I get um off ebay Whitey. Buck brothers is what I look for.  Theres probly better more fancy brands out there but Buck Brothers have been making tools for a long time and I like them. Dont cost an arm and a leg either. Oh, sorry, I didnt email or PM. 

                            Joe.  

Joe no joke. I am hunting for some good chisles etc. And most of what you see on Ebay and seems to be avaiable at our supply houses only cut butter for a while. And thats about as sharp as you can get them. Good for butter.Or air. Smile Whitey

Whitey, the Pfeil "SwissMade" chisels are as good as it gets in my opinion. Woodcrafters sell them. Many other places do as well. There is an almost unlimited range of shapes and sizes and they stay sharp. They are costly but you get what you pay for.

Sadly, it appears that most of the old, reliable manufacturers of tools now have them made by the Chi-Coms. Many a British and American firm sells on price now, rather than quality.

As far as woodworking chisels go, I follow the advice of my now long gone father, who told me I could do no better, than to seek out old Victorian woodworking tools. They may need new handles, and ferules but the quality of the steel they used and it's heat treatement was second to none.

So I attend auctions, car boot sales, flea markets and closing down sales of old shopfitting and cabinet making companies. I don't find much these days, but the odd items I do buy are real gems.

Sadly, so many things these days are sold on price alone, rather than quality. The best of luck in your search Whitey.

Harry

Harry .Boats Western Bob and everybody thanks for all the information. It's just what I needed. Whitey

Guys I used to sharpen by hand with stones just like my dad taught me.  Now go power for all sharpening Rough shaping use a slow speed white wheel grinder. To get the edge use a 1 inch by 42 inch stationary belt sander. It's a home model Baldor.  Mine cost just over 100 bucks as I recall. Run the tool on the back side of the belt, Pull over the edge rather than push from the front.

With different grits you can put an edge on tools real quick with little lost steel.  Most of the carving guys use them now, few hone by hand anymore.  Got the idea from our local turining club.  Other thing thats important is to get the right angle.  Mostly I use a round brass angle guage, check the result with a magnifier.  Rough work with jigs and to make sure it's cutting were I want black the tool with marker to see were it's cutting away as I grind

Harry re-handling old tools is a good way to go.  I make handles all the the time for guys.  First sharpen the tool and see if it's worth the trouble.  If poor steel sometimes will grind it to some special little used shape. Anything will cut with a fresh edge.

Boats

Whitey, if you look here:- (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

This is what I use, not cheap but very good quality, there must be something similar, if not identical, available from the USA. Try Little Machine Shop, in Pasadena, California, they're pretty good and I buy quite a bit from them.

Harry

The best flat chisels I own are made from various sizes of  three square files, handles from whatever, copper tubing ferules. Not for hammering. Fine belt sander to grind, turn a burr, stitched buffing wheel with green chrome or similar will hone in a hurry, in particular gouges. Hone down stream unless you want it stuck in your leg. A leather strop with rogue will keep you cutting. Gee! Sounds like I know it all. NOT!!
Chuck  

Joe now the truth comes out. No wondeer Gail is so busy. You got her working so hard.But even then the problem comes whe you don't even have a pet to copy. . and It's one of those wierd ones. Whitey

I understand a little about metal. Just enough to get in trouble. I will look for some that I think are good or have a chance of being good.Then If I enjoy the project. Then I can always get the best. As at 74 and knowing how things go. I would hate to think the best would be on a yard sale at fifty cents a piece. And that does happen. Whitey

Dave out where I live if I see a yard sale once or twice a year it's a bunch. True story a few farm autions with lots of crow bars,fence strechers and sledge hammers but wood chisels.  And no son's for the gun stuff.and the machinest stuff. Like youIhave gave away at least a pick up load of machine tools etc in the last couple years.Either to the school or friends that I knew could use them. My gun stuff.????
But I am having fun and that's what counts. Whitey

Froggie any thing is possible. Whitey

Machinist HSS bit blanks too. Particularly for special one off jobs. 

Boats

Boats HHS tool bit is something I got a lotttttttttt of.  Whitey

Joe I came up with a 1878 Westely Richards SS falling block Action with nothing else including Wood. And as such I have no pattern and I don't know of any semi finished stocks done. Sooo that leaves me. Whitey

Dave thanks for the information. Whitey

Thanks Mike left you  aPM. Whitey

Whitey, if the above picture is not your model then someone out there is bound to have a pattern stock on hand. There are a bunch of good folks profiling now a days. If not then you can make a pattern real easy, I use a section of cheap pine, rough inlet to fit into the action and then spray the action real good with a release agent from brownels, and use modeling clay to fill all the little holes and smear bondo all over the inlet section then push it in, once it cures your halfway there. Any profilier should be able to use this rough pattern to fix you up a nice one, and the thing about pin is that it is cheap, easy to work with, just use a dry piece. I have used balsa wood too and it is easier to carve, a big belt sander helps in roughing it out. Last time I did one I used a 2x6 cut to length. Glued on a cheeck piece and it looked real good when done, I left it a bit oversize.
Mike

Whitey, if you use a program like microsoft office picture manager and just compress it down it will go, and then recheck it, if it is above 500kb it will not go.
Mike

Thanks Mike but this is theonly site I have a problem with. And I am too old and senile to mess with all thesedifferent progams. But thanks. Whitey

2nd that advice on a quick and cheap pine stock to get things right.   

Boats

With Whitey's permission, here is the picture. I have never seen one like it. Link is in a different place, not sure how the extractor or hammer cocking works. Looks English and should make a fine rifle.
Chuck

Chuckster wrote on Dec 31^st, 2010 at 10:00am:


Chuckster,

I'm not surprised you haven't seen anything quite like it, as it was only in limited production by Westley Richards for some three years, and was then replaced by redesigned action, the Deeley & Edge 1881 Patent, Side Lever Falling Block Action. 

There were quite a few problems with this 1878 Patent action that were only resolved by a major re-design. See Winfer, Wal. :-  British Single Shot Rifles. Volume 4. Published in 2000. Sadly, now a rather rare and expensive book, if you can find a copy anywhere.

Harry

Don't have that book, but there is a drawing and very brief description of a somewhat similar looking action on page 715 of Greener, "The Gun and Its Development". It confirms the Deeley and Edge connection. BTW, Happy New Year to all  
Chuck

I'm also in need of a good Inletting chisel/wood carving set.  I've checked around and found out that the Buck Brothers set listed on Brownells is actually a cheap Chinese made set and does not hold an edge.  I did find a couple of good sets on Brownells, which are made by U.J. RAMELSON and highly recommended by wood carvers.

So now I've got a choice of a straight handle set or a palm handle set and would appreciate suggestions from some experienced stock inletters as to which would be the most comfortable or useful.  Thanks.

Wayne

Wayne, take a look at the tools shown by Brownells as their stockmaker's starter set #080-761-000, and look for equivalent quality items wherever you find them.  The B company is very often higher priced than the manufacturer's suggested retail...though not always.   

Buck must have switched their source to China within the past few years.  I don't remember them as being made anywhere but here, and they were decent tools once upon a time.   

David

The Brownells set was made up as a one stock number kit for folks attending gunsmithing schools...much simpler to order one item than two dozen.  It was a lot cheaper when first introduced.

David

Lynn,

Thanks.  Their Dastra Woodscrew brand sounds like the "cream of the crop" of woodcarving tools.

Wayne