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Thread: Thinking of Hand Carving as a new hobby.

  1. #1
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    Thinking of Hand Carving as a new hobby.

    Over a number of years I've made quite a few hobbyist woodworking projects as gifts for family & friends. Recently, I've discovered that I'm having difficulty imagining new projects, so I'm considering alternative hobbies.

    One that comes to mind is hand wood carving that would be pleasing to look at and be nice as gifts. However, I have absolutely no experience at this and would like some suggestions on how to get started. I'm thinking of a how-to starter guide, some carving knives, wood, etc(?). I'm also wondering about face carvings, trinkets, toys, flutes(?), or whatever else would be fun to work on.

    As an older person I can see this as an enjoyable pass-time during winter months, so I'd appreciate any suggestions on how best to get started, tools, techniques, types of wood that would best lend itself to this, and projects that you have found interesting and challenging.

    Thanks for your comments.
    Thoughts entering one's mind need not exit one's mouth!
    As I age my memory fades .... and that's a load off my mind!

    "We Live In The Land Of The Free, Only Because Of The Brave"
    “The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living."
    "
    Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill

  2. #2
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    Check out Chris Pye’s website, his book relief carving in wood is an excellent introduction

  3. #3
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    Thanks Mark. I just visited his site, but it appears to be primarily relief carving, plus as an English based business payment is in the English pound - something I'm not willing to do.

    Actually,I was thinking of carving with a hand held knife, i.e. more along the lines of whittling.

    Also, at this time I'm just thinking of trying this hobby out to see it would appeal to me long term. Given that, I would prefer to purchase mid-level tools to get started and if it's a go I'll upgrade to better quality tooling. Case in point: I stumbled onto Flexcut & Pfeil knives which are more costly than I want to start with. i was looking for a jack knife type to start with. I saw this https://www.amazon.com/Flexcut-Right...Carvin%27+Jack, but wondered if a US manufacturer provided a moderately priced jack knife with high carbon steel that would hold an edge well. I found this https://www.ebay.com/itm/SCHRADE-OLD...0AAOSwfpBaTq8d but wonder if it's still US made. Schade used to make good steel blades, but I don't know if they still do.
    Thoughts entering one's mind need not exit one's mouth!
    As I age my memory fades .... and that's a load off my mind!

    "We Live In The Land Of The Free, Only Because Of The Brave"
    “The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living."
    "
    Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill

  4. #4
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    Have you considered chip carving? All you need is one knife (or two, if you go crazy), a way to sharpen it correctly, and some basswood. Chip carving can be done almost anywhere, in the shop, under a shade tree, in an easy chair in the living room. The only mess is tiny chips, easy to clean up.

    I took up chip carving a few years ago so I could chip carve on wood turnings. I practiced for about a month and discovered it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. There are plenty of resources on the web, lots of book, plenty of patterns if you need them. I'd be glad to discuss it until you got tired of listening to me!

    Here are some of my original practice boards:

    practice_comp.jpg

    If you like woodturning, chip carving on pieces can be challenging and rewarding. This is my first chip carving on a woodturned piece, a layer of basswood sandwiched between thin pieces of walnut and larger chunks of cherry:

    chip_carved_goblet_IMG_5001.jpg

    I did some ornaments, then some carved lettering:

    ornaments_chip_carved_IMG_5.jpg chip_mess.jpg BOC_A_comp.jpg BOC_C_Jack_01_IMG_6687.jpg

    Some people build jewelry boxes or somesuch then chip carve decorations in the top or sides. BTW, I ordered slabs of basswood from Wisconsin and the price, even the shipping, was reasonable. I got 2", 3" and 4" thick boards. Rather than buy thin boards for practice or carving, I just resaw thicker stock - it's cheaper that way. The most expensive way to buy carving-sized basswood is from a carving shop. Some carve buckeye and other soft woods.

