Easy to Make and Use Sharpening Board for Wood Carving Knives

 Beginner Wood Carving Information, Wood Carving Projects, Wood Carving Tips  No Responses »
Feb 272012
 

I recently watched a really good video on the Carver’s Woodshop Youtube Channel that talked about using varying grades of sandpaper to sharpen and touch up wood carving tools.  Arleen showed how to use a scrap piece of wood and some sandpaper to create a really easy wood carving sharpening tool.  The video that I am referring too can be found here :  Carverswoodshop

After watching this video, I began to scavenge my wood carving supplies and found that I had a piece of 1X4 board that I wanted to try for this type of project.  I used the board as a type of progressive work space that utilized several grades of sandpaper in succession to sharpen some wood carving knives that I made from old pocket knife blades.

I glued rectangle pieces of sandpaper onto the board in order of their grit grade from roughest to finest. I used 150 grade, 220 grade and 400 grade sandpaper.  The board fits nicely on my lap in the seated position and allows me to start with the 150 grade paper and progress to the finest 400 grade sandpaper.  After each grade of sandpaper is completed, I move to the next and then for the final touch, I use a handheld leather strop or power strop attached to my drill.

The knives that I most recently worked with were originally sharpened and used as folding pocket knives.  The angle of regular pocket knives is not really very useful for whittling and wood carving, so you needed to alter them for carving.  Using the sandpaper progression, I was able to take them from pocket knife condition to wood carving condition without a whole lot of effort.  Another nice advantage of using sandpaper by hand, is that you don’t have to worry too much about building up too much heat on your blade to cause it to lose temper.

Here is a picture of the sharpening board.

Wood Carving Sharpening Board

Wood Carving Sharpening Board

What Do Those Numbers on Wood Carving Tools Stand For?

 Beginner Wood Carving Information  No Responses »
Aug 202011
 

As you begin to read articles in wood carving magazines or start researching new tools to buy, you will notice that some of the gouges have strange numbers along with them.  For example, you might see that a particular project was completed with a #11 gouge or a #9 gouge.  If you want to purchase the same tools for you projects, you need to know what the number signify.

Here is the answer that you have been looking for.  The numbers represent the “sweep” of the gouge.  The “sweep” is the diameter of a circle that would be created if you placed the gouge straight into the wood against that cutting edge and made a circle with it.  Therefore, the lower the number of the gouge, the flatter it is.  So a #11 gouge compared to a #2 gouge would be more curved.

Sometimes, there are other numbers also associated with gouges and other wood carving tools.  For instance, a gouge in the wood carving store may say 1/4 by 8.  That means that the gouge is 1/4″ wide and the sweep is #8.

When referring to v-tools, they with have numbers that represent the angle of the “V” and the width between the top of the “V”.  They usually look something like: 45 degree 1mm.  This denotes that the angle of the “V” is 45 degrees and the “V” is 1mm.  Obviously, the larger the degree of angle, the groove that will be made in the wood will be wider.

Sharpening Wood Carving Tools and Knives

 Beginner Wood Carving Information, Wood Carving Articles/Reviews  No Responses »
May 102011
 

Many beginning wood carvers ask for tips on how to get started of right with wood carving.  The Number 1 most important thing that a wood carver can do to ensure that they are successful at wood carving, is always have SHARP tools.

There are several things that wood carvers need to know to keep their wood carving tools sharp.

  1. Always remember that when your tools are sharp, only re-sharpen if the tools: break, chip or need to be reshaped.
  2. Sharp tools are actually safer to use than dull tools.  They move easier through the wood and don’t hang up as often and then unexpectedly come free causing slicing and puncture woods.
  3. Choose good quality sharpening equipment.  This can be anything from using sharpening stones by hand, to using power sharpening systems.  No matter what method you use, the end result should always be the same.  You want a “wire” edge with the proper bevel on the tool.
  4. Constantly and consistently use a strop.

Stops are usually made of a piece of leather with the fuzzy side up, glued to a flat wooden paddle.  An abrasive compound is then added to the leather to aid in removing a  very fine amount of metal from the tool as you pull the tool across the leather.  Remember, when stropping, you are not pushing the cutting edge of the tool against the leather, you are pulling the cutting edge away from the leather. Continue reading »