carving tool - knife advice

[badgeringtim]

Ive been keeping my eye out for a small knife for doing some more intricate carving work - nothing to special, just the tight curves on the neck of spoons and maybe some chip carving etc.
Ive seen a few small straight bladed tools, some in sets with differing angles on the blades (but mainly a flat blade around 100-200 mm).
Wondering if anyone has experience of them, i dont have a lot of money to spend on these things and for the main dont prescribe to the view that you get what you pay for - i have many good tools which are frankly cheap but hold a good edge etc, but i am a bit suspect of some of the £20 5 knife sets. Actually maybe i am more suspicious that can find em on amazon and ebay...?

So any ideas folks, gratefully received. ideally id love to see them before buying but in the absence of that a recommendation or informed decision would be a good start.

 

[Shewie]

I got the Mora 120 and 162 for Chrimbo last year, a nice little starter set which doesn't cost the earth

Lurch sells them at Lakeland Bushcraft

 

[Shewie]

Hmmm just re read your post again, maybe they're not quite what you're looking

Would this be more suitable ?? Careful though, I've heard they bite

 

[robin wood]

The tight curve at the neck of a spoon and chip carving are very different jobs. The perfect knife for carving a tight concave is a Del Stubbs regular sloyd http://www.pinewoodforge.com/catalog.html not cheap. FGYT here does something similar. Or you can use a frosts/mora 106, this has a very fine point which is what you need for concave areas, it is my favourite woodcarving knife and is cheap.

Chip carving is something else you can do it with a 106 but if you are doing a lot them you want a fine straight blade.

 

[Whittler Kev]

Hmmm just re read your post again, maybe they're not quite what you're looking

Would this be more suitable ?? Careful though, I've heard they bite

Second recommendation for a Carvin' Jack. I got mine of the forum for £50 second hand. Razor sharp out of the box. Be careful as they go through anything - including your fingers- like butter. After stropping (thats all you do to sharpen them) if they need a regrind, you can send them back to be done professionally. Sharpening instructions up on my blog

 

[badgeringtim]

re-reading my post i did notice the obvious error - the knives i mean are 10-20 mm in blade length, so an order of magnitude out there!

The Flexicut is way too much - even if i could find one at £50 like Kev you lucky lucky......

The 106 i like - and will probably be having another of this family - i drove past a sign for the village last time i was over but there wasnt time to go and drop in, apparently - i was not impressed... i still like the 137 too.

The sloyds look nice - and not hugely expensive all things considered but still a little rich for my blood,

i just found this page which might be interesting;
http://www.toolpost.co.uk/pages/Carving_Tools/Chip_Carving/chip_carving.html

i reckon a 312/1 and 312/3 look rather pleasing - note this wasn't a site i had found before i was looking for the examples i had seen and came across this!! but if anyone has experience of them please chip in... (yeah funnier in my head).

cheers

 

[heath]

http://www.axminster.co.uk/kirschen-kirschen-chip-carving-knives-prod22109/

I use the 500196 for chip carving. Works well for me and is cheap. I don't do loads and loads of chip carving, but you can do a lot with just this one knife.

 

[badgeringtim]

oohh they look nice - recognize the make too

 

[WoodMonkey]

I have used the 'Carvin Jack' for a few years now and wouldn't be without it, great for fine work and with 6 blades covers most of your carving needs in one handy knife. You can also buy a 'Pocket Jack which has 4 blades' See http://www.woodlandedge.co.uk/flexcut.html
Worth wearing some finger protection as they as very sharp, I can vouch for that...Ouch !!

Del

 

[Whittler Kev]

Well done for finding http://www.woodlandedge.co.uk/flexcut.html

Just another little aside-
I find it a good idea to put some gaffer tape on my hands in the areas I push the knife with. No slips and NO BLISTERS

 

[WoodMonkey]

I'm off for some gaffer tape Kev, great idea as I am running out fingers !!

 

[naefearjustbeer]

I have a pair of kevlar work gloves very good for knife work as you are not going to cut through them but they are flexible enough to allow full movement. http://www.protecdirect.co.uk/Product.asp?i=1721 similar to the ones in this link. That is not where I got mine, a friend gave them to me and I am not sure where he got them.

 

[Whittler Kev]

You lucky git. They make them your size. I can only get my fingers in the wrist.....no room for my thumb as well

 

[Hoodoo]

Pricewise, I think a Murphy carving knife is hard to beat. Once you polish up the bevels, they carve well and there's enough spine to make 'em a decent knife for chip carving.