Thread: Hold Fasts, Carving Axes, Froes and Draw Knives Made in Australia

If the quality is good, and the price is not outrageous I would always prefer to buy local product.

Philip.

yep comes down to cost , we know how well the edge holds on the well known brads and that is what you pay for , our hourly rate here almost take small makers out of the market

As above, if they are decent quality they may do well, Aussie made cast iron cookware seems to be doing pretty well and it is far dearer than imported stuff.

If you aren't setting out to make some of the best gear available you are best off making it look pretty and aiming it at hipsters that buy tools so they can justify having a rugged looking beard.
Like this Copper and Bronze(???) garden scoop that is locally made and is one of the most poorly designed garden tools out there, they still seem to sell, here and abroad-
GRAFA - Scoop - Handmade copper & bronze garden scoop

Supply and demand. You cannot force the wood workers to buy tools that they have no interest in ever using.

Question: What have you got for an Australian log home building industry? They need big tools, very good tools.

Pioneer Log Homes in Canada will build your $20,000,000 home, send it out and put it up.
You can be certain that they don't make their own hand tools.
Instead, they depend on guys like Magard Tools for those.

I've never had a problem finding draw knives, usually older Pom stuff.
Made a few crude ones myself for RV to take up to Rambutsu for the locals.
There was a rather nice Damascas one in Tas recently that I wanted but it was too expensive for an impulse buy just to have one.
In short I doubt your idea has wings but I may well be wrong.
I have been making the Patterns for a range of Autobody equipment (stake dollys, English wheels etc) and the guys have had a few trickle out the door.
They tried to crack the U.S. Market but it very expensive to front the shows to educate the punters.
I guess if there was a market here for what you are suggesting knife makers would be onto it.
H.

Originally Posted by clear out

I've never had a problem finding draw knives, usually older Pom stuff.
Made a few crude ones myself for RV to take up to Rambutsu for the locals.
There was a rather nice Damascas one in Tas recently that I wanted but it was too expensive for an impulse buy just to have one.
In short I doubt your idea has wings but I may well be wrong.
I have been making the Patterns for a range of Autobody equipment (stake dollys, English wheels etc) and the guys have had a few trickle out the door.
They tried to crack the U.S. Market but it very expensive to front the shows to educate the punters.
I guess if there was a market here for what you are suggesting knife makers would be onto it.
H.

Any idea who was making the English Wheels? Would be interested to see what a locally made one costs, that is a tool that I have to own at one point in my life.

Another point to make is that a quality tool purchase can be, and often is, a one time event.

If you were to buy a nice, well made, high quality steel 1" (25mm for the younger set) firmer chisel. Are you likely to buy another even if made in Aus and to a similar quality or better quality as the original. Probably not unless you wear out the original chisel.
You might also buy a 1" bevel edged chisel and a 1" paring chisel and a 1" skew for turning. But you are unlikely to get two.

So will I buy a Aussie hold fast? No, because I already have what I need. If I could have obtained Aussie ones at the time then probably yes (actually I seem to recall that there was an effort to get a blacksmith to make some at the time I participated in a group buy but it fell through)

If I need a new "gooses bridle" will I buy Aussie over imported. All things being equal, yes. But I'm not going to pay over the top just to support Aussie.

Originally Posted by Sawdust Maker

You might also buy a 1" bevel edged chisel and a 1" paring chisel and a 1" skew for turning. But you are unlikely to get two.

unlikely to get two? goodness me, what new evil is this you speak of?

Originally Posted by Ubernoob

Any idea who was making the English Wheels? Would be interested to see what a locally made one costs, that is a tool that I have to own at one point in my life.

The guys who are selling them are motorretro Australia , should come up on a Google search.
Hare and Forbes were handling them but I don't know if they still are.
I put a post in the Foundry section which is now in the Metalwork Forum.
Headed 'Cast Iron English wheel' from memory.
H.