    The chip-carving process: lay out a grid, draw a pattern, cut one chip at a time. Once you learn how to make one clean chip much of chip carving is just design.

    chip_ornament_carvingIMG_43.jpg

    There is a lot you can do with just a whittling knife too like Christmas trees from a cedar stick. You can also carve chess pieces, figures and faces, and toys for kids as you mentioned. For many carvings, however, a few small hand gouges can help a lot in addition to the knife. Also, a bandsaw, scroll saw, or coping saw can save a lot of time by cutting away a lot of waste.

    Sometimes when I carve I use some power tools depending on the wood. A wood harder than basswood (such as cocobolo, ebony, oak, cherry, etc) can be a LOT easier with a reciprocal and/or rotary carving tool. I made this from bradford pear, turned then carved.

    carved_bowl_IMG_4195.jpg

    If you want to stick to just hand tools, another enjoyable pastime is spoon carving. I generally use a few power tools for some parts of spoons but they can easily be done entirely by hand. The types of wood you can use are almost unlimited. Once in Athens, Greece I found a shop full of woodworking and carving and every single piece was olive wood! It was incredible (I brought back some spoons)

    I have a lot of misc photos but not really a lot of experience. There are some real carving experts/artists who post here - maybe they will chime in.

    JKJ

    Quote Originally Posted by Al Launier View Post
    Over a number of years I've made quite a few hobbyist woodworking projects as gifts for family & friends. Recently, I've discovered that I'm having difficulty imagining new projects, so I'm considering alternative hobbies.

    One that comes to mind is hand wood carving that would be pleasing to look at and be nice as gifts. However, I have absolutely no experience at this and would like some suggestions on how to get started. I'm thinking of a how-to starter guide, some carving knives, wood, etc(?). I'm also wondering about face carvings, trinkets, toys, flutes(?), or whatever else would be fun to work on.

    As an older person I can see this as an enjoyable pass-time during winter months, so I'd appreciate any suggestions on how best to get started, tools, techniques, types of wood that would best lend itself to this, and projects that you have found interesting and challenging.

    Thanks for your comments.

  5. #5
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    John you have landed on what I think would interest me, despite not having a lathe, so i would have to consider flat work. I wasn't at all familiar with chip carving, let alone knew it existed, until you just mentioned it. I really have to look into this.
    Back at you with a question(s):
    What would you recommend for a starter knife, a starter tutorial, and a beginners project(s)?
    I just know I'll be asking for more guidance from you. Hope you can tolerate my questions & i seriously doubt I'd get tired of listening to you. Your work is what i would aspire to.
    Thoughts entering one's mind need not exit one's mouth!
    As I age my memory fades .... and that's a load off my mind!

    "We Live In The Land Of The Free, Only Because Of The Brave"
    “The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living."
    "
    Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill

  6. #6
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    When I started I bought all the chip carving books I could find from Amazon. I read every word.

    Beginner's projects: practice boards! Practice, practice before you try a project. The most important thing to learn right off the bat is how to hold the knife properly so you can make an absolutely consistent cut, actually three cuts, and remove a perfectly clean chip. Without this, you might always struggle to make something that looks good. Once you know how, it's easy!

    The MyChipCarving web site has some videos, probably on YouTube too. I think they sell more intensive instruction and teach courses too. Some people start with a course at the beginning. Bill Johnson, Carolina Mountain Reefs (http://www.carolinamountainreefs.com/) teaches classes and private lessons. He's in western North Carolina but does travel around the country to teach classes. I was ready to take a class from him but after a few weeks of practice I figured out how to make consistently clean chips and everything was suddenly easy (Bill told me then I didn't need the class.) There are probably others closer to you who teach or at least someone who would be willing to show you the basics. You're a long way from TN but if you happened to be coming through this area at some point maybe you could stop for a visit.

