I will admit that I'm a hobby type woodworker that got a deal on carving tools that I couldn't pass up. And I'm pretty much learning chip by chip, cut by cut, and reading the internet and WCI. I haven't had the opportunity to join with the local carving group, yet. But, as I was getting acustomed to using different type of woodworking tools, I found a 'hoof trimmer' amongst my carving tools. I don't know if it was put in by mistake or was being considered for a scorp. It had not been sharpened.
So! I'm wondering what kind of strange tools, that you use for wood carving, would be found in your tool pouch?
Mike

set of gouges
2 mill knives
3 carving knives
6 pocket knives
pliars
screwdriver
tablet
carbon paper
tracing paper
2 stones
strop stroping coumpound
Bandaids
carving glove
finget and thumb guards
pencil
mallet
rag
smal broom and dustpan
a thin piece of basswood
portable vise on ocassions
Advil
I have all of this in a canvass tool bag from Wal mart
Sometimes more stuff

This is what I take with me to the club meeting. Maybe a little too much. I have more stuff at home. drills, glues, vise on a work bench, Dremel and lots of burs. Stains paint, pollyurthene, patterns. lots of tool supply catalogs.

That 'hoof trimmer' you have is probably a farrier's hook or shave. Â*They ARE used for trimming horses hooves prior to shoeing. Â*They are also very similar to expensive 'bent knives' of the type used for northwest Native style carving. I have two, a right and left hand model, and bent them over from the hard 180 degree hook they came with to a nice radiused 90 degree hook. Â*They are then easily sharpened with just a flat stone and a diamond rod.

I have also modified two or three 'oyster knives' from the culinary shops. They have nice handles, good steel and sharpened up real well.

Al

Wayne asked where I got those oyster kinives and how I modified them, so thinking maybe someone else would be interested, here goes.....

I picked them up at the kitchen sections of some of the big department stores, where my wife prowls the isles. I tag along with her and have found those, and several other knives that wer adaptable...some I ground dpwn, some I just got the steel for making blades and made my own handles.

The 'modificatios, on the oyster knives were simply sharpening them, as they are really only pry-bars for opening oysters and flipping the meat out. The straight blade I only sharpened on one edge, but the bent I did both edges for both right and left hand use. I suppose I could have bought another and then sharpened one edge on each for safety reasons, but they only had the one that day, and we were out-state shopping so couldn't get back. I put RED paint on all the handles of my double edge knives so I don't forget, and push the blade with my thumb!

Al

Al
Will you post the link to your pic trail
I know how to get to my pic trail but do not know how to search the sight and find someone else's albums
Thanks

Wayne, it's on the site here that everyone uses.....try this link



http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/...amp;uid=731540

I let my old picture trail site lapse. Â*I have another somewhere, but I can't even remember where it is anymore; Â*I'll get a notice from them one of these days and make a note of where it is Â* Â* arrrrggghhh!

Al

Al,
I wasn't raised around horses, so I'm not familiar with the
tool. The only reason that I knew it was a 'hoof trimmer' was that it is stamped on the the handle. 'Sweden' is stamped on the hilt of the blade. It was bent to a 'U' shape on the end.
It's such a tight bend that the metal is showing a bit of a crease on one edge. That's the extent of my knowledge on it. I didn't even know if it was the type of metal that would take an edge, it's pretty dull.
Mike

This steel will hold a great edge. What I did was to simply heat the tip cherry red with just a propane torch, then slowly hammer the end open around a 1/2 inch steel water pipe. Then I quenched it in cool water. The outside face is flat, so I simply honed that on a diamond stone, and took a 3/16' diamond rod to the insid eof the blade. Once it was sharp I honed the inside with a ceramic rod, and it's a great hook knife! Holds an edge well and has a large enough handle to get a solid grip on.

Al

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Al I did that too, and got the shape fairly well, but was never able to find one of those diamond sticks at wallyworld...keep forgetting to try another nearby towns super wally!

Toolkit? Carving glove and bandaids are items I've found pretty essential for my toolkit. On a more serious note, make sure you've done something to keep your tools from coming into contact with each other. Why go to all that trouble to sharpen and then have them banging together?