Wood Carving Knives
#51
Both Jack.
She’s a bit young to handle a real knife but I’m building her toolkit now.
Gary

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#52
(12-24-2018, 09:17 PM)Gary G™ Wrote: Both Jack.
She’s a bit young to handle a real knife but I’m building her toolkit now.

...........
OK Gary...We can discuss the type of knives you prefer later via PM's...I will need to know the blade shapes you prefer, size of the handles..things like that...I will make them personally after we decide what you prefer.

Not to influence you decision in any way, but I have found {for me personally} that a blade with a very slight "upsweep" is far more versatile, because when held correctly it can act like it is being skewed and similar to a gouge. This isn't to say that a straight blade isn't useful....some carvers use nothing else...I say get both styles...you only live once!!!
Big Grin

Also, not to discourage the use of Mora knives {I I have a few } but for caricature carving {in hand }, the blade is too thick for me and as such, I find it feels dull { even tho it will shave }..Just too much steel has to slice through the wood...kinda like using an axe to peel an apple.
Crazy ..Fine for spoons and other types of carving but I feel that for small, delicate detailed carving, nothing beats a thin, low angled edge..They might require a little more frequent stropping but worth it..JMO...
Often Tested.    Always Faithful.      Brothers Forever

Jack Edgar, Sgt. U.S. Marines, Korea, America's Forgotten War
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#53
Hey Jack,
You can knock me over with a feather!

This will be my first foray into carving or whittlin’.
I watched a couple Jim Redhawk & Doug Outside videos and can see making bears, eagle heads and grumpy old coots.
The Helvie Doug was using looks about the right size and shape to get started. Kinda like the 3rd and 4th knives on the right shown in the first picture you posted.

This carver, http://michaelkellerwoodcarving.com, is about 20 minutes from where we’re vacationing. I might see if his studio is open Wednesday.

I have no shortage of timber both green and dry.
Thanks again and Merry Christmas!!
Gary

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#54
(12-24-2018, 10:30 PM)Gary G™ Wrote: Hey Jack,
You can knock me over with a feather!

This will be my first foray into carving or whittlin’.
I watched a couple Jim Redhawk & Doug Outside videos and can see making bears, eagle heads and grumpy old coots.
The Helvie Doug was using looks about the right size and shape to get started. Kinda like the 3rd and 4th knives on the right shown in the first picture you posted.

This carver, http://michaelkellerwoodcarving.com, is about 20 minutes from where we’re vacationing. I might see if his studio is open Wednesday.

I have no shortage of timber both green and dry.
Thanks again and Merry Christmas!!
..........................
Gary, we can get together next week after the Christmas celebrations are over..One suggestion..Since you are in the Pacific Northwest, you may want to see if you can find some cottonwood bark..it is a great carving wood for beginners in particular, because it is so easy to carve..It would be particularly good for your GD because her little hands are not too strong. You can buy cottonwood bark on Ebay but it is usually pretty expensive...Another wood to look for is Jelutong...Without a doubt { to me anyway} it is the best carving wood God ever made, particularly for smalls..It is EXpensive $$$ and extremely hard to find..but it cuts like a bar of soap and takes great detail with no grain to worry about...It's one of the woods that you never want to cut because you may never get anymore of it!!!!!!!!
Crazy  
Crazy ..The time to buy it is when you see it!!!!!!!!! I shoulda bought a ton of it while I was young!!!!!!!!
Sad  
Sad

Curiously enough, the chewing gum "Chicklets" was made from the sap of the Jelutong!!!!!!!!! Probably has now been replaced with some "chemical" now..........
Crazy  
Big Grin

One more thing....The Pacific NW also has another good carving wood known as Sugar Pine...and it carves very well also....
Winkgrin

MERRY CHRISTMAS and stay safe out there!!!!!!!!
Often Tested.    Always Faithful.      Brothers Forever

Jack Edgar, Sgt. U.S. Marines, Korea, America's Forgotten War
Get off my lawn !
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#55
(12-24-2018, 09:17 PM)Gary G™ Wrote: Both Jack.
She’s a bit young to handle a real knife but I’m building her toolkit now.