    I filled a couple of boards with practice chips, trying variations and such, then tried some rosettes. Once I knew how to make a good chip EVERYTHING else was simple. I was making projects after about a month of casual practice. BTW, the upper left of my first practice board has the very first chips I ever made. At the lower right I was trying some harder things - you might be able to see the little arrows where I pointed out all my mistakes!

    chip_practice_1.jpg

    Knife: That's an interesting question. I bought my first knife from Woodcraft, a top-of-the-line Wayne Barton knife, a recognized expert in the field. It was worthless and I couldn't make the first clean chip. It made me give up chip carving. It wasn't until maybe 10 years later I found out the knife was fine but it just didn't come properly sharpened and it came with no instructions about how to sharpen it correctly. I ran into an expert chip carver who showed me his knife and the light went off in my head. He said he tried to bet Barton to properly sharpen his knives before he sold them but got no where. We agreed that this has probably caused many people to get interested in chip carving then immediately give up.

    Some knives come in far better starting condition but still need a lot of refinement. The Hock knife, for example, is probably the closest to being useful out of the package. My Chip Carving sells a good knife and another slightly different one they call the "modified" knife which is a bit better for curves, such as with letters. The My Chip Carving guy also sells a wonderful sharpening kit that will put a stropped-straight-razor edge on your knife. He has good instructions, too.

    If you get a knife write back and I'll tell you more than you want to hear about preparing it properly. (at least, "properly" as I define it!) Get the knife first so you can see how it is prepared and we can figure out if it needs to be changed.

    Barton's knife is a direct copy of the traditional Scandinavian chip carving knife. Others sell the same type of knife. The important thing is the angle of the blade to the handle. A chip carving knife without this angle is useless (in my opinion). (The Scandinavian's apparently chip carved everything, decorating common household things they made such as ladle handles, butter churns, chairs, picture frames, etc.)

    There is also another knife often recommended - a stab knife. This is a kind of blunt knife that isn't sharp enough to remove a chip but to deform the wood by pressing the knife straight into the wood. I use it rarely. I did use it on the "random" rosette in the picture below - it made the four narrow triangular depressions in each of the three otherwise blank areas.

    A few other things you might find useful: good light and comfortable chair, graph paper, fine mechanical pencil, small metric ruler, xacto knife (I like fine #11 scalpels), small plastic triangle, white "Magic Rub" eraser, compass, graphite paper (not carbon paper), fine sand paper, clear wood finish. And stones, hones, and strop to keep the knife sharp. None of this is any fun with a knife that isn't like a razor!

    One thing about chip carving designs. I found out that most people are happy with buying, downloading, or copying a pattern out of a book. This didn't appeal to me one bit. I did look at hundreds of patterns and got ideas but I'd rather come up with my own designs. I did practice by copying some designs to practice the techniques but I'd rather come up with something not even close to anything I've seen! To me that is a lot of the fun.

    chip_practice_rosette.jpg

    So far, my designs on wood turnings are mostly simple with very basic chips, but I like them that way. I think too much ornate carving can detract from the elegance of the overall piece.

    I sometimes carve freehand, especially letters and curves. Relaxing, fun, and occasionally I get something that looks good! Once at the beach grandson Alex wanted me to carve our names on a board so this is what I came up with:

    chip_script.jpg

    PS: and consider getting a small lathe. Your creativity might just explode!

    JKJ


    Quote Originally Posted by Al Launier View Post
    John you have landed on what I think would interest me, despite not having a lathe, so i would have to consider flat work. I wasn't at all familiar with chip carving, let alone knew it existed, until you just mentioned it. I really have to look into this.
    Back at you with a question(s):
    What would you recommend for a starter knife, a starter tutorial, and a beginners project(s)?
    I just know I'll be asking for more guidance from you. Hope you can tolerate my questions & i seriously doubt I'd get tired of listening to you. Your work is what i would aspire to.

  7. #7
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    Hi Al & John

    First, John your work is absolutely beautiful! I love the carved letters that your grandson ask you to do. Those are special moments you don’t forget.

    Hi Al, I have to say those are some great quotes you have on the bottom of your posts. I screenshot those.


    On the carving or whittling with a knife topic.
    If you look for wood that is already close to the size of the object you would like carve. It will save you the effort of removing a lot of material with some other type of tools.

