[Woodcarver] Pfeil- Brittle?

[Bill]

I have both Pfeil and Stubai.  I consider them quite equal in quality.. both
have excellent steel and hold an excellent edge.  You are correct in that
Pfeil is, or can be, difficult to obtain.  Pfeil is sold only at Woodcraft
Stores here in the US.  Canada has a few dealers.  Pfeil is a small factory
that is run by a very particular owner.  They produce their tools in
batches.  One day they will only make a specific tool type (#9 sweep, # 41,
etc)  When they finish forging that run they start a different run.  The
Europeans are very conservative and business smart.  They don't have any
stock laying around in a warehouse.  Every Pfeil that is made is shipped to
a customer as soon as it is finished.  The downside is that it is very
difficult to obtain some patterns.

Stubai, on the other hand, while European made, are a bit more business
savy.  They have an excellent selection available from Stubai Direct of by
any of the dealers like myself.  Again, both manufactureres produce an
excellent product.

Regarding Pfeil.
The steel is very hard on the Rockwell scale.  That hardness may be
considered either a positive or a negative, depending on how you look at it.
On the positive side, it allows the tools to hold an excellent edge for a
longer time than a softer steel.
On the negative side, the hardness causes the tools to be more brittle than
a softer steel.

So, the toolmaker/engineer has to either find a compromise, a lower hardness
alloy, or design a tool for people who know how to sharpen their tools for
the purpose at hand.  Pfeil tools are, without a doubt, produced and priced
for the professional woodcarver.

Why do I say professional?  Disclaimer: ANY tool company can produce a
product that has a flaw once in a while that is not caught by Quality
Assurance.  That said,  I would say that the only time a Pfeil tool would
break due to brittleness is if it is misused.  This includes dropping the
tool, prying with the tool edge or using a tool with an incorrectly ground
angle for the wood being carved.

Dropping a tool is something any of us can do.. it is accidental and any
tool can be expected to break when it hits the floor.

Prying is a very common ERROR that many carvers make.  It is an almost
innate characteristic for us to pop a chip out by prying it out at the end
of the cut.  This practice is a no-no and we should all be aware that when
we sharpen a tool, it comes to a very fine edge.  That edge is very strong
when longitudinal stresses are applied, as in forcing the tool edge straight
into the wood.. however, it is, because of it's hardness and lack of cross
section at the edge, very weak.  So weak, in a hard tool, that it won't
bend, it will break off..

Grinding the tool at the proper angle for a particular wood is very
important.  One can put a very acute angle on a tool for cutting Basswood
but if you are cutting Maple or Oak or any of the harder woods.. the angle
should become less acute in order to strengthen the edge.

A rule-of-thumb is to NOT buy a set of tools, making an assumption that you
will use them all.  You probably will not use them all and will be wasting
money on some of them, but you will be making tool sellers like myself
happy. (actually, I tell my students the same thing.. buy only what you
need.)

 A good bench knife is an excellent purchase.  Some professional caracature
carvers will never use anything other than that knife.  Other pro's use that
same bench knife and one or two gouges and they turn out world class
carvings in their arena..  Another rule-of-thumb is to buy only what you
need when you know you need it.  This leaves you with enough money to buy a
good stone and hone for keeping your tools sharp.. as well as a few sticks
of wood and a book of patterns for a type of subject you will enjoy carving.

Hope this helps,
Bill Splaine