Chisels

[icarve2003]

Does anyone have any experience with Henry Taylor Chisels? I'm thinking of buying a set of detail,palm chisels.

Hi,
I picked up some of the larger ones, last year.
Great steel but they needed to be sharpened before use.
So check that out first and go for it.
I sure like the flex-cut brand, they come razor sharp and always strop up nice.
michele

[AlArchie]

I've had a Taylor 'dog-leg' chisle for a few years and am satisfied with it. It did need some sharpening when I bought it, but came up just fine. I looked at several others but the edges were not up to par, so I got other brands.

Al

I have a few of the full size tools and they are a decent tool. They don't have the sweet edge of my swiss tools though, but the price is more appealling.

Dave

I am with Chele on this one. I tried the taylor and flexicut side by side at the store and loved the Flexicut.

Just to add a little confusion - I've got flexcuts, stubai, and warren (made permanent handles for them) and my flexcuts are gathering dust ... they are a good tool and hold an edge well, but the reasons I prefer the others is:
The flexcuts seem to flex when I don't want them to and come out of the cut before it's done (probably operator error but I ain't changin)
The palm handles become very unconfortable when you turn the tool over and try to make a cut the the opposite side.

I'd buy one or two of each and try them to see which you prefer, then again I'm a sucker for tools (not just carving tools either).

2003,
I have no experience with Taylor but like Fat Eddy I will buy a tool first and ask questions later. My first set was an $8 set from a truckload tool (scam) sale that rolled through town. I found I liked making very little boards out of a big board. Next I marched into the local Coast to Coast store and Geno my local co-dependant hardware store operator (he is dependant on my whims to buy something and I depend on his enthusiasm for my hardware hobby of the month) looked through his catalogs and ordered me a 12 piece set of Freud mallet tools and a mallet. I bet you didn't know Freud made carving tools. They are reasonable quality tools, swiss, but too thick and too long its more like a 12 piece sword set. Since then like Eddy suggested I have bought a few tools of a few brands and am rapidly becoming a full blown Flexcut fan. They sharpen with a couple strokes on the strop and the idea of the 'flex' seems to work for me. I have given the set numbers and the phone number of the Hummel Co to anyone I hope to get a Christmas present from in high hopes of adding some more Flexcut to my tool set. Splinter did the side by side and I think he is right. Eddy do you want to part with those palm tools you are disappointed in?
Ah Chip

Ah Chip - I'd never part with a tool, might come handy someday. That's why my shop and garage a splitting at the seams. It's in there somewhere all I gotta do is find it.

[icarve2003]

So, what's the deal with the Flexcut chisels? I'm assuming by the name that they flex? I've seen them, just never used them. Aren't they hard to control?

I'm using a Lee Valley tools set right now which are a pretty good but I'm sure there are better one's out there. I got them 3 years ago when I started carving and now I'm heavily into it, so I thought I'd move up to a better brand.

I think I like Splinter's idea, I'll try a few out and see what I think.