The other kind of carving

Carving wood or carving turkey, which is best? They both require patience and a sharp knife. Wood lasts longer, that's for sure!

Our Thanksgiving turkey comes from a little farm just down the road, and is never frozen. It's tasty, local,and big enough to last a good long time. I'm looking forward to weeks of turkey sandwiches, salads, soup, and more. I've sharpened the knives to a hair-popping edge, and am ready to go.

This year I'm giving thanks to God for so many things. My carvings are in the hands of those who appreciate the work, I have a beautiful and loving fiancé, a wonderful family, and more friends than I deserve or can count.


May those who read this have as much and more to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!

A hand-carved handle for my carving knife!

Here's my second attempt at giving this blade a handle. The first try, seen here, was a failure. The wood is birch, donated from my a tree in front of my parent's house. The steel is a Frost's Mora, purchased from Ragweed Forge. I made the handle more substantial this time, both wider and longer, while retaining a neutral shape which gives the opportunity for a variety of grips. Plus, the longer handle gives me more room for a full grip when doing hours of full-arm cuts (aka spike troll carving!)

I've always wanted a carving knive with a longer handle, and here it is!

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.

Lumberjack Spoon (BCUSA contest entry)

Well I didn't win, but the recent Bushcraft USA spoon contest was a ton of fun. No other spoon looked like mine, and I got some votes, which is always encouraging.

The basic idea here is a lumberjack gripping a double-bit axe with "BC" and "USA" engraved on it's head and handle. Other details include a sheathed knife on his left side and a patch sewn on his right pant leg.

Review: Case XX Seahorse Whittler

I really like my Seahorse Whittler. I purchased it a couple of years ago on a visit to the Case/Zippo headquarters in Bradford, PA. (About one hour south of Buffalo.) It's a nice drive especially in the fall. The Zippo/Case museum is well worth the trip.

The Seahorse comes equipped with three blades: a pen blade, a coping blade, and a wharncliffe master blade. The master blade does the heavier carving, while the two smaller blades are excellent for detail work and for getting into tight spots such as carving a ball-in-cage.

For this knife Case uses it's "tru-sharp" surgical stainless steel, which is as good as any stainless I've used. I find it easy to sharpen and maintain, and while I'm not as hardcore about steels as some people, I do wonder what a difference a Seahorse in Case's classic Chrome Vanadium might be. They have yet to release a CV Seahorse, and there's no word of any plans to do so.

I've done plenty of carving with my Seahorse and have few complaints. The master blade's wide spine gives my thumb a comfortable place to press, and it's straight edge is a snap to sharpen. It is a folder, so it's grip size is small compared to my larger fixed blade knives. Small grip size can contribute to hand cramping during long-term use. My solution to this is simply to take frequent breaks for stretching. Also, holding a hot cup of tea or coffee seems to ward off muscle fatigue.

The NYT declares Scandinavian knives fashionable

I use Scandi knives almost exclusively when carving. I use traditional Moras and Bruslettos, which have a Scandinavian grind. My newest knife, an ML Knives whittler, is a convexed Scandi. The acute angle of the bevel really makes for thin slices and curly wood chips. Now approved by the Men's Fashion Section of the New York Times!


photo:Chikaka Harada

ML Knives custom whittler

My first custom whittling knife is nearly complete! Matt from ML Knives sent me some in-progress photos. First is a pic of the hand-forged blade.






And now the finished knife with handle and pin. I absolutly love the piece of maple he chose for this project.



Matt is making up a desk sheath for the knife as well. I can't wait to take this beauty carving!

A Custom Whittling Knife

I'm excited.

After a long time admiring the hand-forged blades of ML Knives, I've finally placed an order. ML has a reputation for making top quality knives with a classic frontier look. Many are antique in appearance, all are works of art.

The knife I've decided on is the "Woodcarver/Whittler" model, a 2" blade mounted on a 4 1/2" tiger maple handle. The blade will be hand forged from high carbon 1095 steel, a steel known for it's ease of sharpening and excellent edge retention. I asked for the addition of a pin for a little extra steel-to-wood security. Plus I think it will look nice. ML Knives is a one-man operation out of Hagaman NY, and the ETA for my knife is expected at a little over one month.

Tools of the Whittler's Trade

Knives. Sharp knives. A carving knife needs good edge geometry, good steel, and a solid handle. Most of all, its edge must be sharp as the dickens. The hairs of my left arm are the testing ground for all my blades.

Does it shave hair as effortlessly as a razor? If the answer is no, then the blade is not sharp enough for me to use. A sharp knife is a safe knife.

This knife shown here is the Mora 1241. The carbon steel blade is 2 3/4" long, 11/16" wide and .098" thick. It has a 4 inch handle painted red. The blade's geometry is a Scandinavian grind, or "Scandi." There is no secondary bevel. Not as strong as some other grinds due to it's thinness, I wouldn't use it for chopping, but a Scandi grind will really move wood. The lack of any crossguard allows for a variety of grips. A perfect carver's tool.


















I ordered this one online at Ragweed Forge. For $10 it was an absolute steal.