carving knives

[mike40]

As I mentioned in my last post I have been doing a little figure carving lately. I'm worried that it's becoming an obsession. There is something about creating little people and/or animals that I find fascinating. My Tormek is a fantastic help in keeping the work enjoyable. I have been keeping great edges on my tools with just the leather wheels and a little diamond paste after an initial sharpening session. Quick and easy! I did have to get a carving glove for my left hand and a thumb guard for my right as my thumb was starting to look like a slice of baloney. No cuts aftter the glove though, so I still have a few bandaids left from my Tormek pack.

Right now I'm working on my 2nd figure carving from my own pattern. It's about 12" tall. I had no idea how much work that would entail compared to the first one which was only about 5" tall, so it is taking a lot more time than the other one. That's ok though, as the idea is to enjoy the work and take whatever time is necessary to do the best I can with it. One thing I have learned is that you have to learn anatomy to get decent results. A bit of a challenge for my lazy brain, but I have gotten some drawing books from my son and I have also bought some caricature carving books from Fox Chapel and Amazon.

I did want to mention that the sløyd knife I bought has turned out to be a real asset. It can remove a lot of wood fast while roughing out, but with it's pointed tip, it is also good for those hard to get at details.
Besides the sløyd knife, I'm mainly using a Pfeil chip carving knife, with some help from a small gouge and a 'V' chisel. Here's a photo of the sløyd knife in case you don't know what it is. It's  made in Sweden and is pretty cheap, but with good steel quality, so it really holds an good edge for a long time. I highly recommend it.

[Ken S]

Mike,

I have heard that Mora, the original maker of the Sloyd knife, has a very good working relationship with Tormek AB. I believe the humble Sloyd knife has much to offer. Do keep us posted.

Ken