    Like what John said with Chip carving your virtually straight into creating something from the start. Below is a Snowman I did for my wife Karen about 8 years ago and it was from a 3’’ x 3’’ Board so it was already sized to what I wanted.
    Same thing with the owl, he is carved from a 1’’ x 8’’ Board so it was already close to where I wanted to be. So by this way of starting any whittling project it would help to keep the need for other tools then a knife to a minimum. It’s just a way to make it a little quicker with just the basic tools.

    I do have to say i really lucked out on my pics below not going sideways and wonky on me! Technology and me don’t usually get along.

    regards Richard





    ]6699C14F-16C9-47F6-A3EE-8ADE3458FB7C.jpg 7F66B265-F1E8-4D68-B64A-D2D1A81DA7B0.jpg
    Last edited by Richard Yates; 05-25-2018 at 7:54 AM.

  8. #8
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    John, your work is really something to behold - exquisite indeed!
    Thank you for your suggestions, your list of recommended tools is a big help. I now have a better feel for how to get this potentially new hobby off to a good start. In particular, where I enjoy hobbyist woodworking, and am reasonably good at it, this chip carving craft will now allow me to carve "whatever" on new & previous boxes and that would make them not only "complete", but also much more personal.
    Since I would prefer to start off with low-moderately priced tools to test the waters, I'm wondering what you would think of this as a possibility, and what do you think of Beavercraft knives in general to just start of with? https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wood-Carvin...IAAOSwC-Jar9QM
    Also, would knives of this types be useful? https://cart.payments.ebay.com/sc/view.
    My concern about knives is not only their shape (wanting to get what you recommend), but also the blade material & hardness. Having been a Tool & Die maker very early on I was taught heat treating (wish I remembered more of it these days) and think i would want something that is 62-63 on the Rockwell C scale. What do you think? It's practically impossible to determine the actual quality of the steel in lower priced knives, yet I could always heat treat the blade myself with a torch.
    If it's a case of "buy cheap buy many" versus "buy quality buy once" then that could be persuasive.
    Thoughts entering one's mind need not exit one's mouth!
    As I age my memory fades .... and that's a load off my mind!

    "We Live In The Land Of The Free, Only Because Of The Brave"
    “The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living."
    "
    Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill

  9. #9
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    Thanks Richard, I kinda like them too. The first two are original & i use the first one on my wife when she gets carried away on something.
    Good suggestions on wood selection, I'll be sure to keep them in mind. Cutting down the time (pun intended) is sure to enhance the enjoyment.
    You really did a nice job, especially on the owl - very realistic & impressive indeed!
    Thoughts entering one's mind need not exit one's mouth!
    As I age my memory fades .... and that's a load off my mind!

    "We Live In The Land Of The Free, Only Because Of The Brave"
    “The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living."
    "
    Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Yates View Post
    ...Below is a Snowman I did for my wife Karen about 8 years ago and it was from a 3’’ x 3’’ Board so it was already sized to what I wanted.
    Richard, I really like the look of the snowman. If it's not a trade secret, how did you do the holes for the "fluffy" rim and top of the hat? It looks great, I'd like to try that. I've used a Dremel with a sharp, tapered point do make holes straight in but they were more for a pattern than a texture. Another texturing effect I use a lot is stippling with a tiny egg-shaped carbide burr in the Dremel, for this effect:

    stippling.jpg

    JKJ

  11. #11
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    It would be difficult to evaluate the cheap knife without getting one, reshaping the blade and sharpening properly, and using it for a while (and comparing it to a known "good" knife). It's impossible to know what the steel is like and whether it could be hardened and annealed if not done properly. (And to do it right you have to know exactly the type of steel they used.) Plus, you'd have to take the knife apart to heat treat then reassemble it. You might be able to harden just the edge with a torch without burning up the handle but how would you anneal it? (For example, O1 steel, I think, needs an hour or so at 400 degrees in an oven.) Seems like a lot of trouble to save a few bucks.

