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

Horses

The Dala Horse, or Dalahast, a classic craft of Sweden, is a robust and beautiful design. Swedish lumbermen, away from home for extented periods, would use scrap wood to carve these horses for thier children. Legend tells of soldiers who would pay for thier room and board by carving horses for their host families. Today, the Dalahast is known worldwide as a symbol of Sweden.

The horses I make are heavily influenced by the Dalahast. I borrow the tough, deliberate design, while adding a few gentle curves. The result is a horse that's pleasing to the eye and tough enough for the chewing, playing, and general beating dealt out to a toy by a toddler. I only use non-toxic finishes and paints.

I like to decorate the horses with little flowers, shamrocks, or other designs. Traditional Dalahasts are fully painted, but paint covers the wood, and I like to show off the grain. A few coats of linseed oil or salad bowl finish can really make the wood shine.

I really love making these guys, especially for kids. These are gifts that will last.

Spike Trolls

Scandinavian culture has long embraced woodworking. This makes sense, seeing as it's an area rich with lumber and the high-quality steel with which to shape it. From the Swedish Dala Horse and the beautiful medival stave churches of Norway, to the legendary Viking dragon-ships, the Swedish, Norse, and Finnish people, as well as the native Sami and Laplanders, really know wood.

The spiktrollet (literally: carved troll), or spike troll, as I've roughly anglicised it, is Norwegian. Norway's departments of Culture and Forestry came together with this design in order to promote the tradition of whittling. The spiktrollet is offered as an entry-level carving, simple enough for a beginner to make from any small branch.




As always, green wood carves more quickly, but dry wood can also make a great troll. I like to finish them with a Sharpie face and a painted hat. For clothing they wear their natural bark.