Carving tools

[urbansurvivor]

Hi, I would like opinions on crook knives, draw knives, spoon knives, I want to get a set of these but as I lost my job to the recession I have been looking at the cheaper versions to what I would normally go for, the majority seem to be made by mora. I have also seen reviews from the ben orford site.

so what would be good to know is what other people use, and what would be a good way to start out given that my budget isn't going to be big enough to go spending £100 plus for 3 knives, do I need 3?

from everything ive seen I am looking at getting, a draw knife, flatter curve crook and a normal crook knife to start off with.

that is assuming I have the names for these knives correct, the spoon knives ive seen, seem to be the same thing as a full crook knife, which seem to be the same as a crooked knife on other sites

I would post some pics to show you what I have been looking at but im new to the site and havnt figured out how to post pics yet

also is there anyone on here that makes their own and has posted the details of how its done, might be a cheaper, and even slightly more fun way to go

thanks

 

[crosslandkelly]

Ben Orfords blade are top notch, along with Dave Budds blades. Mora spoon knives are cheaper but not as good. As you are only starting up, and don't have too much spare cash, the Mora's are probably the way to go. A good second hand draw knife will set you back about £25. fishfish from this forum is selling one at the moment. Not to sure if you really need a draw knife though. Always look to see if a member is selling on any carvers, sometime a good bargain can be had. I have seen a youtube video of a guy making his own spoon knife blade, out of an old reciprocating saw blade. I'll see if i can find a link.

 

[Biker]

Flexcut spoon knives are pretty sweet too and not extortionately expensive either. But a decent gouge picked up at a boot fair or old tool market and restored would work as well. You just need to make sure the piece is well clamped down to work on. Spoon knives allow you to work more easily using your hands to hold the piece securely. In fact any old chisels with a sharp edge will do most jobs specialised carving chisels are also made for.

Ditto about the drawknife. They're good if you have a big project or for stock removal, but it's not a must have tool when other blades will work in a pinch, even an axe will reduce a piece of stock down to a workable rough shape.

You can do a LOT with a modest budget. Good luck mate.

 

[Mesquite]

The Mora 106 and 120 carving knives are excellent value. They've got a laminated blade and can be sharpened to scary sharpness. I've seen a lot of professional spoon carvers using them.

With regards other tools, what are you actually going to be carving as that will dictate what tools you really need. If it's going to be spoons, kuksa's and woodspirits for example then a draw knife isn't really necessary. You'd be better off getting a small axe and use that for roughing out.

If you do want to get a draw knife then you've got to look at how you're going to hold the wood whilst you work it. Traditionally that would be by the means of a shavehorse though you might manage using a B&D workmate or similar.

 

[Macaroon]

I started with a small-ish axe, a Mora carver and a Mora crook knife; I now have loads of other tools which I've adapted from car boot stuff and traded for on here, but 90% of the time these three originals are what I
reach for. The Mora spoon knife is a long way from the best, but if you have a search about on here and elsewhere there are a few mods you can do easily that improves them beyond recognition.

I don't think you can do better on a limited budget, but even if you had the dosh to spend these will give you a clear idea of where you should spend it to suit your needs..............atb mac

 

[urbansurvivor]

This is great info guys, definatly helps to have some feedback from the people that have used what ive been looking at. will have to look around this site a bit more, I couldn't find anything before posting this so will have to look harder. I am being sent one to try from the bloke who has set up the caretaker post. he has one that he isn't using and it will allow me to atleast see if I will want to get a collection together, big thanks to him. don't really know what double edged means but I am going to look that up on google in a minute so will find out, but its a spoon knife which is one of the things I wanted to have a go at creating, and atleast I will know the name for what im using rather than getting it confused with something that looks similar.

thanks for the response, much appreciated

 

[ozzy1977]

Don't get the double edged mora crooked knife, I and an lot of others have bought them thinking they will be more versatile but by having 2 edges means that you cant push on the edge with the thumb or finger. The single edged one is a very good choice though and the sloyd is as good as they get.

 

[mountainm]

Flex cut stuff is very good. As are Ray Iles tools.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Tiley]

Ben Orford's spoon knives are very good indeed, particularly his Indian Crook knife for those slightly larger projects like bowls and kuksas. I started with a Svante Djarv spoon knife which was good and moved on to a Karlsson one which was excellent - nearly as good as the Orford ones. I have heard very positive things about Nic Westerman's spoon knives but have not tried one - yet!

Do you need a draw knife? Yes, they are very useful but you can stick the point of your knife just behind the 'V' of a stick and use that just as well - almost with greater precision. I reckon that it's perhaps my preferred option if I'm working on a bow.

 

[urbansurvivor]

Don't get the double edged mora crooked knife, I and an lot of others have bought them thinking they will be more versatile but by having 2 edges means that you cant push on the edge with the thumb or finger. The single edged one is a very good choice though and the sloyd is as good as they get.

im not buying it bud, the blokes sending me it as a gift, I know, unbelievable. I think he has born out exactly what you have said though, that's probably part of the reason he isn't using it anymore. but he has done exactly what I want to do, try one to start with to see if I like it, he obviously did as he has brought him self a better more expensive version. il look at the soyd

Cheers mate

 

[urbansurvivor]

will look at that mate
cheers

 

[urbansurvivor]

I will try the one im being sent and I think the ben orford knives are what I will go for probably as my next step up. they are not too expensive and everyone says they are good quality.
would be great to make a bow eventually, but il try a spoon for now

thanks for the reply mate

 

[heath]

I own a few different spoon knives and they all do the job. Ben orford's shallow curve is great for finishing cuts, but on a budget you can't beat Dave Budd's. You have to put the handle on and hone the edge, but these are both simple jobs and at £15, it's an absolute bargain. It might be worth contacting Robin Wood to see if he has any for sale. I don't think anyone in the UK has more experience with spoon knives than Robin and at spoonfest he was selling unhandled blades that he's designed for £15 or handled for £30. I've yet to try mine out properly as I haven't been able to carve recently due to me injuring my finger. My mangled finger can testify to it's sharpness though. I did an initial review of it on my blog:http://holtheathwoodentreen.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/ouch.html

 

[HHazeldean]

I bought the Mora 120 blade a little while back for a tenner, fitted a handle and sheath which was a fun project in itself, and that, along with one of their spoon knives has worked great for me so far. It'd be nice to upgrade yet for me, it really doesn't seem necessary at the moment. You really don't need much to start out, hth