EXPENSIVE high end Swivel Knives???

[anvilcustoms]

I am looking for a REALLY good swivel knife. Any of you know where to find a really high end knife or are they even made anymore. I've seen Stohlman's leather handled knife, but I'd like to see more.

Also, where can I find RUBY tips?

[whinewine]

Henley knives. I'm waiting for mine to come- supposedly top of the line- puts stohlman to shame.

I'm NOT impressed with the stolhman barrels sold by tandy, at this point- i have one of their barrels- (a narrow barrel-) it's 'ok', but not spectacular. I also have regular tandy barrels & I put them in pretty much the same category: 'ok'. When I get my Henley, I'll be more critical of the differences.

I'm not talking about blades... personally, I favor ruby blades, for various leathers (but, for others, steel blades work better). Other people love the ceramic blades- I feel they have too much drag, for my own personal taste, but others will certainly disagree & that's fine with me.

Others love only steel blades...

If you want a Henley, contact Cathy Schlim at cschlim@yahoo.com.

[CitizenKate]

Here's the contact information to order from Henley direct:

http://gemosphere.tripod.com/GEMOSPHERE/Swivel_Knivesx.html

Kate

[Rawhide]

Henley's are fantastic in my book, I have several Al Stohlmans, knurled barrels and stacked leather barrels. Henley blows them away. I have a narrow Henley that i bought from Peter Main with his specially designed blade, and I ordered a large barrel that I should be receiving shortly, and I can't wait.

I have heard that Bob Beard's and Chuck Smith's knives are top of the line as well.

Marlon

[Leerwerker]

I don't believe paying too much for a swivel knife is worth it - In my opinion the barrel has to be thick so that my hand does not cramp up too much - and a nice length is good.

But ball bearings in the swivel of the yoke and all that - a bit of a joke - while you cut, there is no need for the yoke to spin at 20,000 per second like the makers always demonstrate!

What most people seem to forget is the very crucial working end of the knife -the blade! THAT has to be a nice hard steel or ceramic, but unless you keep it stropped, even a $1,000 blade will help you nothing ... Have your rouge handy next to you when you cut, and even the $12.00 Swivel knife will give excellent results!

[Rawhide]

I don't believe paying too much for a swivel knife is worth it - In my opinion the barrel has to be thick so that my hand does not cramp up too much - and a nice length is good.

But ball bearings in the swivel of the yoke and all that - a bit of a joke - while you cut, there is no need for the yoke to spin at 20,000 per second like the makers always demonstrate!

What most people seem to forget is the very crucial working end of the knife -the blade! THAT has to be a nice hard steel or ceramic, but unless you keep it stropped, even a $1,000 blade will help you nothing ... Have your rouge handy next to you when you cut, and even the $12.00 Swivel knife will give excellent results!

I agree and disagree with you a bit. If you've never had a swivel knife that's considered high end, then there's no room to compare. The ball bearing is not intended to just spin the yoke and look pretty. It's designed to do just what you want the large barrel to do for you, keep your hands from cramping. This is especially helpful when carving a Sheridan design. The Henley's, while not as expensive as some maker's, but more than the knurled Al Stohlman knives, don't spin forever, but they provide the smoothest spin I've yet to encounter. Again I can carve for a much longer time without cramping with my Henley, than I can with any of my Tandy (Al Stohlman) knives.

I do agree with you that a $12 swivel knife can give you great results, and a $1000 blade is no good if it isn't sharp and polished. But I have a couple of craftool swivel knives that I use for specific things, i.e. beader blades.

But if you carve a lot, do yourself a favor and invest in a good swivel knife. If you are a builder and you use Harbor Freight type nailers, you'll buy more of them than you would if you buy one good Palsode or Porter-Cable.

You get what you pay for, this holds true for leather tools, leather and anything else.

Just my view.

[David]

I don't believe paying too much for a swivel knife is worth it - In my opinion the barrel has to be thick so that my hand does not cramp up too much - and a nice length is good.

But ball bearings in the swivel of the yoke and all that - a bit of a joke - while you cut, there is no need for the yoke to spin at 20,000 per second like the makers always demonstrate!

What most people seem to forget is the very crucial working end of the knife -the blade! THAT has to be a nice hard steel or ceramic, but unless you keep it stropped, even a $1,000 blade will help you nothing ... Have your rouge handy next to you when you cut, and even the $12.00 Swivel knife will give excellent results!

