[eric maycroft]

will post a pic of finished article,hope to complete in about a week without being sidetracked.If thor is reading this i can add that i have used american oak in the past,it seemed much more brittle and splintered more than english but that may be because i used kiln dried, usually i buy the oak green and air dry it for about 18 months.oak is a hard wood to carve anyway and you need to keep the chisels really sharp..i am lucky enough to have some pre war chisels when the english steel was really good,i bought them in a junk store,(the equivelent of your thrift stores) in england people say that they dont make things like they used to....steel included.I paid aboutabout 15 dollars each and got 10,they are worth a lot more but the seller didnt know that.other than those i use Henry Taylor and robert sorbet chisels.Do they sell those brands in the states? i am saving for a set of pfeil they sound good and you can never have too many!

[Thor]

Hi Eric,
I appreciate the comparison between the oaks from distant shores. I use pfeil tools myself. It sounds as though your really found a bargain on your older tools.
I'll look forward to seeing the pictures of your project as it progresses.
Thor