Beaver Craft Wood Carving Tools

 

beavercrafttools.com

  I ordered a chip carving knife blade from Beaver Craft Tools recently. It did take a while for the blade to arrive in the mail, but...considering the mess in Ukraine it arrived in an acceptable time.  I bought the blade because I have been revisiting Chip Carving and the knife is different and uses an different technique.  Something new is always worth exploring, I think.

   I bought the blade without handle for a couple of reasons, I am cheap and can make my own handle being the major one.  The other reason, a blade can be shipped through the mail in a flat bubble wrap envelop fast and easy.

   Fitting handles to knife blades is quite simple now that the available glues are soooooo good.  The sides of the handle are cedar with a hardwood slice in the middle into which the blade is fitted.

  The handle is over sized in all dimensions so that there is plenty of scope for custom shaping.  For things like this I let the glue dry over night to be sure it is set and curing. 

  

  The final knife has a fairly short handle and the front of the handle is wrapped in cotton soaked with 'super glue'.  The cotton cord allowed a post assembly taper to be added. I have wondered about how hard and long wearing 'super duper glue' would be, so this is an experiment.

  The knife blade arrived very sharp and in a timely manner even given the current situation in Ukraine.  I will now have to use the knife for a couple of projects and see if an Old Dog can wants to learn a new trick.

cheers ianw

Two Kinds of Carving

  Aside from working on the long, long chair rail I have been spending some time finishing a relief carving that I began a while ago.  The carving part is finished, it is the sanding and finishing part that I am doing now.  It seems that final sanding is going to take nearly as long as the initial carving.

  Basswood is the preferred carving wood in this part of the country although butternut is also poplar although getting very rare.
  

  Chip carving is an old folk art style of carving, to put ornaments on to common objects.  The piece I just finished will become the carved top of an art box of some type.  I don't have a plan yet.

  The great thing about chip carving is it takes one tool, a chip carving knife.  I drew my own design last evening and then cut out the chips.  Spray varnish was created for chip carvers.  

a Moor small Chip Carving Knife.

  I am spending time  carving again because I foresee a time without large shop machines.  Carving will keep me playing with wood, and improving my skills without big machines with there mess and noise.  

  Give it a try.

cheers, ianw