    I compared the shape of that knife with one of my favorite chip-carving knives. I personally don't care for the handle on that one. I have one non-chip-carving knife with a similar handle and it doesn't fit well in my hand. Unlike some other types of carving, holding the knife is CRITICAL to making clean and repeatable chips so the handle may be important. The angle of the blade looks like it might be similar but with the handle shaped that way I couldn't tell without holding both. The red line on the second photo is the exact angle of the back of the second handle. With a handle continuous curve on the back of the first one, how that translates into the actual blade angle when cutting a chip would be a guess for me. (If the blade angle is too shallow, you might either have trouble with the cuts or your hand would start to hurt a lot from having to hold it in a stressed position for long periods.)

    comparson-to-cheap-knife.jpg comparison-to-cheap-knife2.jpg

    It seems like the equipment expenditure for this hobby is extremely low compared to almost any other hobby I can think of. To me it would make sense to get a high quality knife to start with. Considering that the other two knives in ebay set are not useful for chip carving, I'd probably go with a known good knife especially since the price is about the same, for example here: https://mychipcarving.com/product/ru...arving-knives/

    Don't forget that any knife you choose will still need to be reshaped and sharpened. The Hock knife probably comes the closest to being useful out of the box with the least amount of work. And it's not expensive. https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/...ing-knife.aspx I like it as well or better than the Modified Knife from MyChipCarving for curves.

    JKJ

    Quote Originally Posted by Al Launier View Post
    John, your work is really something to behold - exquisite indeed!
    Thank you for your suggestions, your list of recommended tools is a big help. I now have a better feel for how to get this potentially new hobby off to a good start. In particular, where I enjoy hobbyist woodworking, and am reasonably good at it, this chip carving craft will now allow me to carve "whatever" on new & previous boxes and that would make them not only "complete", but also much more personal.
    Since I would prefer to start off with low-moderately priced tools to test the waters, I'm wondering what you would think of this as a possibility, and what do you think of Beavercraft knives in general to just start of with? https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wood-Carvin...IAAOSwC-Jar9QM
    Also, would knives of this types be useful? https://cart.payments.ebay.com/sc/view.
    My concern about knives is not only their shape (wanting to get what you recommend), but also the blade material & hardness. Having been a Tool & Die maker very early on I was taught heat treating (wish I remembered more of it these days) and think i would want something that is 62-63 on the Rockwell C scale. What do you think? It's practically impossible to determine the actual quality of the steel in lower priced knives, yet I could always heat treat the blade myself with a torch.
    If it's a case of "buy cheap buy many" versus "buy quality buy once" then that could be persuasive.

  12. #12
    I would buy good tools to begin with. You don't need many, but cheap tools generally suck and make the new hobby that much more frustrating. Also if you don't like it you can sell good tools, cheap tools - not so much.

    If this may be a hobby you do for a good while, invest some time and money in the beginning to give yourself a real shot at it.

  13. #13
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    Some very good advice here. +1 on getting good tools vs. getting cheaper-to-try-it tools. Warren makes a very good point on re-selling if needed.

    I teach a beginners class and I share with them something I've observed over the years.... I believe beginners give up carving for one (or all) of 3 reasons, all involving tools:
    > They are using the wrong tools..... low quality tools typically don't come sharp and won't stay sharp.
    > They don't know how to use the tools.... how to make safe cuts
    > They don't know how to sharpen their tools.... a dull tool is dangerous tool

    I once had a guy tell me that he tried carving for one day and cut himself twice, so he quit. One or all of these things, I'm sure, played a part in his accidents.

    Find a local woodcarving club and visit them. They can answer many of the questions you have now and will have as you learn.... what wood, where to buy wood and tools, kind of tools, and how to sharpen them.

    I guest carve at Silver Dollar City and talk to a lot of carvers and non-carvers about all aspects of carving. I tell them all (whether chip carving, relief carving, or in-the-round) quality, sharp tools is the "carvers secret". Buy the best you can afford and learn to sharpen them. Do that, and you will be way ahead of the learning curve.
    .... Dave

    Old carvers never die.... they just whittle away.