I could not agree more!! Thick barrel is the most important for me. So far I use a leather Stollman. I don't like the feel of the knurling on most new knives. Just makes blisters. A fellow in our Tandy workgroup has an antique swivel knife that I suspect is home made. It is solid brass with very fine knurling....you can't feel it when cutting. It is THICK, over 5/8"++ ....great movement in the cast brass saddle for your finger; it is a very deep saddle.... Not a real long knife, it was perfect for me..I loved it. Keeping my eyes open as he wouldn't sell it.....

David Theobald

http://theobaldleather.com

Edited April 10, 2008 by David

[David Genadek]

It all depends on what type and what volumn of work you are doing. I have 14 knives I use on a regular basis some are cheap tandy knives that I have set up with edge guides and they work fine for that. Generaly I reach for my high end swival knives. If you do a lot of carving (beyond what most hobbists can imagine) the ball bearings do come it to play. In the end though it all ends up being a matter of your artistic vision more than a matter of what tool you use. Bob Brown did some pretty amazing work with a sharpend screwdriver

David Genadek

[Regis]

It all depends on what type and what volumn of work you are doing. I have 14 knives I use on a regular basis some are cheap tandy knives that I have set up with edge guides and they work fine for that. Generaly I reach for my high end swival knives. If you do a lot of carving (beyond what most hobbists can imagine) the ball bearings do come it to play. In the end though it all ends up being a matter of your artistic vision more than a matter of what tool you use. Bob Brown did some pretty amazing work with a sharpend screwdriver

David Genadek

Even though I'm only a few years into carving, I have invested in a lot more knives than I use. For me any tandy knife set up with straight blade is good for those long straight lines. I'm one of the Henley fans but, more so because, with it, I learned what "sharp" really means. Now that I know how sharp to get the blade (and keep it sharp) other knives work pretty good. Larger barrel for these aging hands is a bit more comfortable though.

I wish I could have attended a show or guild event to try a lot of knives as I beleive that is the absolute best way to get the right knife for you. $100 knife that fits you is cheaper than 10 knives at $20-$40 each that sit in a box!!

Edited April 10, 2008 by Regis

[yaklady]

If you want a really good knife, stay away from the Al Stohlman knives. That brand is made to look great, but aren't as functional as you would expect them to be. Chuck Smith and Bob Beard have excellent knives. Henley isn't bad, but I like the other two better. The blade makes the big difference in your carving. Ceramic blades work well, but my very favorite blade is one from Chuck Smith. The only ruby blades I've seen are from way back. My Chuck Smith is much better.

Every person has their own opinion on swivel knives. What works for one is horrible for another. The best thing to do is go to Sheridan and check out the knives there yourself. That's the best place to play with them, since there are so many suppliers there.

Good luck on finding the right one.

Kathy

[outcast]

You can get ruby blades down under at this place: http://www.leffler.com.au/

Item # 8023-00

Edited April 10, 2008 by outcast

[JRedding]

I've got to agree with the majority here, better tools help produce better results. Why work so hard to acheive professional results with beginners tools. The cost of a good swivel knife is ten times that of the cheapest, but worth every penny. It's really not how long the cradle will spin, or if it's engraved , it's if it helps you do a better job. For people who spend anywhere from a fair amount of time with one in their hand, to those who spend a lot of time with one in your hand, something to consider is the long term effect of struggling with a cheapo, it's no secret leather carving can turn you into a cripple when you're old. So you've got to consider the benefit of running a knife that works smoothly and isn't fatiguing to the damage of years spent with hand cramps and sore forearms. The cheap knives serve a purpose they're great to start out with before you know if this is something you will stick with but if you're going to stay with it a better quality swivel is a good investment in both you're work and you're hands.

[bustedlifter]

My knives are almost 40 year old Tandy swivel knives and the cheap hollow ground made in japan blade does the bulk of my carving.I would like to try an expensive knife someday but then again I've heard a good mechanic doesn't blame his tools.

[Rawhide]

My knives are almost 40 year old Tandy swivel knives and the cheap hollow ground made in japan blade does the bulk of my carving.I would like to try an expensive knife someday but then again I've heard a good mechanic doesn't blame his tools.

That's a good one. Although, I've never seen a good mechanic with cheap tools either.

M.

[ClayB]

Seems like this topic comes up every so often. In my opinion, Bob Beard makes the nicest swivel knives I have tried, but I dont have one. I have never really figured that I NEEDED one, although I would like to have one someday. I get along fine with several Craftool ones and one of the heavy brass ones they came out with back in the 80's.

But, in the last couple years, my index finger on my left hand (the one that I use to carve with) has started to have quite a bit of pain. The last couple weeks it's getting worse and I will probably have to get it checked out by a doctor soon. So Jim's post has me wondering if there really is a good reason to spend the money on a better quality swivel knife. And, is there a chance I can convince my insurance company that there is a medical reason I need one and they should pay for it??????????

