Has anyone used knives by Diobsud Forge?

[Matt Shade]

I have 1 knife from them and it is my favorite of all my carving knives. Its also the sharpest and seems to hold an edge forever.The woodworking store I got it from no longer carries them and I can't find them any where.Does anyone know where to find them?
Also since I am making knives now, I would like to know what kind of steel is used in these knives. I think it might be D2 as it looks and performs like there is a little bit of chrome in it. (very shiny, no discoloration in the past 3 years)?But it is way to sharp and tough to be stainless.Any body know, or have a guess as to what it would be? Thanks.

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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !

 

[Paracelsus]

Howdy Matt, as a fellow woodcarver, I have noticed you mentioning diobsud knives at least once before. I just did a quick search for them and found a few sites that carry their knives. I found no direct link to diosud knives company:

1. www.fandfwoodcarving.com/diobsud.html

Fur and Feathers woodcarving: 1-800-809-4286 in Springfield, Illinois

They list the steel as W1 hand forged tool steel. Look like they make some great blade profiles. I was not real impressed by the handles, however. Too round.

2. www.woodcuts.com

Woodcuts in Racine, Wisconsin: 1-414-681-1986
Web site says they are closing down this month. Better hurry.

3. www.flounderbay.com

This is a boat plans and supplies company. They mention carrying diobsud tools, but no details.

I have been carving for several years now, and really like FlexCut knives and gouges. They keep expanding their line. The idea is ergonomic handles and spring steel blades that are dual tempered. The shaft is flexible and the tip is very hard. This allows a single gouge to perform a variety of cutting motions instead of switching tools all the time. The British carvers seem to really like them (see woodcarving magazine). Exceptionally thin. Very good cutters. They recently came out with a line of gouges designed to fit the Ryobi power carver and the German Auto Mach power carvers. These tools make the Ryobi Very useful for fast wood removal (It was completely useless with the gouges in came with). They also have a new line of gouges for the Skil power tool that interchange with a new handle to economize on buying seperate hand tools. Nice idea. Their knives are really very good also. The company does not sell directly, but you can check out their products at:

Falls run woodcarving www.fallsrun.com

You can buy Flexcut tools at my favorite carving supply store:
www.craftwoods.com 1-800-468-7070

The people at Craftwoods are very knowledgable. Go to the site and request a free catalog. They also carry several handmade carving knives made from O1 with Great handle shapes (long, curved, swelled in the right places), as well as Robert Sorby and Henry Taylor gouges. I also like Pfeil Swiss carving tools, but they are available in the U.S. Only at Woodcraft: www.woodcraft.com

Best of luck. Hope these links and info help. Wood carving was how I came to appreciate a good knife. It drives me crazy that carving supply companies rarely tell you what steel is in the tools. Mastersmith PJ Tomes is going to make me several small carving knives in 52100 next year. I'll let you know how those turn out.

Paracelsus

[This message has been edited by Paracelsus (edited 27 December 1999).]

 

[Matt Shade]

Thanks for the info. I have a number 7 diobsud forge knife(I think it was called a patternmakers knife). I didn't think I would like the handle at first, I don't like the gouge handles. But the knife is great now that I've used it for a while.
I'm slowly expanding my selection of swiss made tools. I like them a lot and they aren't to expensive if you only buy a few at a time. The knives are much cheaper than the gouges. I have a woodcraft here in town to go to though. I'll have to look at the flex cuts again.I wasn't really all that impressed the first time I saw them. Maybe they're better now that they've changed the line up some. I do freestanding carvings in basswood where you can just push the gouge through easily if its sharp The flex cuts would be good for that. But I also do chip carving in some harder stuff where it helps to use a mallet once in awhile. I like the longer handles on the swiss made stuff better for that than the shorter ones on the flex cuts. I think you get more control with the solid tang when using a mallet too. I'll have to check out all those links. Thanks a lot.

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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !

 

[Paracelsus]

I certainly agree with you commment about needing a stiff knife for chip carving. Have you seen Wade Barton's two piece set? They work really well. His books on chip carving are very good also. Your absolutely right about using Flexcut for free standing basswood carvings. I think they are just about ideal for this wood.

They were designed for hand use ONLY. You can't use a mallet with their standard line. Did you see the longer 8" tools, or just the small palm set? I know what you mean about how they look (kind of thin and cheap?). But that's the point, they are really very different from traditional tools. The edge is very thin. It is not a wedge like traditional tools. You use one hand on the handle and the other on the shaft and bend it down at the end of the cut. No splitting. Properly sharpened, the wood is ready for finish straight from the cutting tool. See if your shop will let you play around with some before you buy. I'm sure you will be impressed with how well they work. And they are cheaper than traditional gouges. They don't replace the traditional tools. But you can do a lot more heavy work than you think with them.

I found getting a Sorby adjustable clamp for this kind of work made a huge difference. It's expensive (about $150), but probably my Most important tool. I set it up on a thick board extending about two feet from my bench, so that I can get all around it. Do you have a wood carving adjustable stand? Hand holding pieces (I read your Boo Boo post) scares the heck out of me. Too much to worry about trying to hold onto the piece and make good, safe, accurate cuts.

I mostly carve in much harder woods now, such as walnut, butternut, cherry, apple, pear, mahogony, and some others. I like the look of good hardwoods a lot more than basswood, since I don't paint anything and use linseed oil and wax for finish. I still use flex cut tools a lot when I can, especially for smooth finishes. But I do most of the rough out work with an assortment of Marples, Sorby, H. Taylor, and Pfeil gouges with a large and small mallet. Then I switch to flexcut and traditional small gouges for finishing by hand. Buying tools one or two at a time is definitely the way to go. Much less expensive, and you don't have to spend a lot for a set that will almost certainly include a bunch a tools you will almost never use.

I don't like to use power tools, but with the full set (this is one set that makes sense) of flexcut gouges for the Ryobi, I find myself using it to speed up grounding out and rough out in relief carvings. I do most of my carvings in medium (1-2") to high (4") relief; wood is easier to find. I don't like the Foredom rotary tools that so many bird carvers use, however, too much noise and dust. And I really enjoy the sound, feel, and look of a piece that was carved by cutting, not abrasion. To get a really smooth finish on a human figure without using sandpaper takes some very sharp tools and a lot of time and patience. I think it shows skill more and makes me prouder of the finished piece. Glad I could help. Email me anytime if you want to talk about carving more. It's a passion for me like no other. At the risk of sounding really wacky, woodcarving is like meditation for me. It soothes my soul. The process of making something is much more important to me than looking at the final piece.

Paracelsus (aka Brad)

[This message has been edited by Paracelsus (edited 27 December 1999).]

 

[Matt Shade]

I have a work mate shop box and some various clamps I normally use. Eventually I want to get one of those swivel topped vices that you can screw the base of your work directly to and then rotate it however you want.I guess I was just being lazy when I got cut. I thought about screwing the round piece to another board and then putting it in the workmate, but I didn't want to mess with that when I needed to get the bottom ready to fit up with the clock.I couldn't believe how sharp that knife was though. I didn't even feel it slice my finger open. Luckily I put the piece down when it happened to look at my finger, so when the blood started gushing it didn't stain my work.

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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !