Couple of New Carving Tools

[Muddypaws]

I don't know if this applies to all spoon carvers, but I find that my spoon carving techniques and tools have undergone an evolution, towards, hopefully, a better result. At least this is what I told myself, in order to justify making this pair of tools!

IMG_20170307_160750 by Alan Muddypaws, on Flickr

First a small gouge. When I started carving I bought an Ashley Iles spoon bent gouge in a secondhand tool shop. It was quite a big beast, with a deep sweep,.So most of my early spoons tended to have deeply cut bowls, and thus were not practical. This new gouge is palm sized, with a shallow sweep, more suited to my current technique.
Made from a piece of leaf spring, roughly cut out with an angle grinder, and forged over the ball pein of a hammer to shape the sweep. The handle is ash, turned on my pole lathe.

IMG_20170307_160832 by Alan Muddypaws, on Flickr

IMG_20170307_160812 by Alan Muddypaws, on Flickr

Next is my rudimentary attempt at a hooked knife. This was forged from an Allen key (found in the park) The sweep was formed around the other end of the ball pein hammer, in lieu of an anvil. The handle is sycamore. I often turn various handle shapes on my lathe, to use up odd bits, so that hopefully I can lay my hands on a suitable handle as and when I need one.

IMG_20170307_160931 by Alan Muddypaws, on Flickr

These are my first tentative steps in hot metal bashing, and my setup would horrify some. Basically just a tin lined with fire cement, and a gas torch blasting into the hole.

IMG_20170307_161221 by Alan Muddypaws, on Flickr

But a small charcoal forge is definitely on my to do list!

Thanks for looking.

 

[crosslandkelly]

They look very useful, nice work.

 

[Dreadhead]

they are the dogs mate, nice job!

 

[Macaroon]

I just love the attitude, make do with what's about the place; some of my best things have come from basic lash-ups, and your tools both look great

Look for somebody local getting shot of storage heaters, the fire bricks make a good, quick and free basis for a good forge.

 

[Robson Valley]

Congratulations. Your carving techniques are bound to evolve as your skills improve.
I like the sizes and shapes of your new tools. Very useful.

All of a sudden, it pops into your head that you need a particular shape of edge.
I wallow in indecision for months then buy it. You make it. More power to you.

http://kestreltool.com/index.html

Kestrel is very popular in the Pacific Northwest. Their carving knife shapes are very traditional and very useful.
Look over the variety of shapes, and the surface hafting, for ideas.

 

[forginhill]

Wow! Really like those! Nice work.....

 

[Muddypaws]

Thanks for all the kind words! Hopefully I will be able to test the tools out properly soon, but at the moment, I don't have any suitable green wood. I'll keep you posted with the results when I have something to show.

Robson Valley - thanks for that link. I will have to be strong to resist that temptation, as an adze would be a nice addition to my tools, but I'm not sure if I could forge one for myself just yet.

 

[Robson Valley]

Look at the J-shape (Kestrel 'C'?) general purpose blade. You look easily good enough to make that.
Mostly like the knife you made but a straight section then a much more curved tip part coming to a point.

With that, you can carve a dish with straight flat walls which meet a smooth flat bottom.
Or, texture a surface.

The adzes are only useful as roughing tool withe the high-lip "gutter profile" for roughing out feast bowls.
I have a baby Sitka and a D adze (bought blades only) and they work really well for rough to medium surface work and convex at that..

 

[mrcharly]

I know just what you mean about going too deep. I've made that mistake multiple times, then ended up throwing the result away.

Dave Budd's spoon blade has a continuously tightening curve, like a 'french curve' that enables you to carve either a shallow or a deep bowl, very useful.

One of the best spoon shapes I made I did entirely with my large adze, sadly it was of carp pine and quickly became unusable. It was a good example that I didn't need small or multiple tools to do the job.

 

[titanius anglesmith]

Hello everyone,
muddypaws i realy like your little gouge.Great thinking outside the box for the tin forge,love it. Just shows that you dont need to spend lots of ££s to overcome problems.Can i ask you if it is closed at the far end, or do you have a vent at both ends. Also what torch are you using by that i mean, is it propane or mapp gas. I might just have to copy this for a blade that i am making. But it wont be for a couple of weeks,as i have just had surgery on my hand. Nothing serious but bad enough.
Regards Chris.

 

[Muddypaws]

Hello everyone,
muddypaws i realy like your little gouge.Great thinking outside the box for the tin forge,love it. Just shows that you dont need to spend lots of ££s to overcome problems.Can i ask you if it is closed at the far end, or do you have a vent at both ends. Also what torch are you using by that i mean, is it propane or mapp gas. I might just have to copy this for a blade that i am making. But it wont be for a couple of weeks,as i have just had surgery on my hand. Nothing serious but bad enough.
Regards Chris.

Hi Chris. The tin can is closed at the back, but there is an angled port on one side, intended for the torch to go in. But for this small scale forging I found it just as easy to aim the torch in the entrance hole. If you want to make a small gas forge then search for "soup can forge", there are plenty on YouTube, I got the idea from one made by NightHawkInLight.
The torch I use is a simple "swirl flame" burner, fired with MAPP gas, expensive I know, but I do hope to make a charcoal forge soon.

Whatever you do, happy forging!