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Although for the many uses, it is often
one of the most overlooked tools when it comes to creation and
selection of one. Ask a carver what gouge or v-tool they use
and you will get a detail description of his tools including
the history of the tools, the materials used in them, the sizes,
the angles, the sharpness, and the ease of using that tool for
a particular type of cut. However, ask that same carver about
the basic carving knife that they use and you will not get such
a detailed answer.
When working on certain types of carvings
such as caricatures or animals, the carving knife can be used
for up to eighty to ninety percent of the carving with the remaining
details and final touches being completed by a variety of other
tools such as gouges and v-tools. With this much work being performed
by the carving knife, it would seem only fair to give it an equal
amount of consideration when purchasing one. During the selection
of a knife, there are many areas that need to be given a fair
amount of consideration. The areas that I like to consider are:
- Comfort
- Blade Design
- Edge Maintenance
- Materials
Comfort
While carving, the knife should fit comfortably
in your hand. If the handle is to small or to large, you will
find yourself exerting more pressure than necessary when holding
the knife during cuts. This can lead to fatigue and cramping
muscles sooner than is necessary. In addition, if the handle
has been finish with a glossy look or other relatively slick
finish, you might find yourself gripping the knife a little more
than usual in order to keep it from slipping out of your hand
which will also lead to fatigue.
Blade Design
With a general purpose carving knife (as well
as a detail knife) the blade design can vary. With a little experience,
one can recognize the differences. The basic shape of the blade
is the Sheepsfoot Style. Many experienced carvers will modify
the overall shape of the blade to accommodate their own particular
style however the basic shape is roughly the same on all knives.
The length of the blade will vary from 3/4 of an inch up to 2
inches with the standard being 1 to 1 1/2 inches. The length
should be the main concern of the blade design and will vary
depending on personal preferences and the size of the carvings
it will be used for. I prefer a 1 1/2 inch blade and therefore
the knives that I tested contained a 1 1/2 blade with no added
modifications.
Edge Maintenance
This would be one of the more important area
of consideration. Included in this is how well the knife can
take an edge (be sharpened) and how well it can hold an edge.
The materials used as well as the process of forming the blade
are the key elements to determining the edge. The harder the
metal is the longer the edge will hold; however, the process
of creating a smooth, polished, "sharp" edge will also
increase in difficulty as the hardness increases. Therefore a
compromise between the two must be met.
Materials
The materials used in the construction of
the knife will affect the overall life of the knife. The handle
itself must be constructed of a hard enough wood to where extended
use pressure will not cause expansion around the contact points
between the blade and handle resulting in a loose (and dangerous)
blade. If rivets are used to secure the blade to the handle then
they also must be of size and strength to accommodate the pressures
exerted on the blade.
Looking at the Brands
For quite some time now I have been selecting
several different brands of carving knives and testing them for
these above conditions. While all of the selections were well
recommended and each an excellent knife in its own right, there
were distinct differences with each that placed each knife above
or below the others in the overall ratings. The knives that were
selected for testing are as follows:
- Murphy Hand Carving Knife
- Lamp Brand Bench Knife (German
Made)
- Swiss Made Carving Knife
- Ken Helvie Knife
- Rick Bütz Carving Knife
- Cape Forge #1 General Carving
Knife
Murphy Hand Carving Knife
:
Specifications:
General Comments: Nothing fancy about this knife, very much just a
basic knife. The handle seemed to fit well in the hand although
it seemed to place the hand a little to far back on the handle
for a "paring" type cut. The blade needed to be sharpened
on a stone first before honing on a leather strop. I found that
the edge was quick and easy to obtain and held up pretty good
in Basswood but did seem to lose some of the sharpness pretty
quick in hard woods such as Honduras Mahogany. The finish on
the handle was rather rough (unprofessional) looking with a slight
gloss to it that caused it to slip a little in the hand. Although,
I found that this was easily taken care of with a little sandpaper.
The blade also appears to be a little on the long side and thinner
as well as narrower giving it a slight bit of give in the harder
woods.
Lamp Brand Bench Knife (German
Made) :
Specifications:
General Comments: Out of the box, this was a simple, plain looking
carving knife. The handle, rather light in color, darkened nicely
with a little use. The overall shape of the handle fit very well
in the hand except for where the thumb and forefinger gripped
it (around the neck of the handle). The neck was a little too
narrow and cause for some difficulty in holding the knife steady.
For a person with a smaller than average hand, this would be
a perfect fit. The wood appears to be birch and is shipped with
a light oil finish giving it a soft sheen appearance which enable
the knife to be held with only a slight amount of pressure needed.
This blade also required a little bit of work on a stone before
taking to a leather strop. The process of sharpening the blade
took a little bit of work to get the right edge on the knife
but after the initial sharpening on the stone, the only thing
needed was a leather strop. The knife held the edge very well
in basswood as well as in the mahogany. The back of the blade
is a little thicker than standard knives giving it a little more
strength for holding up in the harder woods.
Swiss Made Carving Knife
:
Specifications:
General Comments: The handle had the right length to fit most hands
comfortably but has rather flat sides which gives it a feeling
of being too narrow. I found that when holding the knife, I was
having to use a tighter grip and had to curl my fingers up under
the knife. The overall shape of the base of the handle being
somewhat larger than the rest of the handle allowed for it to
fit nicely in the palm however with the gradual thinning of the
handle up to the blade, it would shift in the hand placing the
hand closer to the blade. The blade itself is shipped with a
nice edge on it but did require a little work on the sharpening
stones before moving to a leather strop. Once sufficiently sharpened,
stropping it at the beginning of a carving session was all that
was necessary. The blade was a little bit long on some of the
smaller carvings ranging in the 3 - 4 inch range.