  14. #14
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    John you have convinced me to go forward with a quality knife. Frankly I don't want to start a new hobby only to abandon it from the use of inferior tools.

    I looked at the Hock knife https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/...ing-knife.aspx, but didn’t like the looks of it, particularly the blade, plus at the lower price it didn’t seem to fit into the quality category.

    So, I am currently looking at the WB Premier knife http://www.carolinamountainreefs.com...ing_Knife.html and the Ruby Knife https://mychipcarving.com/product/ru...arving-knives/.

    Both appear to have very similar handles, cost the same, yet the blade angle of the Ruby appears to be slightly greater and I’m guessing that might make the cutting forces more directly into my thumb for better support when cutting. Based on your comments above & your recommendation for the Ruby I would select that one.


    • I like that it is made from HSS which I am familiar with, having made many tool bits in the past for metal lathe work.
    • Plus it's hardened to Rc63 which tells me it would hold an edge well, though it might have a more brittle tip.
    • Of the two Rubys shown, I'm inclined to select the one with the broader blade as that one appears to be stronger with more reshapes/regrinds/resharpenings available, although at this time I don't know what the reshaping is all about. I presume it means regrinding the angle of the cutting edge to suit oneself after learning what best fits me based on my future cutting experience.
    • This wider blade appears to have more material in the tip compared to the narrower blade, so that should help, although I don't know how that might affect cutting in sharp corners.
    • Also, it states that it has a "thumb notch", although it is barely perceptible in the magnified view. I presume this provides better control of the knife and is more comfortable to use over time.
    • I have both medium & hard India bench stones that should work well to sharpen this blade.
    • Is a glove helpful, even necessary?


    So, I’m going to pick up some reference material at the local library & book store to get better informed about chip carving and should this reading convince me I’ll move forward with this new hobby.

    I also have to find a local source for bass wood and/or balsa wood, although I'd prefer to engrave boxes made from poplar, maple, walnut, mahogany, etc.

    I have much to learn, but having you & others provide your knowledge and advice is extremely helpful and is well appreciated. John, you may have opened Pandora’s box when stating I'd be glad to discuss it until you got tired of listening to me!”
    Last edited by Al Launier; 05-26-2018 at 10:21 AM.
    Thoughts entering one's mind need not exit one's mouth!
    As I age my memory fades .... and that's a load off my mind!

    "We Live In The Land Of The Free, Only Because Of The Brave"
    “The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living."
    "
    Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Al Launier View Post
    ...John, you may have opened Pandora’s box when stating I'd be glad to discuss it until you got tired of listening to me!”
    I might be able to out "talk" you. It's in my nature and my typing speed is high from decades of software development.

    The hardness of the blade should not be a problem. In chip carving you should never twist, bend, or pry chips out of the wood with the blade - simply position the knife, push down to cleanly cut one side, then repeat. If done right the chip will fall out of the wood. Curves are more complicated since there is a gliding motion as well but the knife tip should not be stressed there either.

    More material at the tip will make no difference in the corners. When you cut a basic chip you imagine the ending shape in 3D of one triangle of the chip, hold the knife at the proper position tilted to match the wall of the chip, then plunge the tip in while pulling the knife back to cut the leading angle and stop when the very point is exactly at the visualized center of the chip (the lowest point), and make sure the edge of the blade makes a cut exactly along the trailing corner. This is a lot easier to demonstrate than describe. I would recommend cutting some practice chips at a variety of sizes and depths by hook or by crook (multiple cuts to clean up if necessary), then once the chip is removed practice holding the knife at the right angles and making motions to duplicate the shape, then move to the side and try to duplicate that one cut in a new spot. It helps to draw out the triangle of each chip in pencil before cutting. I like to make a little dot in the center of each chip to help me visualize where the point needs to end up on each cut. It would help to have x-ray vision!

    The wider blade is stronger. The narrower blade is better for tight curves. But consider that you never use more than the first little bit of the tip, perhaps 1/8 to 1/4" depending on the size of the chip. Only the angle between the cutting edge and the back spine of the blade affect the ease of cutting the curve. I do like the modified knife and the Hock knives for curves, but many people use only the standard knife.