[Roger]

i have two barry king knives. i think they are great for the money. $40 with a blade.

i would like to try a beard but, don't think i would ever spend the money on one but, without trying one i can't say.

[bruce johnson]

I have two of the old Craftool knives from the 80s Clay referred to and like them both. I have fatboy and slim barrel ones from Chuck Smith, one from Barry, and an old reportedly pre-Ellis Hackbarth with a set of tools. I also have two of the old Craftool adjustables with the border tool and a beader blade. All of my "carvers" have a smooth action. I adjusted the height the way I was taught, and thought that a crampy index finger after a while was just part of the deal. I have a different type of blade in each, slim, wide, angled, steeper bevel, short bevel. Which one I use depends on what I am cutting, how much tight turning, and how wide I need to lay it open. Also, I am not a believer that all swivel knife blades need to be the same angle. Between all but the craftool blades, I don't see enough of a difference that I could tell. They all seem to have about the same mileage before stropping, which is not that big a deal anyway.

When I got the Hackbarth, I just tried it the way it came out of the box. It was set a little shorter, and while the blade was dull, it felt GOOD. I dropped my others to this height, and haven't looked back. Not too long after this, someone (gtwister I am thinking) replied in a post about how to measure your hand for the barrel diameter and the height adjustment. It was dead on with what I finally found works for me. I have searched the posts trying to find that one, and haven't come up with it. If anyone knows where it is, please put a link in.

[Rawhide]

... Not too long after this, someone (gtwister I am thinking) replied in a post about how to measure your hand for the barrel diameter and the height adjustment. It was dead on with what I finally found works for me. I have searched the posts trying to find that one, and haven't come up with it. If anyone knows where it is, please put a link in.

I'd be interested in finding that again as well. Hope someone remembers where it is.

Where's ClayB, he always know where everything is.

Marlon

[JRedding]

Just so I'm not misunderstood I'm not hackin' on anyone if they choose to stick with a twenty dollar knife, it just helped me when I spent the money and upgraded, if someone else does fine without spending it great. But saying you've got a Craftool knife that's twenty or thirty years old isn't the same thing as the one you'd get today, I've got a lot of the old ones and they're nothing like the ones a person gets at the present time. I rode an old Potts-Longhorn saddle when I was a kid that was a production saddle in it's day but a "production" saddle made in '72 doesn't much resemble one made in '02. The quality of most things off the shelf has changed a lot in the last twenty or thirty years. Bustedlifters forty year old knives are probably the same quality you'd find in all but the most expensive swivels today.

[Duke]

I too am interested in seeing thatold posting about how to fit your swivel knife to your hand.if we cant find it, can we get the gentleman that posted it the first time to repost? thx

[electrathon]

I've heard a good mechanic doesn't blame his tools.

This really is a pretty good analagy here. I am a mechanic and I spend a LOT of money on good tools. Cheap tools are a waste of time and often keep you from doing a proper job. I don't think I have ever known a good mechanic that uses cheap tools.

Aaron

[bustedlifter]

This really is a pretty good analagy here. I am a mechanic and I spend a LOT of money on good tools. Cheap tools are a waste of time and often keep you from doing a proper job. I don't think I have ever known a good mechanic that uses cheap tools.

Aaron

I think I stirred up the pot a bit, kind of like Ford vs. Chevy. At any rate, I spent quite a bit of money on quality tools but I've also seen some good mechanics use some tools of lesser quality. David Genadek mentioned someone who turned out great work with a sharpened screwdriver. Very cool!

Edited April 11, 2008 by bustedlifter

[TwinOaks]

... And, is there a chance I can convince my insurance company that there is a medical reason I need one and they should pay for it??????????

Yeah, Clay, there is. It sounds like a form of acute tendonitis in the index finger. This, as you know, could lead to debilitating arthritis. And the end of your career Tell them the replacement will be ergonomically correct for your hand (and make up something about a right handed world and a bunch of conspirators).

Back to reality...I've often wondered about the yoke on top of the swivel knives. Who decided it should be that shape? I'd prefer one with a rounded/ melted edge.

Edited April 11, 2008 by TwinOaks

[Rawhide]

...Who decided it should be that shape? I'd prefer one with a rounded/ melted edge.

In the words of Peter Main, MODIFY IT. If something doesn't work the way you want it to... make it do so.Marlon Edited April 11, 2008 by Rawhide

[TwinOaks]

..one little, two little, three little MAP torches....

I like the idea, Marlon, and I might just do that. I think I'll pick up a 'spare' from Tandy before I do, though. I wouldn't want to irrevocably damage one of the ones I've inherited from my father.