy

[MelNM]

OK, Rick I told my wife you said I needed some long bend tools... So your in trouble, I'll be calling you to order me some. Baby