Spoon knife??

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DanBow

Nomad
Nov 29, 2010
269
11
Wrexham, North Wales
I have carved a spoon using bit of pine that I had laying around my workshop using only my Bushcraft knife. I needed a blade to make the spoony bit so I adadpted a saw blade. Question is - does the grind go on the inside of hte blade or the outside???? Logic sort of says that it should go on the inside.

Help

Dan
 

Biker

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sadly logic won't always work. Have a look at a gouge chisel and you'll see the grind bevel is on the outside of the blade this allows the chisel to scoop the wood out in a sort of curved cut. the same principle applys when using a spoon knife, at least on the Flexcut and Frost ones I've had. Hope this helps Dan.

Found this image of a pole lathe chisel which is what I'm talking about when I mentioned the gouge

pole_lathe_gouge.jpg
 
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Whittler Kev

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 8, 2009
4,314
12
64
March, UK
bushcraftinfo.blogspot.com
Bend two pieces of mild steel around a small bar/tin/whatever to get a nice small, tight curve and try to sharpen one on the inside and one on the outside. It will soon tell you why most commercially available are sharpened on the outside :rofl:. I believe it stops "chatter" as well. The man to PM is Robin Wood as he uses them everyday professionally ;)
 

topknot

Maker
Jun 26, 2006
1,825
2
59
bristol
I was my mate the other day who is into green woodworking, and he has one of the spoon knife from Ben Orford . Love little tool well me being me, i had some 01 tool steel leftover so i made up two right and left handed all i got to do is H/T them.

Cheers Topknot
 
the bevel is on the outside because the blade has to cut an internal curve so has a smaller flat than if the bevel was on the outside which turns in a smaller Radius

if you have an internal bevel you have to lift the front to get it to cut up as you cant push the back down this causes chatter

on mine i use an internal bevel and convex the knuckle away at teh grind line ot help smooth turning the balde

oddly enough i cant get a fully convex blade to cut nicely at all ????

even my Crooked blades have a relief bevel on the back and a slight convexing to allow then to turn up out of a planing cut

ATB

Duncan
 

Bundleman

Forager
Jan 17, 2012
199
0
Woodbridge, Suffolk
Think about how you'd use a chisel. The bevel down allows you to 'rock' the tool for deeper cuts and can carve hollows. The bevel up allows you to 'roll' the tool cutting convex shapes.
If you're carving larger 'bowls' it won't make much difference but the smaller the ,(concave), curve the more likely you'll want it beveled on the outside.
Try carving a bowl with a gouge beveled on the inside and it'll become obvious.
 

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