Carving axe

[Suffolkrafter]

I'd like to get into carving. I have limited tools (a couple of knives, a cheap 'smallish' axe from homebase and a fiskars splitting axe), even less knowledge and zero skill. Nor do I have much space. But I have great ambitions.
So I need a small carving axe. What would people here recommend? I've heard helko werk make good axes at reasonable prices? Anything in particular I should be looking for?

Another option is i could grind a new edge onto my homebase axe, if it came to it.

 

[Broch]

Have a go

New Carving Axe from Old Chopper!

As some of you know I enjoy breathing new life into old British axe heads that I pick up from flea markets and car boot fairs. I don’t usually bother with anything that has been too abused but just occasionally I act against my better judgement and end up bringing home something that goes to the...

bushcraftuk.com

 

[scruff]

A small Rhine(land) pattern hatchet should do you fine, something like the Stubai Kitchen axe for example.

 

[Stew]

Don’t get too hung up on it. I’ve done lots of carving with my fiskars axe with moulded handle.

 

[Kepis]

I have all manner of axes, Gransfors Carving axe, Wildlife hatchets, Wetterlings the list goes on, the one i use the most is an unbranded hatchet i got for a fiver from a boot market, likewise with my carving knives, i have some lovely tools, Ben Orfords, Nic Westerman etc, but use a Mora Basic Woodcarving knife the most, i do use a Mora spoon knife quite regularly, but do enjoy using my Westerman Twca Cam and Ben Orford spoon knives more.

 

[Suffolkrafter]

Thanks everyone. Actually yes, I do have a mora spoon carving knife, forgot to mention that
Broch, that restoration looks wonderful. So you have your own kiln? I'll take a look at my homebase axe tomorrow and have a think about what I can do with it. I think I'd likely be limited to flattening the bevel. When I last worked on it I put a convex bevel on it for splitting. I don't use it for splitting though, because the fiskars is so much better, so it would be nice to re-purpose it. The only only other issue with it is that the head is quite a bit out of line of the shaft.

 

[Robson Valley]

I've been wood carving for some 25 years with a very strong influence from our First Nations carvers here in the Pacific Northwest. I have a bunch of small axes which I use to split very large pieces of western red cedar down to carving sizes.
This is such an early stage of the rough-out for any carving, spoons included, that any one of them can do the job.
As they need to be a little bit tougher along the edge than fine tools, I have made all the bevels between 25 and 30 degrees. The same goes for spoke shaves and my draw knife.

Any project larger than maybe 30" in any dimension, I'm inclined to use an electric chain saw for the few necessary blocking out cuts.

You can always change the bevel again. It's just a chunk of metal.
I'd think 30 degrees total included bevel. Nothing fancy as any effect will be long gone and lost as the carving is refined. Don't strive for a carving sharp edge as the axe is meant to split the wood along fiber lines, not to cut them.

 

[John Elstob]

Check out barn the spoon. he is a very gifted spoon carver and green woodworker. He runs the green woodworkers guild and has his own website where he has an online classroom that will teach you everything you need to know about basic spoon carving right up to expert.
An axe is not necessary straight away, you can buy spoon blanks that are green from him or alternatively from amazon, however the amazon ones are not green so therefore harder to carve.
You will need space enough for a block if you do go down the axe route. Robin Wood from wood-tools does a very reasonable price axe. A mora spoon knife is small and compact if you want to take out some where like a camp etc to carve. Not sure on what you're knife skills are like but spoon/crook knife will cut you pretty easily, due the complexity of how they work and the unique blade shape so some cut resistant glove from B&Q or somewhere may be something to consider.

 

[Suffolkrafter]

Robson Valley, John Elstob, thank you for the advice, I appreciate it.
I'll check out those links. I do have a spoon knife, no wounds as yet, but your advice is noted. The only time I've ever cut myself with a knife was when trying to remove amadou from a horse's hoof fungus. Amazing the amount of blood that can result from a split second lapse of attention.

 

[John Elstob]

'Suffolkrafter' If my small amount of spoon carving knowledge is any help to you, feel free to PM anytime. I'll be more than happy to help where I can!