Becker Knives fork carving competition (part 2- completed)

The difficult parts of any carving are also the most delicate. On this fork those parts would be the tines. They have to be thin enough to spear food, but thin means vulnerable to breakage. A broken tine would stick out like a missing thumb.

When I started my foray into whittling I was very hesitant to carve away too much material. This reluctance resulted in lots of "fat" whittlins early on. While it's true you can't put those wood chips back on, you do need to shave enough of them off so your projects don't look like Hurley from "Lost." It was a lesson learned the slow way.

So this fork was carved to be thin, like an actual functional fork you'd find on the dinner table. The only blade used was the Becker BK11, as per the contest rules. I sanded it smooth with some beach stones, then dyed it by soaking it in berry juice. I really like how it turned out.

Becker Knives fork carving competition

The Beckerheads over on BladeForums are holding a fork carving contest. The top three prizes are Becker knives!

The fork must be carved using a Becker knife, so I'm using my BK11, aka the Becker Necker. I'm learning that it's a good knife with a nice thin blade suitable for carving but it could use some more comfortable scales. Occasionally the finger guard gets in the way of a good grip, but overall it's an excellent knife for the task. Also, my cord wrapping skills need improvement. The orange 550 cord I wrapped keeps coming loose.

This is my fork so far. I'll post again when it's all done.

Bushcraft USA Spoon Carving Contest

The BCUSA Spoon Carving Competition IV is happening right now! Stop over and check out the entries. This time there's 20 beautiful hand-carved spoons, in all levels of experience and many types of wood. Voting is open to any registered member, and registration is free.

While you're there, look around BCUSA. I love the Self Made Gear subforum as well as Trips & Expeditions. It's a great place to share one's love for the outdoors and despite the name, Bushcraft USA is an international community.

The Sharpened Axe

The Sharpened Axe just hit 50 followers! Congratulations Mike! One of my favorite bushcraft blogs, The Sharpened Axe focuses on the essential skills of axemanship and basic bushcraft. Mike invites frequent guest writers, so there's a nice variation in subjects, voices, and opinions.

If you're not already following his blog, Mike is holding a celebratory contest with some nice prizes. Visit The Sharpened Axe for details.