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.

Hate Spoons

Here's a different sort of take on the Welsh lovespoon. I guess when a spoon represents a cartoon dead face with a weapon jabbed into it, it's a hate spoon. I carved these from basswood, and let them soak overnight in linseed oil.

Happy Independence Day!

Chester the chicken wishes you a happy 4th of July. God Bless America!

Grizzledude

Here's one I did a while back. Grizzledude, an adorable and slimy little skull, is the star of the wildly popular webcomic Imaginary Monsters, by Peter Lazarski. The G-dude and his pals adventure through a fantastical dungeon brimming with she-devils, friendly monsters, weird mushroom spores, magic, and angry, sandwich-bearing knights. It's a wild ride and I look forward to each new strip. Best of all, this comic is family friendly!

I carved this version of Grizzledude for Pete's birthday.

I chose the 'dude's most triumphant pose. Behold my sandwich, ye mighty, and tremble!

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.

New stuff on etsy!

My etsy shop is stocked with new items! I'll post even more soon, including spike trolls and maybe some jewelry. Stop by and give it a gander.

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.