As my interest in woodcarving grows, I’m disheartened by the vast difference in cost of carving chisels over bench/joinery chisels.
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As my interest in woodcarving grows, I’m disheartened by the vast difference in cost of carving chisels over bench/joinery chisels. They’re like 5x the price, at minimum, even for used chisels, at an item by item basis. At minimum!
Making them would probably be more cost effective, but then gouges and v tools are likely not easy to make. For me, under the circumstances, not a practical option.
Win the lotto?
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G gustavinobevilacqua@mastodon.cisti.org shared this topic
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It seems the market consider the artists totally absentminded and unable to check prices!
For example the price of a beech wood bar for classic dance is 5 times the price of the same bar (same wood, same dimensions) of that of a showel handle!
But it is labeled "special for dancers".
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@wedge used carving tools are not uncommon. But it can take time to find them.
For DIY, find a copy of https://www.amazon.ca/Complete-Modern-Blacksmith-Alexander-Weygers/dp/0898158966
Be careful, that book starts a slippery slope. -
So true. Sometimes just looking at other products in other domains reveals much cheaper equivalents or perfectly adequate substitutes. But in this case… :(
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Here’s a small nice set of vintage Marples carving chisels, 20€ a piece.
20€ is about the average *low* end of the price range for used carving chisels in France. I may have to accept it.
In contast, 3-4€ is about the low average for bench chisels, but that’s been driving up 7-10€+ due to increasing numbers of tool hockers the last couple of years.
I also see, unlike these, many 20-a-piece offers for vintage carving chisels that are pretty short/wore-out. Not good for low-angle gripping.
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Here’s a larger set of ‘excellent’ carving chisels being sold in my region. 138 pieces in four rolls. He’s asking 3350€. That’s about 560€ above the 20/tool low end.
I honestly don’t need 138 carving chisels. After watching a number of Chris Pye’s vids now (another great teacher, btw). He recommends getting a dozen or so of those most commonly used, beginning with a couple v tool sizes, shallow gouges, a couple skew and fishtail sizes. Then only get more, one at a time, as found to be needed.
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Here’s a beautiful Dufour vertical lathe in perfect working condition. It comes with a bunch of cutters, tools, and accessories, including the Jielde lamp. It altogether costs 150€ less than those four rolls of carving chisels above. And it’s negotiable.
In terms of space, mobility, learning curve, and maintenance, the chisels still win, but it’s an interesting comparison in cost. The lathe wins if you need to work metal, or want to be the wizard of Oz.
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Wow, lovely machine!