Bibliophile 13 (Steve) may have a better handle on ages of children stepping into sharp tool use, but looking back to my own youth I was given a Barlow before Kindergarten and a saw for Christmas when I was six/seven. Back then, we were put through an "apprenticeship" of sorts before acquiring ownership. 

A wooden spoon, even knife/spatula should be encouraged before small-scale caricature. It takes a while to learn sharpening which was part of my ownership. A dull knife didn't slice into flesh as well as a sharp one. I also had numerous occasions of blades folding back into fingers and webs in the training days.

I think we hold back mental and mechanical growth of our children these days. Give them the opportunity to prove their skills.
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#56
Is this cottonwood bark?

The color of the dry part is silver gray; there’s a dark brown papery like substance inside and it’s about 2 to 2-1/2” thick.


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Gary

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#57
(12-24-2018, 05:08 PM)Gary G™ Wrote: My 4-year old granddaughter was watching Jim Redhawk make his Eagle head and she said she wants to learn too.

I had my kids whittling by 5 or 6 years old.  If she can hold a handle firmly, then she can probably make a few shavings with a sharp knife.  Find a green stick about as thick as her thumb, show her how to hold it in her off-hand and cut away from herself with the other hand.  You can stand behind her, or even have her in your lap.  She'll enjoy making shavings.  

Now, if mom is watching, then one of the best tools to start with is with a sharp (new) potato peeler.  It will shave a stick as well as it will peel a potato.  From there, you can move up to a real knife.  Even a cheap paring knife will take the bark off a stick.  We had some old paring knives that I put an edge on for the kids to whittle with, and they enjoy it now and again.
Steve S.
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#58
(12-25-2018, 05:51 PM)Gary G™ Wrote: Is this cottonwood bark?

The color of the dry part is silver gray; there’s a dark brown papery like substance inside and it’s about 2 to 2-1/2” thick.

........
Yep...that's the stuff, Gary...get the biggest pieces you can and the most of it you can
Winkgrin
Winkgrin ..The larger chunks are more desirable naturally, and they cost more, but the smaller ones can make nice ornaments and refrigerator magnets etc..That is what Jim Redhawk is using in the eagle carving video earlier in the thread..and you can see how easily it carves. It wont take quite the detail of other woods but the way it carve is unique IMO.
Often Tested.    Always Faithful.      Brothers Forever

Jack Edgar, Sgt. U.S. Marines, Korea, America's Forgotten War
Get off my lawn !
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#59
(12-25-2018, 06:46 PM)Bibliophile 13 Wrote: I had my kids whittling by 5 or 6 years old.  If she can hold a handle firmly, then she can probably make a few shavings with a sharp knife.  Find a green stick about as thick as her thumb, show her how to hold it in her off-hand and cut away from herself with the other hand.  You can stand behind her, or even have her in your lap.  She'll enjoy making shavings.  

Now, if mom is watching, then one of the best tools to start with is with a sharp (new) potato peeler.  It will shave a stick as well as it will peel a potato.  From there, you can move up to a real knife.  Even a cheap paring knife will take the bark off a stick.  We had some old paring knives that I put an edge on for the kids to whittle with, and they enjoy it now and again.
''''''''

potato peeler.

Excellent idea, Steve!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes
Yes
Often Tested.    Always Faithful.      Brothers Forever

Jack Edgar, Sgt. U.S. Marines, Korea, America's Forgotten War
Get off my lawn !
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#60
Thanks Steve.
Jack,
We were hiking the forest when I came across a down tree.
I ripped of some hunks of bark thinking this looks right.
The longest piece is about 4’ long.
The wide one about 12” wide.
It’s all pretty thick and while wet, not punky.
Those pics are what I carried out and put in the trunk.

On second observation, they’re only about 1-1/2 to 2” thick with an occasional thicker spot. Still, a nice haul.

You’ve got some Cottonwood Bark headed to you when we get home.

Winkgrin
Gary

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