Pacific Northwest Wood Carving Tools

[Robson Valley]

I buy the blades and make up all the wood work. Adzes are birch, planer knives are 18" dog-leg diamond willow.
The adze blades come in several sizes and straight, lip or gutter profiles.
There are both straight at about 20 degrees, meant more for finishing than rougher shaping.

The elbow adze has a pegged head at 55 degrees. The upper change from yellow to black
whipping is the Holm Constant = a marked position for the placement of the carver's index finger in the grip.

The D adze is more common along the south coast. I can chip less than 1/16" or push it like a plane.
The grip area is 7/8" for my hand size (Kestrel Constant) and the head-tail hand hold is not symmertical.
I carved the snail to remind me of my carving speed.

The planer knives are my designs, meant for smoothing froe-split western red cedar planks.
Nothing really more than an overgrown PacNW crooked knife. In a past life, the blades were
Mora #188 Equus hook farrier's knives, bevels revised and refined to 12 degrees.

 

[Robson Valley]

Here are some typical PacNW crooked knives.
Blades are usually pointed and double edged with the bevels on top. Many different sweeps in several sizes.

Normal surface hafting, some are straight, some, like mine are tilted 10 degrees.
I don't need to roll my hand open, in a fist-grip for a pull stroke.
Handles: you could buy them. You could buy complete knives. However, the Kestrel Constant
predicts the comfortable handle size for the carver. Over some years, I had learned that this is 7/8" square blank.
A tapered nose is useful and the boat tail relieves a lot of the stress on your thumb.
I like the square shape as unlike a cylindrical handle, I know the orientation of the blade without having to study it.

The handles are just glue-ups of rosewood and mahogany. The whipping is mostly cosmetic to hide my otherwise sloppy workmanship hafting the blades.
#18 yellow nylon survey cord, #18 black tarred nylon seine cord, approx #18 brown flat dacron.

 

[Robson Valley]

Here is a typical result. 13" x 20" x 2" glue-up of yellow cedar. The dish floor is 3/8" thick, the feet are 3/8" proud of the underside.
The copper eyes signify prosperity. The elbow adze started the bowl void. The rest was crooked knife work including the textured surfaces.
Four coats of Minwax Tung Oil Protective Finish.

 

[bushwacker bob]

Beautiful tools and superb carving.
I need and adze.

 

[Robson Valley]

The first thing to do is to order a 12 page illustrated booklet called "Adzes And Ends" from these guys.
They have 35+ years working with the PacNW native carving community. All the handle patterns are in there and some feast bowl patterns.

http://kestreltool.com/index.html

Next, the size and subject of your carving will determine whether you need a blade which is straight, lip or gutter.
My adzes have straight blades for finishing. I use a Stubai 7/75 adze for some rough/cross grain work.

If it is your intention to carve spoons and bowls, I think that the european bladesmiths (some BCUK members)
make the real blades to consider over the PacNW designs.