    The "thumb notch" is only there to help you get your hand in the same position each time. Consistency of grip, hand position, and how your knuckles rest against the wood are everything (in my amateur opinion!)

    I think a glove would not be useful and might even get in the way. I want to feel the knife and the wood.

    You will soon find out if the stones you have are useful. You need hard stones for the finest edge but you need coarse stones to shape the new knife to make it useful (unless by some miracle they are preparing the new knives better than a few years ago.) I spent hours reshaping then sharpening each knife. I used several methods including some coarse diamond stones and even some work with the flat side of the Tormek wheel.

    After shaping, to make and keep the blade sharp I can highly recommend the sharpening system that MyChipCarving offers as well as his sharpening method. It uses adhesive-backed strips of incredibly good quality very fine abrasive strips mounted on a convenient board. I end the sharpening and touch up between sharpenings by stropping on leather with some polishing compound too, although at least one well-known chip carver claims this is counter productive. What does he know.

    BTW, when I bought my knives they had a simple bevel ground on the edge. The bevel is WAY too short, the included angle much to big, and the not polished. All three of these need fixing or the tip will not glide through the wood effortlessly. This is approximately what my knives looked like in profile when I was done, except the sides are more curved than my sketch and they are polished far more than show up in the photo due to way the light reflects on scratches almost invisible otherwise (I can actually see the my eye in the side like a mirror.)

    chip_carving_knife_angles.jpg chip_carving_knives.jpg chip_ornament_start.jpg

    Note on the MCC modified knife in the center how much more "pointed" the tip is to allow it to glide more easily around curves. If I had just two knives, I get two similar to the top two, or get two of the upper one and grind the back. (No need to get a second knife until you decide you want to stick with this.) Remember that only the first little bit of the tip and edge make any difference, although shaping the entire length of both sides of the blade make sharpening easier to get right.

    You just need one piece of basswood to start with, maybe 8-12" long and a couple or three inches wide, at least 1/4" thick. I think WoodCraft sells basswood, at least occasionally. There are many on-line sources. A local carving shop carries a huge variety and sizes. The cheapest way, if you decide to pursue this is to buy in bulk. I bought 8-12" wide and 2-4" thick planks of basswood from Heinecke Wood Products (http://www.heineckewood.com/) and had it delivered by UPS in just a few days. The price was good (a lot cheaper than buying by the piece), the quality was outstanding, and the people were good to deal with.

    You can certainly use harder woods, the Scandinavians did it. Another way is to make a box or something with a softer inlay and carve it that. That's more or less what I did for some of my woodturnings by using a basswood layer.

    As for reference material:

    My library of just woodworking, woodturning, metalworking, wood/trees/plants, animal health, and electronics is beginning to outgrow the office I built in my shop. I learn almost everything from books rather than videos - they have SO much more information. When I decided to learn chip carving I did watch some YouTube videos but I got more out of the books. I never get just one book on any subject - I like to compare the perspectives and tips from different authors, try them all, and then decide for myself. (I probably have 150 books related to woodturning alone.) These are some of the chip carving books and DVDs I bought, those I could check quickly from the list on Amazon without walking down to the shop, roughly listed in order by my memory of what I found more useful. (It has been a couple of years)

    Chip Carving Essentials, Marty Leenhouts (the MyChipCarving guy)
    The Complete Guide to Chip Carving, Wayne Barton
    Chip Carving: Techniques & Patterns, Wayne Barton
    Chip Carver's Workbook: Teach Yourself with 7 Easy & Decorative Projects, Dennis Moor
    Chip Carving (Best of WCI): Expert Techniques and 50 All-Time Favorite Projects, Editors of Woodcarving Illustrated
    Chip Carving Workshop: More Than 200 Ready-to-Use Designs, Lora Irish

    I bought one DVD and could have done fine without it. Everything on it was covered better in the books.
    Chip Carving: with Wayne Barton, DVD

    JKJ

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