Henry Taylor gouges and the crown hand tool
Quote from Martin Sigouin on August 6, 2022, 8:56 amHello to you, I would like to know if the henry taylor carving gouges and the crown hand tools are as good as they say, I could see that both brands use a high carbon steel, one with a thinner black steel and the other with a polish, I did not have much information on these two brands and the testimonials are mixed a little on different forums, like what for henry taylor it would be different today , quality less good than in another era and the work on hard wood such as oak, mahogany, walnut, maple and others, I did not find anything as comments, so I ask the question to have more details on this[spoiler title=""][/spoiler]
Hello to you, I would like to know if the henry taylor carving gouges and the crown hand tools are as good as they say, I could see that both brands use a high carbon steel, one with a thinner black steel and the other with a polish, I did not have much information on these two brands and the testimonials are mixed a little on different forums, like what for henry taylor it would be different today , quality less good than in another era and the work on hard wood such as oak, mahogany, walnut, maple and others, I did not find anything as comments, so I ask the question to have more details on this
Quote from Michael Evans on August 10, 2022, 6:47 pmHello Martin,
The only Crown tools I own are non-carving, saws and similar, so that I can't speak to the quality of their carving tools. My Henry Taylor tools are approximately 20-35 years old and those are very good, comparable to the other "high-end" brands, pricy but well respected. I don't have any of the newer Henry Taylor tools but they seem to still be well respected. I also have tools from Schaaf Tools and others that proves price is not always an indicator of quality. The thing to keep in mind is that much about tools is subjective and individual carvers like or dislike brands for many reasons including balance, finish, handles, or availability of a variety of shape and profile. I would recommend trying to get together with other carvers or carving clubs in your area that have a variety of brands and give the tools a try at the bench to see what details in tool brands fit your preferences. Have fun.
Hello Martin,
The only Crown tools I own are non-carving, saws and similar, so that I can't speak to the quality of their carving tools. My Henry Taylor tools are approximately 20-35 years old and those are very good, comparable to the other "high-end" brands, pricy but well respected. I don't have any of the newer Henry Taylor tools but they seem to still be well respected. I also have tools from Schaaf Tools and others that proves price is not always an indicator of quality. The thing to keep in mind is that much about tools is subjective and individual carvers like or dislike brands for many reasons including balance, finish, handles, or availability of a variety of shape and profile. I would recommend trying to get together with other carvers or carving clubs in your area that have a variety of brands and give the tools a try at the bench to see what details in tool brands fit your preferences. Have fun.
Quote from MaryMay on September 4, 2022, 12:18 pmHello Martin,
As Michael said, there are so many different thoughts out there on carving tools. I have several Henry Taylor tools - some over 30 years old and some with the past 20 years. For some reason they are the most challenging to get sharp and stay sharp out of all my tools. I don't know if they are still that way, but about 20 to 25 years ago their quality did a nose-dive. I have heard they have come back up but have not been interested in investing in them to test them out. I am not familiar at all with the crown tools. My suggestion is to purchase one and test them out. Really give it a good test of using them on all kinds of wood, and then go through the entire process of sharpening them. See how stable the edge is after sharpening.
The Pfeil (Swiss Made) brand I can confidently say come sharp and hold a good edge.
Hello Martin,
As Michael said, there are so many different thoughts out there on carving tools. I have several Henry Taylor tools - some over 30 years old and some with the past 20 years. For some reason they are the most challenging to get sharp and stay sharp out of all my tools. I don't know if they are still that way, but about 20 to 25 years ago their quality did a nose-dive. I have heard they have come back up but have not been interested in investing in them to test them out. I am not familiar at all with the crown tools. My suggestion is to purchase one and test them out. Really give it a good test of using them on all kinds of wood, and then go through the entire process of sharpening them. See how stable the edge is after sharpening.
The Pfeil (Swiss Made) brand I can confidently say come sharp and hold a good edge.
Quote from Charles NICODEMUS on December 17, 2022, 4:09 pmAm glad to find this info. I had acquired FREE, several old chisels/gouges a few years ago. In the bunch of well used ones were some I kept. And out of this few, I have 4 H Taylor gouges. Only one is marked with Taylor Sheffield, all are in Bad need of repair and along with the ones that have a Otto Bergman, Berlin are also in need.
In some what sharpened shape, they all cut ok but, I would like to find the angles for all of them.
Thanks for looking and any advice will help .
Am glad to find this info. I had acquired FREE, several old chisels/gouges a few years ago. In the bunch of well used ones were some I kept. And out of this few, I have 4 H Taylor gouges. Only one is marked with Taylor Sheffield, all are in Bad need of repair and along with the ones that have a Otto Bergman, Berlin are also in need.
In some what sharpened shape, they all cut ok but, I would like to find the angles for all of them.
Thanks for looking and any advice will help .