Henry Taylor vs. Pfeil tools

[mdallensr]

I bought some Henry Taylor tools during Woodcraft's closeout sale, and just got around to sharpening them. I have some similar Pfeil tools and decided to compare them, after reading comments here about the differences. There are some.

1. The bevel is blunter in the HT tools. I measured several that were between 25 and 30 degrees, and a couple that were 30 degrees. Most of my Pfeil tools were made between 20 and 22 degrees.

2. The HT tools are thicker, 2-3 times as thick in some instances.

3. The Pfeil tools came sharp; ready-to-use. All of the HT tools needed to be sharpened, even if the bevel angle was acceptable as is.

4. Both tools were well made, with a good overall finish and good handles. As chuckt noted in an earlier thread, some Pfeil tools are off-center in the handle, and I found the same thing when I checked my tools. The HT tools should be sturdier because of the extra metal.

While #1 and #2 aren't necessarily good or bad for most tools, they are a problem for the fishtail gouges I bought. Fishtails are used for getting in tight spots, for undercutting, and for cleaning out delicate details. If the bevel is too blunt and the tool is too thick, the tool's usefulness is limited. So far, I like the HT tools I've reshaped and sharpened, but that's extra time and effort that may not be worth the money saving.

The photos below show #5 x 8mm fishtail gouges which are pretty similar for HT and Pfeil. Note the differences in the side view and the length of the bevel (HT on the left; Pfeil on the right). Mike

[slivers&dust]

Very nice review on those two tools, thanks for sharing. You included some very useful information for new and old tool buyers.

How do you like the round handle on the HT’s? It looks to be larger then the Pfeil, any issue with rolling?
The HT tool looks like the inside is highly polished also.

[mdallensr]

I don't mind the round handles, and their size on the smaller tools is better(bigger) than the Pfeils. Rolling isn't an issue for my tools since I put them on a pad. Mike

[Anthony Filetti]

Great post Mike! Thanks for taking the time to post this in such detail!!

[xsailer]

Mdallensr,
I also ordered fishtails and found the same comparisons you did and after resharpening both of them found them both much better. I would not hesitate to buy HT's if I found them at fair prices. It only took me about 20-30 minutes to modify each one of them. Cost or no cost it was was well worth the effort.

[chuckt]

Just a quick reply regarding the thickness of the metal on the tools. Chris Pye discusses this issue in his book on tools (vol 1) and (if I am remembering correctly) says that thicker walls on carving tools is NOT good. I'll have to go back a re-read to find the reasoning. But as others have noted here somewhere in the forum, the Pfeil tools seem to be set up more for carving softer woods like basswood, as opposed to cherry or oak.

Thanks for the comparison.

chuckt

[buckbeans]

I like both thin and thin fishtails there is a purpose for both. I like the thick one to use on oak and othe harder woods.
Again the sharpness is not as issue. Although the pfeil is sharp, it still needs some work to get it to the smoothness that most experienced wood carvers work with on a daily basis.

[mark yundt]

For what it's worth,I and my friends carve everything from Bass to cherry and oak and hard maple with nothing but the Swiss made.Believe me ,, I'm hard on tools,, and wail on these things with mallets,, haven't had a problem in 15 yrs of full time carving.I don't change the bevel from one wood to the next,, regardless what I'm carving I want a sharp edge and I really like the thinner profile of the swiss compared to the other chisels I have seen and tried. To me they are the difference in some cases to driving a semi in city traffic vs. a sports car.. some like the "heft" of a big chisel...to me I like the feeling that I'm not even aware of the chisel..light, fast,, clean and crisp.

[mdallensr]

Other than dropping a carving tool on its cutting edge, I've never seen a gouge or chisel break (at least the metal portion). I've seen some pretty ugly handles, and some mangled tools that were abused on a grinder, but how often does a gouge just snap, even in heavy work? Mike

[mark yundt]

Rarely ,,,unless you're doing something wrong,,, any steel is harder than any wood,, wood looses every time.Ive found that with proper technique I can get through bass to hard maple without too much trouble.Just posted a 4 sided cabinet in the members galleries which is all maple,,carvings on all sides and corners,,have literally done dozens of pieces in hard maple (not the soft, though I've done that too).done pieces as large as 3 ft long scrolled brackets with large grape clusters on them,,all went just fine.The wood is hard,, but got through it O.K,Most serious carvers have historically ( back to the 1400's)preferred thinner lighter blades and shafts.