Ken Helvie Knife :
Specifications:
General Comments: First of all, I would have to say that this is the
best looking and most colorful knife I tested. I selected the
knife I tested from a supply of about 8 knives; each of the knives
(all Helvie knives) varied in handle and blade sizes. These knived
contained the shortest handles of all that I tested but were
also the thickest of all the others. They did fit very nicely
in the hand and the thickness allowed for an easy grip. The only
drawback to the handle is the finish. A very highly polished
finish that called for a extra-tight grip to keep the knife from
slipping right out of the hand. This led to a tired hand at the
end of the carving sessions. The blade was one of the sharper
blades out of the box calling for only a good stropping before
getting started. The blade was strong enough to glide right through
even the hard woods without losing the edge. The shape of the
blade also gave an added advantage; the tip of the blade sloped
back to the handle much quicker than on other blades allowing
for the knife to reach into tight spots with ease. A leather
strop was all that was needed for maintenance. There were several
good ideas put into the design of this knife such as the thickness
of the handle and design of the blade, however the "slick"
glossy finish on the handle makes it more prone to slipping than
other knives and can be a little dangerous to use.
Rick Bütz Carving Knife
:
Specifications:
General Comments: This is a genuinely good looking knife. The cherry
wood on the handle darkens very nicely with use. In comparison
with all the knives tested, the handle on this one was the favorite.
The shape and size allowed for a perfect fit in the hand with
the base being just thick enough and round enough in shape to
maintain a good grip with very little pressure being needed.
As the handle approaches the blade it thins down and expands
right before the blade to create a notch allowing for the hand
to get closer to the blade than any other knife and also keeps
the knife from slipping in the hand. The finish is of an oil
type which gives it a smooth look without being to glossy and
slippery in the hand. The blade did require being sharpened on
a stone first before the initial use but has only required stropping
after that. The blade performed very well in both soft and hardwoods
while maintaining a good edge for quite a lengthy time. The only
drawback for this knife was that the blade is loosely set into
the handle being held in place with two brass rivets allowing
for a visible gap between the blade (tang) and the handle. After
a little use, the blade wore on the rivets enough to result in
a loose blade. The blade, while ever so slightly, is loose enough
to be able to grip the handle and blade and move it back and
forth. This is an excellent knife for a beginner to start with
due to the safety in the shape of the handle, but once the blade
begins to get loose, the safety and accuracy of the cut are lost
rendering the knife useless.
Cape Forge #1 General Carving
Knife :
Specifications:
General Comments:
This knife was by far the favorite.
The handle, being of black walnut, is a very durable handle which
will hold up to years of carving. The length and thickness fit
perfectly in the hand. The handle was less thick than the Helvie
knife but was shaped to allow for a fit that made the knife feel
like an extension of the arm. The handle come in two basic styles,
the standard (traditional) shape and a teardrop shape; the knife
used for testing had the standard handle. The finish was a basic
finish allowing for protection of the wood while not being to
glossy. Upon receiving the knife, the edge was sharp enough to
use as is but was put to a leather strop before the serious carving
began. Compared to the other knives tested, this knife maintained
it's edge better than the others. The only maintenance required
was a quick stropping at the beginning of each carving session.
The blade glided equally as well through both soft and hard woods.
This knife was above all the best in quality and performance.
As an added bonus to the knife, the service provided by the creators
of this knife is unmatched by any other knife company. While
the knife I used in testing was on loan to me by a fellow carver,
I will be ordering the first of many Cape Forge knives for my
own collection.
Suppliers:
Woodcraft
210 Wood County Industrial Park
P.O. Box 1686
Parkersburg, WV 26102-1686
USA
1-800-225-1153
web site: http://www.woodcraft.com/
Smokey Mountain Woodcarvers
Supply, Inc.
P.O. Box 82
Townsend, Tennessee 37882
USA
1-800-541-5994
Wood Carvers Supply, Inc.
P.O. Box 7500
Englewood, Fl 34295-7500
USA
1-914-698-0123
orders: 1-800-284-6229
Cape Forge
P.O. Box 987
Burlington, VT 05402-0987
USA
1-802-244-7010
web site: http://www.capeforge.com/
The Author:
Don M. Leners was born in Indiana and spent
much of his early youth traveling amongst military bases within
the USA. Finally settling in Houston, Texas after his father's
retirement from the Air Force, he obtained and education in Computer
Engineering and has achieved a successful career working with
computer systems for the oil industry. Married to his wife, Heather,
in 1992, they and their two children live in Spring, Texas, a
small community outside of Houston, Texas, and are active members
of the Catholic Church. Don spends most of his spare time with
his family, supporting his wife's craft business, and of course
in his workshop.
Don began carving at the age of 10 with a
basic carving set and whatever wood he could find laying around.
Most of the early carvings were of small animals and a few relief
carvings; all with a strong southwest accent to them. At the
age of 14, he began working on other wood-working projects in
addition to the carvings. After a few years, he put all wood
aside to begin a career. He has since returned to shop in 1991
to continue woodworking and carving as a hobby. The types of
carvings that Don likes to do are caricatures, realistic sculptures,
animals and relief scenes. The subject of most of the carvings
is centered around the history and culture of the Old West and
Native Americans. While a few of the carvings and other woodworking
projects are sold through his wife's craft business and to private
individuals, most of the work is given to family members and
friends.
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