Broke one of my Pfeil V-tools

[CarverFromNoWhere]

I had a feeling it might looking at the way it came sharpened from woodcraft, well it finally did. I had planned on re sharpening it from the day I bought it but never got around to it well I was doing some roughing work on that canadian plum woodspirit. It turned out to be hard enough for that little tooth in the bottom of the V to catch and cause it to break off a good section of the right wing.
It's an easy fix and I changed the angle so the tool is good as, no it's better then new just a little shorter .

It likely would have went a lot longer without breaking if I had just kept it in basswood and butternut but that plum is, i'd say harder then rock maple.

The reason I am bringing this up is that when your buying tools, if you can look at them directly before you buy them, do it and inspect them very carefully. I always look for uneven wall thickness and poorly sharpened V tools which will either have a tooth at the bottom side of the V or a split in the middle of the V.
I have ordered different tools from multiple brands and had them arrive poorly shaped or sharpened to the point where I had them exchanged asap. Some one out there might have a tool that they are having a really really hard time sharpening and shaped the way they want, a good thing to check if you haven't is the wall thicknesses. When they forge the blanks if they are off center just a little bit it will make one side of the tool thicker then the other and when you sharpen it, it will be a pain and look very strange.

If you have a new tool like a misshaped V or U gouge call or return it to the store and show them the problem. Almost every name brand carving tool company has a very very strict sorting process to get all of the messed up tools out, but sometimes they get through. It's easy to get them to replace them for free other then the cost of shipping from some companies.
Carl

[davidinsarasota]

I agree Carl. I went by the local Woodcraft a few weeks ago to get a winged V tool. I forgot my reading glasses so I could'nt really see the tip. When I got it home I noticed the wings were improperly ground, making the wings uneven. I took it back and looked at the other one they had in stock, which had a whole different set of problems.

I know this profile must be very hard to form properly, and I was kind of on the fence about getting it anyway since it is such a special purpose tool. So, I returned it for a refund.

[mark yundt]

V tools can be a tricky thing. I prefer to see them in person and will go through stock until I find the ones that are made properly as you say in the wall thickness. I find quite a bit of variations that can make or break a V tool. I've bought some indirectly and wish I hadn't. They simply don't work well unless some time is spent correcting their faults.
As a quick note, seeing a "tooth" on the bottom of a V tool is not good. Whether from the factory or if this is the result of your own sharpening it's to be avoided.

[CarverFromNoWhere]

I have a very old German made V tool that looks like it was forged with a hammer and swage blocks, the wall thickness on it is all over the place. It took a long time but I was able to grind and file the inside and outside of the tool to straighten it out so it is possible to fix a tool this way but not worth the trouble if you can simply get it exchanged or return it.

In my opinion the V tool is the hardest edged tool to sharpen out of them all, it took me a very long time to get it right. I used to get the tooth or the little split in the middle with a lot of trial and error I was able to get the hang of it. Even if you have mastered sharpening and shaping a V tool one with un even wall thicknesses will give you trouble.
Carl

[pallin]

Thanks for your observations about V-tools. I guess I've been lucky with mine. But, I was a bit surprised that you were roughing out a woodspirit with a V-tool. Haven't done many woodspirits, but usually do the "hair" after roughing out with other gouges.

[CarverFromNoWhere]

Thats what I was doing pallin, I have the whole beard mass all roughed out for the underlaying shapes and I was beginning the rough hair big deep cuts and folds and twists. I guess I should have been more specific in what I wrote.
Carl

[Colin-Partridge]

Carl I have had the same problem with my V Pheil it has broke a number of times. It is usually when I hit end grain or try to carve end grain. When you look at how a V tool is made you can see that where the tip is, is its weakest point. It is just the nature of the beast. Well I just broke it again so I sent mine off to Rick in Seattle to see what he could do with it. I now call it my stubby but still find use for it. I am glad I am not the only one that breaks V tools it happens to me quite a lot, but then I carve tree's a little bigger subject than most people
Colin

[gtech]

The place where I buy my carving tools has a block of basswood ready so we can try the tool we buy. So I always choose the best one they have before buying it or deciding on the type of tool I will buy.

But I never broke a v tool... yet...

Gilles

[CarverFromNoWhere]

Yes that's perfect if you can actually try the tool out along with inspecting it in person you are far better off then ordering through the mail or online. But some carvers like myself don't have easy access to a store that carries carving tools, for me it's a four hour drive. So knowing what to look for when you order online or through the mail is very important.
Carl

[brent]

I never had a problem with Pfeil v tools. the ones I've had the most problem with are Stubai tools and not just the v tool. Veiners with uneven wall thickness and more. I gave up on them all together.
The only v tool problem I've had with Pfeil was in trying to use it for something other than what it was meant to be used for. (naturally....happens with most things)......DUH!